After a studio field trip to Havana, it became immediately apparent how vital the streets scene is for local residents, both socially and economically.
Houses with immediate access to the street were more desirable, as they allow for businesses to be developed at street level. Residents situated in the core of the urban blocks are restricted in their access to the street, which creates a negative hierarchy.
Using the Green Revolution as a fundamental ideology in recent Cuban history, as well as the Microbrigada movement of 1970, I extended the streets vertically, in an effort to allow equal access to evenly distributed resources.
The points of insertion for this elevated streetscape rely on the existing buildings, consolidating their disintegrated structure and allowing for the expression of the urban movement above, which also emphasises the vision of protection of open space within the city.
The elevated open landscape becomes expressed through a number of conditions relating to their location within the city and surrounding context, evolving and growing throughout time, in response to the city's demand.
The varying scale, location and structure ranges from small balcony and window extensions, to extended rooftops and elevated courtyards, all forming the elevated open landscape.
Final Proposal