Low-energy architecture: Cuban contradictions

Abstract

Cuba has a very strong tradition in low-energy architecture along the history. The aborigine architecture was a clever answer to the local environmental conditions, which have been continued by the vernacular and rural ones. Despite that the colonial cities followed the Mediterranean model, they were progressively transformed for a better adaptation to the climatic conditions. Even the modern architecture developed during the first half of the twentieth century, recovered the best former traditions, combined with the new aesthetic, generating a highly qualified built environment. During the past half a century, research works have been systematically carried out, focused on the evaluation of architectural and urban solutions according to climatic and energy behavior. These issues were included in the curricula of architecture and urbanism since the 1960s, and several standards have been elaborated during the past 30 years to propose principles and regulations to take advantage of daylight and ventilation, as well as to reduce the thermal load in buildings. However, most of the contemporary Cuban architecture does not apply the research results, taking into account the standards, or following the tradition of the Cuban passive low-energy architecture, but on the contrary, it use to copy foreign models coming from developed countries with cold climates. The results of study cases are presented in the chapter in order to evaluate the architectural solutions, trying to discuss the causes of the wrong practice.