Havana, the Malecon waterfront.
The Cuban and Scandinavian chapters of INTBAU in partnership with the Academy of Urbanism (UK) and C.E.U. - Council for European Urbanism invite you to join a one week tour of three Cuban cities and UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Havana, Trinidad and Cienfuegos.
The one week Tour March 14 - 20 will include an introduction to the history of Urbanism and Architecture of Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad, all of them listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It will involve insights into the regeneration of Old Havana and one day tours by bus to two smaller historic cities, Trinidad and Cienfuegos.
Our expert guide will be Prof. Julio Cesar Perez who has been a speaker at several I.N.T.B.A.U. and C.E.U. conferences. A Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design 2001-2002 and an Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture in Havana he has lectured widely in the US, Europe, Canada and Bermuda about Cuban architecture. He is the author of a major book about Cuba, Inside Cuba, published worldwide by Taschen in 2006 and also of A Master Plan for a 21st Century Havana, a comprehensive urban plan aimed at the preservation of heritage values and the creation of new urban and economic qualities, registered at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
Street scene in Havana.
Who is it for
Architects, planners, art historians, antiquarians, writers, students and others with an interest in the history of Cuban architecture, urbanism and culture, and anybody who wants to discover better ways to make cities for people.
Meet Cuban practitioners
Orestes del Castillo
Mr. del Castillo is an expert in the restoration and structural repairs of old buildings. He has recently retired from his position at the Office of the Historiador of Havana, where he for many years has been working closely with the Historador Eusebio Leal Spengler himself, who is in charge of the restoration of Old Havana. Mr. del Castillo is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture. He has lectured widely in both the U.S. and in Europe.
Mr. del Castillo is an expert in the restoration and structural repairs of old buildings. He has recently retired from his position at the Office of the Historiador of Havana, where he for many years has been working closely with the Historador Eusebio Leal Spengler himself, who is in charge of the restoration of Old Havana. Mr. del Castillo is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture. He has lectured widely in both the U.S. and in Europe.
Mario Coyula
Mr. Coyula is the former Director of Havana's Planning Agency known as Grupo para el Desarrollo de la Capital. He is the former Director of the School of Architecture and the former editor of Arquitectura Cuba magazine. Mr. Coyula is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture He has taught in MIT, Harvard and has lectured widely in USA and Europe.
Mr. Coyula is the former Director of Havana's Planning Agency known as Grupo para el Desarrollo de la Capital. He is the former Director of the School of Architecture and the former editor of Arquitectura Cuba magazine. Mr. Coyula is a professor at the Havana School of Architrecture and he has been awarded the National Award of Architecture He has taught in MIT, Harvard and has lectured widely in USA and Europe.
We will also try our best to arrange a meeting with the Historiador of Havana: Eusebio Leal Spengler. But we cannot promise that we will manage to set up such a meeting, alternatively we will meet other key staff at the Historiador office such as Mr. del Castillo.
Cienfuegos and Trinidad
We will also meet several people involved with restoration / preservation / heritage / and urban development in the other cities we visit. In Cienfuegos we will meet the Historiador and Head Architect of the town Mr. Irán Millán, and in Trinidad we will meet the Historiador and Head Architect of the town Mr. Nancy González.
Registration fee
The cost of the tour program is 670 £ / GBP (approx. 740 Euro, 1100 US $) with single room accommodation. For two persons sharing a room the individual tour cost is 600 £ / GBP.
We can also arrange accommodation for additional nights in Havana if you arrive early or would like to stay longer. Please contact Audun Engh on audun.engh@gmail.com for details.
The registration fee includes:
The fee does not include international travel to Havana, and does not include any meals.
The participants are asked to arrange their own travel to Havana. Airlines with connections from Europe include Air France, British Airways, Iberia, and Virgin Atlantic (from London).
Some ATMs can be found, but they are rare compared to other countries. No cards issued by US banks will work in Cuba. It is recommended to bring cash for the trip. Euros, UK Pounds and Dollars are accepted in any currency exchange shop. US $ will be subject to a 10% tax when exchanged.
Registration and contact
Please register and pay online.
For further information, please refer to contact details below.
For further information, please refer to contact details below.
Accommodation
Havana
Casa Particular (rooms for rent in private houses and apartments) is a uniquely Cuban form of accommodation. Most of the rooms are in apartment buildings from the 1950s, and all are located in the El Vedado area of Havana, just a few blocks from the famous Hotel Nacional. The living and dining rooms are shared with the Cuba family. If you wish, the family will provide you with breakfast and other meals (against a surcharge). All guests will have single rooms unless otherwise agreed. Some bathrooms might be shared with other guests. The buildings are just five minutes away from the Malecón waterfront. We have stayed in the same area as during our last two trips, and the location has proven a superb starting point for exploring Havana.
Cienfuegos
We will stay in private homes (Casa Particular). Not all the group will be accommodated in the same area due to the character of the city. We will split the group in two neighbourhoods, most of our guests will stay in old colonial houses close to the city centre while others will stay outside of the city centre in early modernist bungalows close to the sea. In most cases the rooms will have air conditioning and private bathrooms, but standards may vary as we will stay in private homes.
Trinidad
We will stay in private homes (Casa Particular).Some of the houses have truly spectacular interiors from the height of the colonial time in Cuba.
Visa
You will need a visa to visit Cuba. Please contact your local Cuban embassy. A tourist visa will be the simplest to obtain. New regulations require you to submit the name of the hotel or the address and registration number of the Casa Particular bed and breakfast) when applying for a visa. We will provide you with this information in due time if you prefer Casa Particular accomodation.
US Participants
We have had US participants for the previous tours and workshops. But due to the US trade embargo, US citizens will have to travel under either a general or a specific license. For further information, please go to the website of the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control
www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml.
www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml.
You may email us or contact one of the travel agencies listed below for additional information on licenses.
You may also contact the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York (Phone: 212-614-6464; Fax: 212-614-6499; Email: ccr@igc.apc.org ), for free legal advice on travel regulations.
Havana Urban Design Charrette
Following the tour, we will arrange an urban design charrette in Havana 22 -27 March 2010. You are welcome to join one of the events, or both. For more information on the charrette, please go to the Havana charrette 2010 web page.
The Organisers
The tour is organised by the Cuban and Scandinavian chapters of INTBAU, in partnership with the Academy of Urbanism, UK, and Cuban and Norwegian chapters of C.E.U. - Council of European Urbanism. We have organised similar events in Norway, Germany, the UK, Romania and Italy.
Prof. Julio César Pérez Hernández, Havana, will be the expert guide.
Prof. Perez was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design 2001-2002 and adjunct professor at the School of Architecture in Havana (1998-2006), has lectured widely in the US, Canada and Europe about Cuban architecture. He is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and the recipient of several international and national awards. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Arquitectura Cuba and Arquitectura y Urbanismo.
Julio Cesar Perez is the author of a major new book on Cuban architecture and culture, "Inside Cuba", published byTaschen. He is the president of the Cuban chapters of INTBAU and C.E.U. and the author of "A Master plan for 21st century Havana".
INTBAU Scandinavia will be represented by Audun Engh, who is also a member of the INTBAU College of Chapters.
Further information
Havana
Trinidad
Cienfuegos
Julio Cesar Perez
INTBAU Cuba
Email: jcesar@cubarte.cult.cu
INTBAU Cuba
Email: jcesar@cubarte.cult.cu
Audun Engh
Secretary
INTBAU Scandinavia
St Olavs Gate 9
N-0165 Oslo
NORWAY
Tel: +47-92-62-26-26
Secretary
INTBAU Scandinavia
St Olavs Gate 9
N-0165 Oslo
NORWAY
Tel: +47-92-62-26-26
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