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Architecture As Contextual Re-Interpretation : A Mixed-Use Cultural Center In Old Havana, Cuba, Gabriel Fuentes

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses contextual design in the city, particularly the design of contemporary architecture in historic places.

The research focuses on an analysis of Old Havana's urban architecture, particularly the spatial qualities of colonial Cuban houses as well as visual, social, and functional qualities of their urban façades. Additionally, I analyze specific mid-twentieth century houses that reinterpret Cuba’s colonial architecture in order to derive architectural principles that are tested in my design process.

The design project is a mixed-use cultural center at the Plaza Vieja in Old Havana, Cuba. As a cultural destination currently under going restoration, the Plaza Vieja …