Modernism under load: experimental vaults in Cuba after the Revolution (1959–1963)

Abstract

This article illustrates the shifts in architectural thinking and practice in Cuba immediately after the Revolution in 1959. It specifically traces the interest of the Cuban architects in developing construction methods from local sources and materials. One of these methods was ceiling systems made from ceramic bricks and tiles to make reinforced and unreinforced shells for houses, schools, factories, and recreational facilities. The architect Juan Campos Almanza led research in the Centre for Technical Investigations to design systemised but flexible and scalable vault systems. He and other architects later used these systems in projects across the country. This experimental period involved architects, engineers, and builders working together on accelerating building crafts under the pressure of mass construction and material limitations. The efforts of these groups came to a stop in 1963 when the Ministry of Construction decided to resort to total mechanised construction of concrete panels, alienating all other forms of local and craft-based building techniques. The experimental period of vaults in Cuba, which ended in 1963, highlights how state-sponsored institutions in Cuba played a decisive role in both pushing and suppressing innovative building techniques after the Revolution.