T H E S E CO N DA R Y SCH OO L
an urban school for a dense environment, Centro Habana.
Ernesto L. Alonso
T H E S E CO N DA R Y S C H O O L an urban school for a dense environment, Centro Habana.
Ernesto L. Alonso Chair: Alfonso Perez-Mendez Co-Chair: Martha Kohen
Master of Archi tecture University of Florida 2012
Content ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
4
INTRODUCTION
6
PRECEDENTS
8
Seattle Public Library
10
Diamond Ranch High School
14
Jose M. Aguirre Secondary School
18
+ EDUCATION
22
SCHOOLS
SITE - CENTRO HABANA
31
PROPOSALS
46
THE NEW SCHOOL
74
ILLUSTRATION CREDITS
76
BIBLIOGRAPHY
78
3
El mundo nuevo requiere la Escuela Nueva. -José Martí.
5
In t ro d u c t i o n What is the Urban School? The intention of this thesis is to generate a design through the investigation of the school as a typology within the urban environment of Centro Habana, municipality of Habana, Cuba. The island has a very rich and diverse architectural history, influenced by political changes and constant adaptation to styles in architecture. To talk about the architecture in Cuba is essentially to talk about architecture in Habana, and the 1940s and 1950s represents the glory years of modern architecture in the city. It was during this time that Cuba accomplished its most extraordinary achievements in architecture. The 50s was a decade in which a Cuban School of modem architecture came into its own, articulating traits that were at once local and universal.1 The Cuban Revolution of 1959 brought radical changes to the country. The new government established new priorities and a new course for the architecture field; as a result among other reasons, most of the architects that had been the protagonists of the Cuban modern movement during the 50s, left the country. Only a few projects during the early 60s, such as the Ciudad Universitaria José Antonio Echeverría (CUJAE) - current location for the architecture school- by Humberto Alonso and particularly the National Art Schools by Ricardo Porro can be underlined as a continuation of the preoccupation with modern architecture in the island.2
1. National Art Schools by Ricardo Porro
2. CUJAE by Humberto Alonso
1 (Rodriguez 2000) 2 (Loomis 1999)
Currently most architectural efforts in the country concentrate in the restoration and historic preservation of buildings in areas such as Trinidad and primarily in Habana Vieja, the colonial zone of Habana. One of the reasons behind these restorations is to motivate tourism through architecture. The role of architecture in Habana has been reduced for the most part, to saving the nostalgic reminiscence of the colonial architecture in the city. In 1932, the Cuban journal Arquitectura y Artes Decorativas stated something that was valid at the time and it is still very valid for today’s architecture in Cuba: To stop, to stagnate, when all around us the world forges ahead without pause, is to retreat… The vanguard or the rearguard, progression or regression; these are the only alternatives open to us.3 Without erasing the harmonious diversity of Habana, or discarding lesson learned from the successful architectural attempts in it, my proposal for the educational facilities in Centro Habana would reject anachronisms. The schools would try to deal with the issue of being a modern urban building. 3. Restoration in progress in the Plaza Vieja in Old Havana.
3 (Arquitectura y Artes Decorativas 1932)
introduction 7
Pre ce d e n t s I absolutely believe that architecture is a social activity that has to do with some sort of communication or places of interaction, and that to change the environment is to change behavior. -Thom Mayne Regardless of program, any intervention within the fabric of an urban city has to allow for the mutual dialogue between the context, the community and the building itself. Schools, as fundamental civic buildings, have a vital and profound function in society that extends beyond the intended educational program.1 As a result, for this investigation not only urban schools would be utilized as case studies, but other building types would also be included. Schools and urban buildings in cities like Seattle, California and Habana, become catalysts for interaction. They deal with the physical characteristics of the site, the density of the context, the identity of the city and the degree of private obligation and public engagement of the building. Through the investigation of these issues I acquired an understanding of the principles that make a building a successful artifact for interaction.
1  (Hille 2011)
Issues • Characteristics of site • Density of context. • Addressing the neighborhood. • Place Identity. • Function / Program Flexibility • Degree of Public engagement. • Degree of Private obligation. • Control / Use of climatic elements. • Heat / Light • Wind • Humidity • Rain water. • Tectonic relationship to program,
precedents / issues 9
precedents
S e a t t l e Pu bli c Li b r a r y o m a - s e a t t l e , wa s hin g to n
The investigation begins by looking at the Seattle Public Library by OMA, as a quintessential modern urban building. The library deals with the issues of: density of context, function / program flexibility, addressing the neighborhood, degree of private obligation and degree of public engagement. The building is located in downtown Seattle on a sloping site between 4th and 5th avenue, two of the most transited of the area. By having entrances on both street levels, it serves as a direct linkage element that provides a condition space for pedestrian circulation. The building rethinks the configuration of typical urban library. Programs and floors are shuffled and organized in a hierarchical order of relationships. Each platform is a programmatic cluster that is architecturally defined and equipped for maximum, dedicated performance. Because each platform is designed for a unique purpose, their size, flexibility, circulation, palette, structure and MEP vary.2 In essence, this building is about its section. The traditional spaces of the library were separated and flexible spaces were inserted in between them, creating a total of eight platforms. These interstitial levels mediate and work as trading floors between the more traditional functions of the library; these are spaces for multiple activities such as work, social interaction and recreation. While the traditional spaces have an orthogonal shape, reminiscent of their formality, the flexible spaces are informally defined by angular shapes as a by-product of the push and pull of the platforms.
2
(Kubo and Prat 2005)
Typical highrise
Program + floors shuffled.
New building concept
precedents / seattle public library 11
Traditional library spaces
Flexible spaces
Traditional library spaces
Flexible spaces
5th Ave.
4th Ave.
Street engagement is achieved by providing a public space in the level that connects to 5th Ave. This area becomes the “living room� of the city, a breathing space within the urban environment that reaches out to the public and allows them to take ownership of the library.
Traditional library spaces
Flexible spaces
Traditional library spaces
Flexible spaces
Madison St.
Spring St.
precedents / seattle public library 13
precedents
Diamond Ranch High Scho ol m o r p h o s i s - p o m o n a , ca li fo r ni a
Diamond Ranch High School is not in an urban environment, but its architecture fosters a dynamic social environment for the students and teachers, an essential element for any urban school. The building deals with the issues of: function / program flexibility, characteristics of the site, degree of private obligation and degree of public engagement. The school has a linear outdoor pedestrian spine as a critical interstitial space, mediating between the school, its desert hillside site and the outside community. The architecture punctures the landscape creating a close dialogue between the two. Buildings are separated into clusters and divided by a streetlike space that acts as the social and civic center of the school.3 This is a flexible space where informal as well as formal outdoor activities can happen, giving the school a distinctive identity and sense of place. Administrative areas, cafeteria and other more public spaces are located at the east end of the school near the entrance. Instructional areas are located at the west end of the school creating a clear delineation between the spaces that can have a directly engage the public and the ones that need more degree of privacy because of their program. Diamond Ranch H.S is a perfect example of an educational environment that fullfill the need of contemporary schools. It provides the students and teacher with conventional instructional spaces, but it also offers innovative spaces where socialization, learning and play can take place. Looking at current typical secondary school in Centro Habana was indispensable for the research. 3 (Hille 2011)   
Building clusters
Outdoor flexible space
Individual courtyards
precedents / diamond ranch h.s. 15
First level
Buildings
School Street
School Street
Buildings
School Street
Buildings
The school works as a city where buildings are divided and punctured by streets - central linear space. The roles are interchanged, the classrooms are transitional spaces and the interstitial outdoor area is the permanent space where the life of the school takes place.
Buildings
School Street
School Street
Buildings
Buildings
School Street
Buildings
School Street
Buildings
School Street
Second level.
Third level.
precedents / diamond ranch h.s. 17
precedents
J o s e M . Ag uir re S e co n d a r y S ch o o l ce n t ro h a b a n a , cu b a
Jose M. Aguirre Secondary School is representative of most school buildings in this area, which were originally built for a different use –usually homes, hostels or factories. The school deals with the issues of: place identity, control and use of the climatic elements and the degree of private obligation. The building was a former colonial dwelling and it has all the characteristics of such typology: an interior courtyard -central to the organization of spaces, a smaller secondary interior courtyard on the back of the building, a staircase to the second floor visible from the main entrance, the first floor with 18 feet high ceilings and balconies on every room that faces the street.4 The building, as a school, uses sunlight and cross ventilation successfully. Every classroom has at least one floor-to-ceiling window facing the street, which allow for the penetration of natural light into the space. This condition also facilitates cross ventilation in the classroom, as they all face one of the interior courtyards. Even though the classrooms are visible from the street, the school building does not engage the public; it becomes a private entity very distant from the community.
4  (Prestamo 1995)
Facade facing street
Classroom
Primary interior courtyard
Classroom
First Level.
Second Level.
precedents / j. m. aguirre secondary school 19
Vertical Flow of Flexible Space
Horizontal Flow of Flexible Space
precedents / j. m. aguirre secondary school 21
S c h o o l s + Ed u c a t i o n Plans have to evolve from the necessity and the modes of usage, the style of life and the occupants. -Richard Neutra.
School architecture has always responded to the ever-changing educational methodologies and procedures. Modern schools, more than ever, have to respond to current pedagogical trends but also anticipate future changes and advancements. School buildings that last through time are those that enable the unobstructed evolution of learning methods
Schools Schools as we know it -institutions for universal education-did not exist prior to 19th century and the majority of children were educated at homes or at churches. The first public schools were established around the late 18th and early 19th century in the United States and Europe.1 In Cuba before the 19th century, most of the children were being educated by the Catholic Church. The beginning of the 19th century brought a push for education in the island, with the establishment of the Sociedad Económica de Amigos del País (Economic Society Friends of the Country). This organization funded the construction of many public schools in Cuba, many of them still functioning today as educational facilities such as the Miguel Fernandez Roig school in Centro Habana and the San Alejandro Arts Academy, currently used as secondary school.2 By 1840, the colonial government assigned the responsibility of primary education to the individual municipalities of the provinces, and created Escuelas 1 (Hille 2011) 2 (Rey 2009)
4. Original building for the Academia de Bellas Artes San Alejandro, currently used as a secondary school.
5. Primary school Miguel Fernandez Roig.
schools + education 23
Normales, institutions that educated teachers. By the late 19th century, 65 percent of children were going to public schools and only 35 percent to private ones.3 During the first half of the 20th century, secondary education was given a high priority in the country. Numerous educational plans were implemented and very specialized buildings were built for these institutions in the capitals of each province. Even though there not too many in the country, most of them had very efficient Physics, Chemistry and Natural Science labs, in addition to libraries.4 With the emphasis on education that brought the revolution of 1959, new schools were built mainly in rural locations or others that were lacking. Urban centers such as Centro Habana did not see a substantial increase in the construction of new facilities. In the United States and Europe the scope and scale of large-school construction in urban areas during this time, resulted in a greater concerns for health and safety, leading to improvement in design standards for lighting, ventilation and fire safety. These and more current school design standards have never had a presence in the design of educational facilities in Cuba.
3 (Torre 1999) 4 (Idem)
6. Original building for the Instituto de Segunda Ense単anza de La Habana - Habana Secondary Institution, still being used today as a secondary school.
7. Interior of the building
schools + education 25
Education Learning philosophies such as the Montessori and the Open Plan methods, have influenced the architecture and evolution of schools throughout history. When examining these methodologies a number of recurring design principles are noticeable. The principles and their basic definitions are: School Identity - The way in which the school physical context relates to the community and the neighborhood and how it responds to social and cultural influences. Creating a school identity reinforces a unique sense of place and gives meaning to the educational experience. Variety of learning venues - A diverse kind of learning environments – formal and informal, large and small, public and private, specialized and generalized. Flexibility and adaptability - Open and tractable spaces that encourage multiuse and allow for change and evolution over time. This applies to classrooms, larger common areas of the school, outdoor areas, and nonprogrammed spaces for circulation. Community Use - The school as a shared public resource open and connected to the community to support a variety of activities. Community events, academic studies and athletic activities can take place in the school.
8. Apollolaan Montessori and Willemspark School by Herman Hertxberger.
9. Multiuse space in the central hall.
10. Central hall.
schools + education 27
Student and teacher interaction - The importance of socialization and personal exchange as an essential part of the learning experience, promoting openness and interconnectivity in the school environment.5 These principles are fundamental element for an urban school in Centro Habana, where a new definition for the school has to be created - a dynamic place where traditional and formal spaces fuse with innovative and flexible ones, allowing for new uses and relationships.
5  (Hille 2011)
schools + education 29
site
Ce n t ro
Habana
Ciudad de derrumbes, de balcones, de niños jugando en las calles, ciudad musical.
Centro Habana, city of crumbling buildings, balconies, children playing in the streets, city of music. This is my recollection of Centro Habana from when I left twelve years ago, and it is again what I saw in my most recent trip early in 2012. The area is located to the North and the center of Habana so that The Straits of Florida is the natural limit and The Malecón its physical border to the North while El Cerro district […] is the South border. Old Havana is to the East and El Vedado district is to the West.1 For the last twenty years, the Cuban capital has endured a substantial increase in the deterioration of its architectural and urban infrastructure. Centro Habana, in particular, has been trapped in the paradox of being a 21st century urban center while not having the necessary infrastructure to fulfill this role. Centro Habana, with only 1.5 sq. mi, is the most densely populated urban area of Cuba. Public and green spaces are very scarce; not sufficient for the local population of 155 thousands and the additional floating population ranging from 120 to 180 thousands.2 As a comparison, Manhattan has a density of 70,971 people per square miles3 while Centro Habana has a density 102,402 people per square miles. This density is what makes the city and creates its unique urban identity; people use the sidewalks and the streets as the – absentpublic spaces of the city. 1 (Pilling 2011) 2 (Rey 2009) 3 (United States Census Bureau 2010)
centro habana 31
The centrality of this area is determinant in the mixed character of its urban tissue. Primary streets such as Reina, Neptuno and Galiano accommodate a diversity of programs, with an emphasis on retail and commercial. Secondary streets are mostly residential with complementary elements such as farmers markets, schools and churches. This area of Habana is defined by the strong volume of the block, as opposed to other areas such as Vedado, where the singularity of the buildings is evident. With the exception of several edifications in the primary streets, in Centro Habana buildings share party walls and meet the sidewalk directly, with no setbacks, creating a direct and in most cases abrupt transition between the interior spaces and the street. Secondary schools in Centro Habana are a vivid example of the decadent architectural infrastructure of the city. The number of schools that still function in buildings originally built for educational purposes decreases continuously as they succumb to deterioration and the lack of maintenance. Today, the majority of these educational institutions have to function in buildings once built as hostels, factories or houses. The concept of adaptive reuse would not be particularly appropriate for this situation because very little is remodeled or added to the buildings to accommodate the demands the new program, thus fomenting inadequate spaces for their intended use. Most classrooms are overcrowded and they do not follow a consistent dimensional pattern. The spaces for socialization and innovative learning are either inexistent or insufficient. In most cases there is no designated space for sports within the facility and such activities have to take place in the streets or in designated areas several blocks away from the school.
Designated Sports Area
Designated Sports Area
centro habana 33
The burden of instructing in the street, dealing with limited space and automobile traffic, often leads teachers to only being able to teach the techniques and mechanics of sports instead of letting students play it.4 When a designated sports area -away from the school-is provided, they are commonly located in a corner lot paved with concrete, surrounded by a concrete wall and open to the elements. Students and teachers cannot take ownership of these spaces because of their detachment from the school. They are single use areas that end up being underutilized and take a valuable space in such a dense city.
4  (Alonso 2012)
centro habana 35
Primary Streets
Secondary Streets
The city plan reveals a hierarchy of streets. The primary streets called “calzadas�, establish a strong linear axis that separates neighborhoods. Secondary streets work as a micro system that delineates the city blocks. centro habana 37
Commercial Edges
Barrio Chino / Chinatown
Calzadas work as commercial axes that provide a variety of mixed uses. People from different neighborhood of Centro Habana converge at these central arteries to shop and get other services. centro habana 39
Malec贸n
Public/Green Areas
The scarcity of green and public spaces represents one of the main problems of Centro Habana. Many areas do not have a public space within walking distance. centro habana 41
Proposal 1 Walking Radius
Proposal 2 Walking Radius
The sites for the new schools are located in the areas with the highest need of public spaces. The centrality of the facilities establishes the opportunity of new public spaces for the community within walking distance. centro habana 43
Proposal 1 Location
Existing residential units relocated to vacant lots..
Existing residential in the chosen locations, will be relocated to nearby vacant lots.
Proposal 2 Location
Existing residential units relocated to vacant lots..
45
Pro p o s a l s Urban Schools for the students, for the community, for Centro Habana.
Principle of Flexibility by Richard Neutra Considering the changes in educational and training procedures […] one general principle particularly stands guard against premature obsolesces: It is Flexibility and elastic adaptability of the structure that is to house activities of well modifiable patterns. The New Secondary Schools for Centro Habana aim at creating an urban building where program, context, community, and culture converge into one. By designing two schools in different locations, the two conditions of buildings that coexist in Centro Habana are addressed. The first condition presents a small lot within party-walls while the second condition presents a lot twice as big in the corner of the block. The design approaches for each individual school will respond to the location constraints by establishing a new typologies for the area. Finally, one of the two approaches will be further studied in order to examine in detail the issues of the urban school. An initial evolution study of the existing buildings in Centro Habana revealed how the typology that started with two clear definitions has morphed over time. This is the result of informal additions and deterioration of the structure. A further investigation of the morphology and the adjacencies of buildings within the blocks led me to a new kind of space, informal and catalytic.
Original Typologies
Evolution of the Typologies
proposals 47
New adjacencies are created by the continuous evolution of the typology. Catalytic spaces that can generate different moments within the architecture are discovered.
proposal 1 -
Pa r t y - W a l l S c h o o l
The first school is located in a lot within party-walls, across from Malecon, the long esplanade that stretches along the coast of Habana. In this area as opposed to the other areas of Centro Habana, building reach nine and ten floors. Given the restrictive dimension of the lot, 160’ x 70’, the strategy implemented calls for a vertically dense school, with 10 floors. The third level opens up almost entirely to the public, creating an interior public space that can be used by the school and the community . Catalityc spaces are inserted into the volume to create flexible areas and challenge the traditional ones within the school.
Building Block
Create cavity
Elevate and insert public space.
Insert flexible spaces
Roof Garden
Flexible / Innovative Spaces
Controlled / Shared Public Space
Public Access
proposal 2 -
H a l f - B l o ck S ch o o l
For the second proposal, half of the city block is occupied by the school. The size of the lot, 185’x 120’, allows for a strategy of high density while keeping the building within five floors. The school maintains the strong block edge on the west and east facades. On the north facades the building sets back to allow for a public space to emerge. This elevated public space can be used by the school and the community, providing the students and teacher with an outdoor activity area, and the community with a controlled public space. The perforated skin of the school allows for cross ventilation and the control of natural light. In addition, It reinforces the connection of the school to the community by visually reminding them of the activities in the interior of the facility. 55
Building Block
Create cavity
Elevate and insert public space.
Insert flexible spaces
Conceptual Diagram
57
Flexible / Innovative Spaces
Shared Public Space
Public Access
The school becomes a building about its section. The flexible spaces of the school are areas for innovation, for social exchanges, formal and informal activities. They interact with the traditional spaces of the school by creating new spatial relationships. The innovative spaces allow the school to be elastic and adapt to new ways of learning.
Multi-use hall.
Elevated public space.
Gymnasium / Glassing allows for visual access to the interior.
Roof Garden.
Flexible spaces.
6
7
3
4
2
1 5
Ground Level
Sports area used after-hours by the community.
Gate controls access during school hours.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
Student Entry Lobby Administration Gym Weight Room Supplies Warehouse After-Hour Entrance
61
9
8
10
Second Level
Cafeteria opens to outdoor space.
Technology Wing.
8. Library 9. Cafeteria 10. Shared Public Space
63
Third Level
Flexible spaces
Traditional Classrooms
65
Fourth Level
Flexible spaces
Traditional Classrooms
67
Fifth Level
Flexible spaces
Traditional Classrooms
69
13
11
12
Roof Garden
11. Roof Access Core 12. Eatable Garden 13. Multi-Use Space
71
Library / Flexible space
Shared Public Space
73
Ciudad de La Habana Rene Portocarrero - 1970
Skin Study
La Es cu e l a N u ev a -
Th e N ew S ch o o l
The New Urban Secondary School is made for La Habana de hoy - today’s Habana. It respects the context and the identity of the city but it does not look back in order to move forward. The school offers a new typology where the urban character of Centro Habana is the driving force behind the design. The school provides the neighborhood with a public space for the young lady to read a magazine, for the musicians to play a Rumba de Cajon, and for the children to play a game of marbles. The school provokes the students to think differently, to be innovative, to challenge the status quo. The flexible spaces of the school are catalyst for innovation, they create new relationships and allow for the student to develop a new way of inhabiting their school - a free way of inhabiting their school.
75
Illu s t ra t i o n s
1. Gasparini, Paolo. 1965. 4. Rey, Gina. Centro Habana un futuro sustentable. La Habana: Fac. de Arq. de la Univ. de La Habana, Centro de Estudios Urbanos de La Habana, 2009. 5. Edlifeguard09. Flickr. March 10, 2009. (accessed 2012). 6. Enmadacar. Panoramio. (accessed 2012). 7. Idem 8. Bergeijk, Herman von. Herman Hertzberger. Birkh채user Basel, 1997. 9. Idem 10. Idem
illustrations 77
B i bli o g ra p hy
Arquitectura y Artes Decorativas, October/November 1932.
Alonso, Marisol P. “Personal conversation with Marisol P. Alonso.” March 2, 2012. Architectural League of New York. New Schools for New York. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 1992. Bruno Stagno, Jimena Ugarte. Tropical Sustainable Cities-CIudades Tropicales Sostenibles. San Jose, Costa Rica: Instituto de Arquitectura Tropical, 2006. Carley, Rachel. CUBA: 400 Years of Architectural Heritage. New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1997. Centro de Informacin de la Construccion. Cuba to keep in Memory- Cuba Para Guardar la Memoria. La Habana, 2010. Colegio Oficioal de Arquitectos de Asturias. Architecture in the City of Havana: First Modernism- Arquitectura en la ciudad de la Habana: Primera Modernidad. Galicia, Espana: Electa, 2000. Dudek, Mark. Architecture of Schools. Oxford: Architectural Press, 2000. Hille, R.Thomas. Modern Schools: a century of desing for education. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, inc., 2011. Loomis, John A. Revolution of forms: Cuba’s forgotten art schools. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 1999.
Neutra, Richard. Architecture of social concern in regions of mild climate. Brazil: Gerth Todtmann, 1984. Pilling, John H. “2011 Havana Urban Design Charrette.” Havana, 2011. Prestamo, Felipe J. Cuba: Architecture and Urbanism-Cuba:Arquitectura y Urbanismo. Miami: Ediciones Universal, 1995. Ramon Collado, Clara Iliana Robaina, Manuel Coipel, Madeline Menendez, Azalia Arias, Alejandro Ventura. San Isidro, The New Image. Havana Vieja: Ediciones Bolona, Colleccion Arcos. Rey, Gina. Centro Habana un futuro sustentable. La Habana: Fac. de Arq. de la Univ. de La Habana, Centro de Estudios Urbanos de La Habana, 2009. Rodriguez, Eduardo Luis. The Havana Guide. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000. The Havana Consulting Group. “Cuba attracts more than 2.5 million tourists.” 2012. Torre, Rogelio A. de la. “Historia de la Enseñanza en Cuba.” Proyecto Educativo de la Escuela de Hoy. 1999. https://sites.google.com/site/escueladehoy/ historia-de-la-ensenanza-en-cuba (accessed 2012). United States Census Bureau. United State Census 2010. 2010.
bibliography 79
Ernesto L. Alonso
Alonso