Architecture as contextual re-interpretation : a mixed-use cultural center in Old Havana, Cuba

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\u27s 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 is an appropriate place to propose a contemporary project that reinterprets Havana’s historic context. The cultural center embodies a synthesis between old and new ideas