The Treachery of Images: Redefining the Structural System of Havana’s National Art Schools

Davide Del Curto and Sofia Celli
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Davide Del Curto: Department of Architecture and Urban Studies, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
Sofia Celli: Department of Engineering and Architecture, Università di Parma, 43124 Parma, Italy

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-35

Abstract: This paper illustrates the contribution that on-site survey and graphical documentation offer to the structural comprehension of 20th century architectural and civil engineering heritage and, therefore, to its sustainable conservation. The research herein presented has identified the true structural system of Havana’s National Art Schools, an internationally well-known architectural masterpiece that was recently investigated within the drafting of a comprehensive conservation management plan. This iconic complex was built right after the Castro’s revolution and was meant to embody Cuba’s newfound freedom. To this end, the complex was supposed to be built using Catalan vaulting, a technique loaded with significance due to its provenance, affordability, and flexibility. While most of the literature, the architectural features, and the very designers assert that no concrete nor steel were employed during construction, recent studies suggested that a reinforced concrete core might be hidden behind the masonry-like appearance of the five buildings. The structural analysis performed in order to draft a conservation and management plan for the school site thus became a hermeneutic opportunity to address this topic. Combining direct observation, documentary research, and nondestructive analyses (infrared thermography and magnetometer testing), it was possible to finally redefine the structural nature of these notorious architectures, which are indeed mostly made of reinforced concrete.

Keywords: Havana’s National Art Schools; hidden structure; reinforced concrete; documentary analysis; graphical documentation; infrared thermography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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