Endemic Tectonic is a study in designing a repeatable housing system with minimal materials. Havana Cuba, particularly the river basin around the Almandares river is a site with small, ad hoc houses that have over time solidified into a community. Folks from the outskirts of Havana often using this area as landing pad on their journey from the country to the city. While their families initially provide space for them, the area often becomes their home and eventually folks build their own homes in the same neighborhood.
The history of Cuba, particularly the embargo imposed by America in 1958 made material acquisition very difficult in Cuba. The socialist structure makes it such that the roll out of available materials is a slow and arduous process. This has led to a robust process of reuse and reimagination of materials used as building stock. In addition, Cubans have intellectual resources stemming from investments by the government and the U.S.S.R. in public housing projects in the latter half of the twentieth century. Micro Brigades, civilian cores of builders and tradesfolk, were assembled to provide housing to the people, years latter these trade skills still exist in abundance. Cubans are resourceful in providing new housing for themselves.
After visiting Havana, it became clear that there were some resources in larger abundance than others. Concrete is reliably disseminated by the government, in addition, serrated tin sheets, clay roof tiles, reclaimed wood, rebar and natural materials like palmfronds are all readily used in Cuba buildings. This project sought to combine these materials into a modular building system that can provide a multitude of housing needs for the Almandares river basin.
The system provides structure for infill between existing structures, additions for expanding families, new standing structures. The system can also be used beyond the river basin to interact with the existing colonial urban fabric.