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Light roofs, especially those made of asbestos-cement have been widely used in Cuba. Their use includes a wide range of building types, such as industrial facilities, warehouses, temporary facilities and that which is the focus of this paper: the one-story single-family home. These coverings have a high incidence of damage as a result of high winds produced by hurricanes and tornadoes. This paper presents a study of how the force of the wind acts on these buildings, the identification of points on the roof more susceptible to damage and a proposal of solutions - in addition to stipulations in the building code on the assembly of these roofs - to increase their resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposal of an urban corridor along the shore of Western Havana is the objective of this paper. It seeks to restore the area to its initial nautical-recreational use. The proposed redevelopment of the target area is informed by the principles of tactical urbanism and the diagnostic method for the integral evaluation of the area. The paper not only highlights an urban make-over, sustainable actions and the construction of connecting public spaces, but also spaces for social interaction. The examples presented are a blueprint to tackle the challenge that the recovery of Havana´s Western shore poses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interest in the study of the vernacular heritage of southeastern Cuba, particularly railroad heritage, lends itself to the analysis of material and documentary remnants. There is a dearth of literature on the characteristics of urbanism and architecture linked to the introduction of the railroad in this part of Cuba. This paper analyzes the expansion of the railroad and settlements by using a theoretical-graphic characterization. The paper argues that this railroad heritage is unique in both in national and regional contexts, adding to our knowledge and practice of the conservation and industrial heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of the paper is to show the educational novelty of a new subject of the architect's formation curriculum at the "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas Central University (UCLV), aimed at updating and promoting a critical vision among the students about contemporary urbanization processes and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Taking into account the reality and trends of world urbanization processes, the hypothesis is formulated that an education in sustainability needs to develop a social awareness focused on the SDGs 2030. The Sustainable Urbanization and 2030 Agenda subject is explained, as well as the results of its application and the lessons learned of this novel experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to propose different measures from urban planning to face the sea level rise in the Spanish coasts. Despite the recent changes to the Coastal Law, a new legal framework will soon have to be developed, consistent with this phenomenon. It will be necessary to identify the risk of affecting these phenomena of the current buildings based on their distance to the coastline and the erosion rates recorded in the last decades. Based on the classification in four typologies, three lines of strategies and essential measures for each one are proposed in this paper: a) project measures, affecting the design of projects buildings, (b) constructive measures, involving the used construction materials, as well as the building systems and c) urban planning and planning measures, which consist on the implantation and relocation of the buildings within the plot, as well as limiting the construction of new building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comments on TripAdvisor are a new source of analysis of the interest of tourists. This paper aims to define the elements that are behind the perception of visitors to El Morro Fort, according to their nationalities. For this purpose, their comments have been digitally processed, valuing the words cited as a critical incident. The results obtained suggest that in addition to merely historical issues, other tourism or environmental aspects received similar attention. All this leads to several conclusions, among which it is worth noting the need to provide a more intense heritage experience, as well as using this methodology in a better cultural management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between the last decades of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries, cities in Latin America were subject to interventions based on the ideas of the Hygiene Movement, which later developed towards urbanism. This period was characterized by efforts to address unsanitary conditions in relation to aspirations for progress and modernity. This paper intends to demonstrate the efforts of governments and professionals who wanted to transform their vital spaces by implementing and reframing theories, techniques, methods, laws, and administrative areas, inspired primarily by European models. A historical analysis based on the processes achieved by urban planning was undertaken. Urban planning originated from different problem analysis, construction of interpretive and propositional theories, creation of methods and techniques, preparation of laws, and adoption of plans and projects. Primary sources of that time as well as contemporary authors were consulted, and relevant cities were directly visited. This made it possible to present aspects of the history of urbanism in Latin America that need further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of climate change and extreme weather events are a growing threat to coastal settlements in Cuba. This paper proposes to address the challenge of disaster risk management based on the integration of policies and their contextualized implementation. A case study in the town of Carahatas, is used to demonstrate the tensions on recovery and adaptation after Hurricane Irma of 2017 and its influence on sustainability. The results show niches of opportunity to avoid consolidating habitats in risky conditions, as well as aspiring to interventions such as resettlement with greater social and multidimensional involvement. It emphasizes the search for alternatives that promote quality of life and resilience in safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the importance of carrying out projects of high social relevance, in order to favor the professional training of students. It presents an experience that took place in the Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana, CUJAE, in which students of the fourth year of architecture developed an important group of projects for the rehabilitation of this university. The CUJAE project became the axis around which the teaching-learning process turned towards an adequate formation within the professional profile. The authors describe the methods used, based on the combination of instructional and educational objectives with those of the investment process. The main results are presented: the numerous benefits for the investment development of the university and for students in the field of their professional and personal training as protagonists of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses preventive conservation as an emerging approach in the field of built heritage. Through literature review, interviews with experts, and the participation of authors in international projects related to the topic, it was possible to analyze the advances made theoretically and in practice in two different scales: historic buildings and historic urban areas. The review helped to synthesize the fundamentals of the preventive conservation cycle (anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy, and control). The results show the evolution of this approach as an alternative coherently aligned with the paradigm of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple examples exist of an architecture based on the observation of nature from simple imitation to the pursuit of the implementation of principles and mechanisms. This paper aims to explain a didactic methodology on specific processes of nature-inspired design. It draws on bio-typology as a creative tool for the generation of the shape (morphogenesis) that facilitates the transfer of natural morphologies to architecture. The result is a conceptual design that draws on abstraction and synthesis to emulate biological behaviors that lead towards architectural spatiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism is an important industry within the economic activities of the commune of Fort-de-France (Martinique) and the tourist development of its city center. This development requires new proposals for strategic development and management of its tourist resources with a vision towards a viable future. This paper proposes a theoretical-practical instrument to classify and evaluate tourism resources of said center based on existing models. This instrument points to sustainable development of the area within short-, médium- and long-term time planning. Its application allowed the verification and validation of the instruments to evaluate the potential and real tourist territorial resources, with the panel of transdisciplinary actors. We contrast pertinent variables with the actual condition of Fort-de-France as a starting point for effective change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Spanish program for foreign students is designed for all careers at the Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana, Cujae. To achieve motivation in this subject is fundamental. That is why teaching is focused from an interdisciplinary point of view to integrate and increase knowledge from other subjects. The purpose of this paper is to socialize a pedagogical experience with foreign students from Architecture. It reveals how knowledge obtained in the specialty is related through communicative tasks in the analysis of a poem by Nicolas Guillén. Instruments were applied before and after the experience to measure the level of motivation of the students in the subject. It was proved that all this makes learning possible through the integration of knowledge from different discipline areas that contributes to motivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Colombian industrial heritage, due to its modest characteristics, has sometimes gone unnoticed and is therefore highly vulnerable. Most of these assets are part of an urban context that, taken as a whole, allows us not only to undertake safeguarding actions, but also to understand the characteristics of the social, economic and technological processes that have modified and conditioned cultural expressions in Colombia. This work highlights the existence of an industrial heritage in the country, based on the inventory of a representative sample of goods that still stand as a vestige of the process of industrialization that Bogotá experienced between the years 1890 and 1950. This paper proposes a preliminary classification of the works, and a public access digital tool, which is expected to advance towards the construction of the notion of industrial heritage in Colombia, with a view to promoting its value and recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to expose the role played by Fernando Salinas' vision of nature, in the formation of his architectural and urban work. A revision of the architect's main realizations was made, with an emphasis on those of the late fifties that projected along with Raúl González Romero, and those made individually in the early sixties of the last century, a stage in which the use of motifs of stems, leaves and flowers is appreciated. The study shows that nature was a passion and a symbol for the outstanding professional, which determined his formal universe and contributed greatly to define his own design language. This article shows concepts, solutions and little-known works of the Salinas- González Romero and Salinas architecture office, as a contribution to the knowledge of the architectural heritage of the Cuban Modern Movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the concept of sustainability, with a critical look of its incongruities in time and its relationship with the development of tourism. In this paper, a tour of this concept is made since its inception in 1987, and criteria about its dimensions are proposed. The article calls the debate on tourism development and sustainability, showing international and national examples that have caused significant impacts. The authors suggest that tourism development should be based on integrated, participatory and strategic planning, articulated in political terms. It should also use rationally and responsibly the environmental resources and the historical and cultural heritage as well, making it possible its conservation and preservation. It should promote both an improvement in the living conditions of resident populations and the satisfaction of tourists' expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with interior design of social housing in Cuba. The work starts form the idea that interior design is a component of the architectural design, but this relation depends on architectural factors as well as other coming from the social conditions of its production. This work uses theoretical methods to explain the results of studies devoted to define satisfaction levels of people regarding their home spaces, and the conditions of production of habitat in last decades. This paper exposes some of the principal problems of indoor spaces at home; explains its possible causes and proposes approaches for its solution. We conclude that interior design of social housing is different from other type of buildings so it must be reviewed in the politics of housing under nowadays-productive conditions in order to improve its quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present a panoramic view of the impact of climate change on the Cuban Southeast. It discusses the principal threats and risks affecting coastal areas, and describes the most recent and pertinent results of scientific research carried out with the aim of tackling climate change in such areas. Programmes that have been adopted in order to identify and implement solutions regarding Integrated Coastal Zone Management and the management of human settlements are also presented. Such programmes aim to reduce vulnerabilities resulting from serious natural threats, progressive sea-level rise or from the effects observed through models of upwelling in the case of hurricanes of different categories. This paper concludes that climatic change in the Cuban Southeast is a process beyond doubt, and it is currently being confronted as a matter of priority; more than ten programmes have already been put in action, involving various collaborating institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mario Coyula Cowley is not only one of the most important figures of Cuban architecture and urbanism in the second half of the twentieth century, but a personality of national culture. We can say the above for his work as head of important tasks in Cuba, for his many books and articles, which reflected his thinking about architecture and urbanism as a part of culture and his ideas about the built heritage as linked to a living man and life. The following paper aims to pay tribute to this regal personality of our culture. His written papers and books and archive material that provides accurate data on his live and work has supported the text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of coastal risk in two cities with great vulnerability to natural menaces is carried out in the present paper. The terms "Coastal Risk" and "Urban Vulnerability" are analyzed in the first stage of the work, while their corresponding behavior are analyzed in the second stage, where two cases are compared. The coastal cities selected for comparison were: Santiago de Cuba, in Cuba, and Portoviejo, in Ecuador, where damages caused by hydro-meteorological and earthquake threat were analyzed. Results obtained after the occurrence of previous natural events are suggested to be considered for future plans of territorial ordering with the aim of increasing urban resilience to events of similar, or greater magnitude. Assessment of coastal risk in the two cities object of study showed the severe structural damages caused to public and private buildings due to the bad technical-constructive state of the housing conditions, and to the existence of architectural and urban designs without following the established technical rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current city, as a phenomenon of high complexity, is constantly studied. The New Urban Agenda establishes as a commitment that all cities must assume the challenge of achieving urban sustainability and ensure the quality of life of its inhabitants. This paper presents a teaching - learning process used to train the future professionals who must guarantee the growth and urban development necessary in the city of the XXI century. As a result, it is exposed the experience obtained with students of the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the Universidad Tecnológica Equinoccial de Quito, Ecuador. The proposals transcended the physical limits of the University, since they integrate the interests of the metropolitan institutions, the academia (students and teachers) and the resident population, in a complex and important work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary science in one of the key forces of social development but is more hampered by lack of qualified personnel than by technological resources. The professional scientists most domain certain skills parallels to their specific specialties that constitute a proper craft. Therefore, this additional learning should not be leaved to spontaneity. Universities produce specialists but there is not a scientist as a career. This paper analyzes some of the causes of this problem as well as suggest some alternatives to improve the communication between scientist and university professors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a Third World vision, the present paper deals with some international methods to evaluate sustainability in Projects and realizations, at architectural and urban scale, in order to, valuate in a comparative way, strengths and weakness, mainly taking into account their possible application in developing countries, and particularly in Cuba. The research started by looking for a method to evaluate sustainability in the University of Informatics Sciences, and it was later on extended with the inclusion of the African experience. The evaluative categories differ from one system to the other, but all of them emphasize the environmental dimension of sustainability. Only two methods coming from developing countries include social dimension and the necessity of an endogenous approach, which is an important current challenge for Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laws have supplemented international documents in order to preserve the cultural heritage. The research objectives of this paper are to determine their historical antecedents and the unique features of applying those laws in Havana. It begins with a review of the Hispanic colonial laws concerned with building construction and protecting buildings of cultural value. It also reviews the legal instruments that protect seminal buildings of Havana. A discussion of the characteristics and weaknesses of the Cuban laws today reveals difficulties of facing the built heritage conservation in Havana. Several aspects of the law should be revised and modified. The paper concludes with recommendations about the need for improving laws that guarantee the effective protection and conservation of the city's built heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper summarizes the main issues discussed in the lectures, papers, panels and debates developed during the three-day session days of the Second Conference ADU_2020, held at the Federal University of Río de Janeiro. The central theme was "Innovation and diversity as challenges and opportunities for the education of professionals in Architecture, Urbanism and Design". Innovation, digital technology, landscape and environment, social dimension of architecture, design and urbanism, and of course, the education in these fields, were the center of attention among participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that three-dimensional models, commonly called architectural models, are demonstrative elements used in the professional work and in the academic field of the schools of architecture. In most cases, these models are presented at the end of the design process, almost as a check of what has been previously defined by drawing. In this brief paper, we will try to show that models are learning tools themselves (they can be means, rather than goals) that allow the students a clearer and more direct approach to the architecture prefiguration world. This teaching practice gathers experiences held in different universities in Spain and Colombia, especially in the Faculty of Architecture of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín Headquarters, and the Emergency Housing Workshop of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recording, documenting, and heritage information management has evolved into a key topic, within the wider heritage conservation area. The Cuban context shows significative potential to develop this subject; however, there is still little experience of it, mostly evidenced in the city of Santiago de Cuba. This paper aims at exposing the academia's current scopes in order to develop and improve heritage information management. Therefore, the text focuses on already achieved results, and planned work as a result of the collaboration established from international projects hosted at the Universidad de Oriente, Santiago de Cuba, which have a positive impact on both, research and teaching fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TThis paper presents a comprehensive method for the assessment of the adaptability of historical housing, in front of new use requirements. Adaptability is the capacity of architectural spaces to adapt themselves to different functions from the ones they were built for. Thus, it is a desirable value in historical architecture because it offers the possibility of permanence when the original social and historic contexts have changed. The creation of the method was based on the need to develop a tool, which allows making a systematic analysis of the conditions of housing in historical areas, to explore their potential to be rehabilitated. It considers qualitative and quantitative parameters, such as habitability, architectural-spatial, constructive-structural, and safety factor are considered in the method, which was applied to traditional houses of similar architectural typologies in the historic centre of Santiago and Valparaíso in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green map provides possibilities for its use as a tool in the transformation of the context and in the formation of environmental values. It also facilitates the identification of problems and the design of local solutions for community improvement. This paper proposes actions that contribute to education and environmental improvement through the elaboration of the Green Map of the locality. Theoretical and empirical methods were used, the latter included the observation of the reality and surveys to neighbors of the community from which the environmental diagnosis was made. The research was developed with students of Architecture of the University of Camagüey, since this professional requires a solid preparation in terms of conformation, transformation and conservation of the environment. The results achieved include a collapsible, a multimedia, a new icon approved in Green Map System Icons and the action plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The railroad's outstanding role in the social and economic activities in Cuba during the XIX century produced the establishment of administrative structures for developing, planning and regulating the railway topic inside the island's government. This research is targeted to analyze the labor of the military engineers in the introduction and development of railroads in Cuba during the period 1837-1898. Therefore, this paper explains the competences of those professionals in engineering and architecture works, their tasks in public and private occupations related to railway's activities, and finally, it establishes a characterization of the buildings as a result of the expansion of this mean of transportation in Cuba. The approach to this topic, through an historical and architectonical point of view, emphasizes the exceptionality of the Cuban example due to its role as pioneer in Hispanic America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the results of the students' workshop "Santiago de Cuba: a Safe City" (SC+SC) are presented at the VII International Meeting City Image and Memory held on May 2011. It aimed at searching for alternatives to increase the security of human settlement, applying the alternatives to two vulnerable sectors of the city of Santiago de Cuba. The workshop was coordinated by Arch. Julio Cesar Pérez Velázquez with the collaboration of the professors: Zoila Baños, Grisel Cabezas, Luís Enrique Bello, Julio Cesar Pérez, and also the special participation of Arch. José Antonio Choy. This paper shows the motivations and details of the workshop and the students´ proposals, emphasizing the need to go over these topics for the new generation of architects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some reflections regarding how students training is carried out through Technology and Construction Organization discipline. It deals with the values developed in the different subjects and their relationships with the aims and the contents of the syllabuses. This has been enhanced by means of the discussions arisen from the elaboration of the Curriculum for Architecture (Plan C), its improvement and then, the designing of the current Curriculum (Plan D).The resulting proposals shown and suggested in the conclusions of the paper come from the teaching practice and the systematic reviewing and changes performed in each subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities with significant heritage have to face a sustainable touristic development, as a result of an increase tourism can modify their intrinsic values, their cultural resources against the needs, expectations and desires of v isitors. The objective of this paper is to go deeper into the different approaches about tourism sustainability in planning the touristic development of cities with high heritage values. The information presented in this paper has been collected from authorized sources. In this process, principles as well as similar topics were defined together their objectives. As a result of this study, it is stated that cities with a special heritage require a sustainable way management, which includes the integrity of the cities' cultural resources, promotion, legal heritage preservation matters, as well as their environmental context as essential components of planning the touristic development, including economical, functional, social and cultural subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general overview on the macroeconomic context of housing, as well as general aspects on housing policy and goals are shown in the paper together with their position in different socio-economic systems. Four different sets of variables were identified to make the Cuban housing system possible. These are: tenure, including rights and responsibilities inherent to different forms of possession and other legal aspects; land supply, an important element in housing production as a separate element; promotion, production and distribution as one group and lastly, financing, subsidies and payment. The paper also refers to the revolutionary housing policy measures taken and analyzes today's outcomes and contradictions in housing. Some selected results of a recently carried out survey among Cuban experts on housing policy matters applied by the author are compared to the new economic order introduced by the guidelines for the 6th Party Congress. First implementations of these guidelines into laws, decrees and rules are inserted and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to analyze the potentialities and insufficiencies in the development of cultural heritage tourism in the city of Santiago de Cuba. The information gathered for the work was the result of the analysis and synthesis of data obtained in tourism's enterprises in the city. The empirical methods used in the research were direct observation and interviews to groups of experts. The paper evaluates the main contradiction in using cultural heritage as touristic resource, and the potentialities and insufficiencies in the development of tourism in Santiago de Cuba. As a final remark, the author states that the city of Santiago de Cuba has attractions that allow to place it at the top of national tourism. However, there are insufficiencies related to management, promotion, tourism policies, the misuse of cultural resources and the opportunities offered by the regional context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender perspective in urban planning is an obligation of the Spanish public administration as well as the national, regional and local administration. The city of Albacete and the Regional Government of Castilla La Mancha, and an analysis made on the General Urban Plan asked the author of this article to lead the team work about the participation of citizens in management, which is the basis to achieving the objectives. The paper presented focuses on the methodological experience carried out in situ, on the contributions and innovations made by the research. The paper also shows the mechanisms and instruments that enabled citizen's participation, with few reference to Spain, constitute the first approximation to be applied to other similar projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the partial results of an investigation carried out at the School of Architecture at CUJAE since 1994. It gives data obtained from more than fifty research papers that include Diploma, Master and Doctorate theses which have provided different solutions for ceiling and cover building systems in Cuba. This paper also shows the most common causes to the problems of durability, and bad building conditions in dwelling buildings constructed from XVlll to XX century, together with their possible solutions. Through this investigation, data from more than four provinces and seven municipalities have been collected. The most common similarities and differences found in the eight hundred seventy three buildings under study have been analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the partial results of an investigation carried out at the School of Architecture at CUJAE since 1994. It gives data obtained from more than fifty research papers that include Diploma, Master and Doctorate theses which have provided different solutions for ceiling and cover building systems in Cuba. This paper also shows the most common causes to the problems of durability, and bad building conditions in dwelling buildings constructed from XVlll to XX century, together with their possible solutions. Through this investigation, data from more than four provinces and seven municipalities have been collected. The most common similarities and differences found in the eight hundred seventy three buildings under study have been analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aging of the contemporary society influenced the developments of all the scientific and professional disciplines. Designers and architects must think around this item. The spaces should be change according to this issue. This paper analysis the items to be consider on design to allow elderly people to use the collective spaces with the same opportunities as others. The research focuses on a trans-disciplinary approach. It constructs a system that includes not only the different knowledge from the related disciplines, but also the reality of the society. The paper shows the outcomes of the doctoral thesis of one of the authors. This doctoral thesis focused the issues on accessibility to interior spaces. The main goal is to obtain new integral patterns for the design of spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper includes preliminary conclusions regarding the importance of quality and long time performance of buildings, particularly housing buildings, from the viewpoint of the satisfaction of the users, as well as socioeconomic consequences and impact of problems related with quality. A case study is presented, where the impact of long time performance of buildings is assessed, and the influence of quality problems, all base on the perception of the inhabitants. The Post-Occupation Evaluation (POE) of the buildings is a little-used tool in Cuba and overseas, regardless of the significant benefits of its use to improve construction quality. The case studied is the housing project La Granjita, which initiated in Santa Clara in 1998. The project consists of multi-family low-rise buildings conceived on purpose for this environment, who have undergone a sudden process of deterioration, mainly because of errors in design and malfunctioning, which have a negative impact on the quality of life of residents. The main thrust of the paper is the presentation of the techniques and methodology used for the POE, as well as the specific conclusions deriving from the analysis, which would contribute to resolve these problems from the conception phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to reveal a research that was centered in the design of textbooks in a professional context. Theoretical and empirical methods were applied in order to analyse and resume different theories related to this topic, to systematize the content of some models of the professional and to observe the behaviour of the students in the different careers. This gave rise to the elaboration of a model that may serve as a guide to the authors in order to elaborate textbooks. Its application is strengthened when verification tests are applied. This test was made after the publication of a book (La Expresión Gráfica para Ingenieros Eléctricos) that was derived from the suggested model in the research step and the results showed a development in the acquisition of knowledge by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents part of the conceptual framework of a research focused on evaluating the thermal indoor environment in social housing located in Portoviejo, Manabí, Ecuador, in order to improve habitability and contribution to urban resilience. The present step is related to a theoretical research in order to discuss the evolution of concepts and trends referred to urban sustainability and its relation to social production of habitat, housing quality and particularly, thermal indoor environment. From global processes and approaches, principles are derived, conducting to variables to be taken as study objects in future steps of the research. Previous research focused on evaluating and improving thermal indoor environment in popular and social housing are commented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing scientific and technological development requires professionals capable of mastering the English language, so that they can access updated information in order to adequately fulfill their social task. However, the results obtained in applying empirical methods such as surveys to engineers and architects at Cujae in order to know what their interests and needs are, concerning English language learning and to experts from the different degree courses to collect their opinions about the role of the English language and its impact on the fulfillment of engineers and architects' social task, have revealed the difficulties they still have regarding their communicative competence in English for Professional Purposes. This paper aims at presenting a didactic strategy to develop the engineers and architects' communicative competence in EPP at postgraduate level at Cujae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to present a methodological approach for the qualitative evaluation of architectural projects, based on the influence of design variables on indoor environments, and their application in a case-study. The procedure could also be used in the design process to consider, from the very beginning, how the design decisions could affect the indoor built environment, in order to generate the most pertinent architectural form. This study offers not only general recommendations about principles and strategies of design, but also more precise variables and parameters to be taken into account when evaluating existing buildings or projects, and also when designing new ones. The three main architectural design variables influencing the indoor environment of buildings identified in this methodological approach are volume, space and envelope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The possible loss, degradation and disuse of the industrial heritage has generated an interest for its study and preservation since the end of last century. This reveals the need to develop investigations that attempt to undertake actions for their protection. This paper explores examples of light industry architecture in the republican period of Santiago de Cuba, employing a critical architecture methodology. The research was aimed at characterizing the architecture of the buildings, paying attention to their urban sitting, and to the expressive value of their facades. The results demonstrate the existence of factories of small and larger-scale production that show signs of relationship with the built heritage in the city from its adequacy to urban profile, forming an industrial legacy that by its architectural quality is an inseparable part of cityscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review presents the author's personal reflections on observed trends in Latin American architecture and urbanism, during the last two decades. It departs from a premise of unity in variety, observed across the continent as the primary factor which conditions its built environment and the two predominant types of architecture. Subsequently, it discusses the current situation of those Latin American cities which are the planet's most urbanized and violent, with a view to defining, classifying and reflecting upon the principal trends in contemporary Latin American architecture and urbanism, exemplified through selected works from various countries. The paper intends to organize, systematize and interpret the aforementioned architectural and urban phenomena in order to facilitate access to this disperse and at times unpublished information, especially for undergraduate students, but also for professionals and the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compilation of data inventories regarding the distribution, composition, availability and structure of the variety of trees species in a certain urban area constitutes a necessary stage in urban forestry management. Havana's El Vedado has been historically characterized by its tree-lined streets. However, the current quantitative and qualitative deficiencies of its tree species affect significantly the urban image of the area and the well-being of its inhabitants, while also restricting the benefits provided by the trees and increasing their vulnerability. This paper presents a report of the first results of a spatial database of El Vedado's tree-lined streets, created through meticulous identification of tree species and the spaces where they belong. The data collected include information on basic aspects such as tree composition, density, size, growth performance and limitations. This type of study may prove very useful in helping to identify the characteristics that maybe used to select tree species better suited for landscape design in urban areas of Cuba. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text discusses sustainability in architecture and its relation to vernacular building techniques, i. e., how adaptation and invention marked the creation of some of the first places of worship of the Chilean evangelical church. An analytical method was adopted for the study of how the temples were designed and built, and a mixed inductive-deductive method was employed for the identification of key practices that made possible low-power consumption and a minimal impact on the environment. Two main practices were identified. The first one consists in the reuse of buildings, structures, materials, furniture and typologies (adaptation). The second practice involves the creation ex nihilo of solutions for load-bearing structures, construction details and modes of financing (invention). Having demonstrated the sustainable qualities of the temples' construction, in the early twentieth century, and with the certainty that such techniques are perfectly feasible today, this paper concludes that the impediment to sustainable construction today is ethical -- not technical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results obtained from the work carried out for thirteen years are shown in this paper where professors and students have been linked to local institutions and the population in the process of research, training and university extension, to solve, in a trans disciplinary way, the most relevant problems in Cerro municipality. The results obtained during 13 years of work are shown in this community. During this period a vast number of teachers and students have been researching, and engaged in their formation and extracurricular processes with the local authorities, inhabitants, integral neighborhood workshops, municipal planning, local museums and culture authorities among other participants in order to solve the more crucial problems of Cerro community from a transdisciplinary point of view. The use of different methodologies in the designing process and the experiences in the workshops has been assessed to develop values on main participants and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is usual nowadays to call Architecture as the set of buildings built to fulfill a specific function or activity. This point of view justifies the functional and constructive aspects of Architecture. What it is important to highlight in this paper is its active role in the creation of culture, where Architecture widely goes beyond this consideration. This is called the symbolic role of Architecture and it is related to the aesthetic current codes that are linked to patrimony, memory, history and social structure. To enlighten these arguments, cases from different periods and places are contrasted; highlighting, in a very special way, the demolition of the building known as "La Licuadora" --The Blender- in the city of Guayaquil. Architecture, from the theoretical point of view is considered the "web of meanings" whose reading depends on the cultural comprehension level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]