Malecón Spectacular

Cuba was frozen for decades. The recent thaw challenges the city of Havana to seek a contemporary image while respecting its historic legacy. My thesis investigates coastal engineering, public realm interventions and additions along with nearby reurbanization opportunities focused on the improvement of the physical environment of the Malecón, Havana’s seafront, which suffers from overtopping by waves and sometimes floods. The major design intervention is the creation of new islands parallel to the Malecón. This initiative will introduce dynamic forms of public space, and reintroduce a natural environment that is currently missing.