The rooftops and skyline of Havana, Cuba. (Image courtesy of Prof. Jan Wampler.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Jan Wampler
MIT Course Number
4.196 / 4.132
As Taught In
Spring 2004
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Highlights
This architectural studio, set in Havana, Cuba, contains two image galleries: the student projects section, which details the work of the semester laid out in the assignments, and the image gallery from the trip to Cuba.
Course Description
This architectural studio will have one main project for the semester: to explore the issues surrounding the redesign of an area in Havana, Cuba. It is a typical area about the size of a Law of Indies block that presently has a mix of housing, work, and shopping, in buildings that need to be replaced and others that need to be rehabilitated. There is also vacant land, and buildings that are unused. Part of the blocks front on the Malecon, the street next to the water. The other edge fronts onto a typical neighborhood. The intention is to study the culture through an understanding of one area of Havana and then design an "echo" in architectural form. The design will include public space as well as a mix of buildings: some new, some rehabilitated.