The radical transformation of Cuban society when changing from a capitalist economic system to a socialist one is immediately expressed in the territorial sphere as the social, productive and property relations on urban and rural terrain are transformed. In this way, Cuban architecture enters a dark period, as the urban development of Havana is interrupted and new peasant settlements quickly emerge around towns and cities that promote low-cost urbanization.
In general sense, the constructions of this first period (1959-1969) are characterized by formal and constructive simplicity, the search for technical solutions that are easy to execute, and lightness or low weight. The strong Soviet influence brings its obsession with symmetry and saving space. Shells, lightened cover plates, hyperbolic paraboloids and, with prefabrication, folded-plates slabs are widespread to cover large social spaces. The Sandino construction system is beginning to be used, especially in rural homes.
In the second period (1969-1979), the prefabrication technique became widespread and architectural themes focused on Soviet constructivism. The lack of artistic and decorative details is reflected in hotels, schools, hospitals and homes. An economic improvement leads to the emergence of new neighborhoods and the growth of existing ones, but as in the first period, low-cost urbanization predominates.
In the third period (1979-present) we begin to see a concern for the formal aspect and the rescue of the identity values of Cuban culture. Care begins to be taken to ensure a harmonious insertion into the environment and respect for the architectural and urban heritage. The codes of functional modernism and postmodernism resurface in Cuba, although in an incipient way.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and with the tourist boom of the 1990s, the construction of modern hotels increases significantly. The new hotels reflect a strong influence of international Western architecture, with imposing steel and glass buildings, imitating the typical facades of skyscrapers. Notorious examples from this period are the Meliá Cohiba and the Hotel Oasis Panorama.
"The people have the right to culture. And in an economic building as in an expensive one, there is no excuse not to do High Culture!", expressed Ricardo Porro in an interview in 1993. At the Conference on the Sense of Tradition.
The architecture of education in Cuba has as its background the Spanish Independence, in the 20th century, after a dependence on the United States and the lack of State support for Education, leading to illiteracy in the countryside and the city.
Modernism arrived in Cuba in 1945 after the Second World War, and an economic flourishing due to tobacco and sugar exports, education remained the same, the distribution of illiteracy percentages was influenced by social, economic, geographic, communication factors, etc. In 1952, after taking power through a coup d'état by Fulgencio Batista, educational reforms were made.
In the 60s, after the triumph of the Revolution, Fidel Castro took power and educational reforms were made, such as converting barracks into schools, residences that were adapted to educational themes, the hexagonal rural primary school, among other reforms by the Architect Josefina Robellón. The construction aspects, such as the Sandino system, as well as the prefabricated structure were the boom in the 1960s and the Girón system in the 1970s and 1980s.
The Architectural Works of Ricardo Porro and the School of Plastic Arts and Modern Dance. Victorio Garatti's School of Music and Ballet, and Roberto Gotardi's School of Dramatic Arts, where due to their organic form, spatiality and acoustics, they opposed the functional and squared modern European style.
In this scenario, the Architecture of education in Cuba is developed, under systems of reforms by the State related to Education that in turn promoted the construction of schools, universities and the use of new materials. As well as Race, Gender and Social Equality, since until those days Women were discriminated against and did not take part in the professions in Education. After the triumph of the Revolution, Children's Schools were created, which gave work to many Teachers who served as an example to this day, such as in Cuban Sports and Medicine.
BACKGROUND BEGINNING AND DEVELOPMENT FROM 1960 TO 2000.
As we have already mentioned, in 1960 after the triumph of the Revolution, educational reforms were carried out and then in 1961 the largest massive educational action in Latin America took place, known as "the Literacy Campaign", which meant a great feat by teachers and students, which allowed adults to become literate, barracks converted into schools, Residences were adapted to educational themes, rural primary schools on a hexagonal plan, projects such as the H floor (two-story central core). The Girón system that comes later as a heavy prefabricated system.
In 1961, the Ministry of Public Works, later called the Ministry of Construction, took charge of educational construction, under the direction of the Architect Josefina Rebellon, helped by several Institutes and Ministries, to make different types of schools suitable for construction and the Law of the General Nationalization of Education was implemented (free education is applied to schools, especially in the countryside).
At this stage it was characterized by the combination of reinforced concrete and brick, which made it possible to achieve pleasant plastic effects and the emphasis of structural elements, such as beams and cantilevers. Due to the scarcity of steel, wood was used and the use of ceramic pieces in vaults, latticework and tiles, as well as the use of simple prefabricated elements of columns, beams and slabs with brick walls, such as prefabricated roofs and slabs cast in situ, was the most widespread in schools. Engineering.
In the 70s, heavy prefabricated systems were built such as the Girón system, which builds buildings of 4 to 5 floors and extends over urban and rural territory, dedicated to initial, secondary and pre-university education, also for the training of teachers and university cities. Polytechnic centers were also created with the objective of training technicians for production and service activities in rural and urban areas.
In the 80s, school buildings were created with the Girón system. Also in 1985, the José María Heredia Vocational Art School was created, where they used this system to expand the student residence. Also highlighting the Camilo Cien Fuegos school for its Urban Planning conception and the volumetric and spatial richness achieved.
In 1990, with the crisis that affected Cuba from what is known as the Special Period, plans related to construction were modified. The tourism sector assumed maximum importance, as an alternative to economic restoration. Medical schools and the International School of Physical Education and Sports were created.
Summary taken from: Cuadra, M. (2017).The architecture of the Cuban Revolution 1959-2018.Spain: Kassel.
Soto M., Zardoya M., Morcate F. *Education in Cuba. (*pp:145-174).