Details
Type
Affordable housing (230 apartments)
Location
Havana, Cuba
Client
Located in the historic heart of Havana, near the Gulf of Mexico, The Star and the Comet is a social housing project comprising 230 apartments across two buildings. Commissioned by the City of Havana and designed in collaboration with Ateliers Jean Nouvel, the project draws inspiration from Havana’s rich architectural heritage and its unique courtyard typologies.
During the design process, the team collaborated with local experts who emphasized the importance of incorporating traditional architectural elements, such as eaves, overhangs, shutters, pergolas, galleries, and loggias. These features, combined with lessons from historical and contemporary references, shaped a design that adapts to the tropical climate and dense cityscape.
At the heart of each building lies a lush courtyard, shielded from the bustling city and filled with indigenous vegetation—a low-cost and sustainable resource suited to the tropical climate. Surrounding these courtyards are semi-public circulation spaces, inspired by traditional housing typologies, where balconies and galleries transition progressively from public to private. These spaces foster community interactions, serving as places to chat, rest, or play safely, while adding a sculptural dimension to the architecture.
Natural ventilation is a central aspect of the design, with large main courtyards supplemented by smaller, secondary courtyards, or "vegetal hornacinas," that ensure cross-ventilation throughout the complex. This principle is further enhanced by circular bamboo tubes with sliding panels, which connect the apartments to the courtyard galleries. These tubes can function as extra rooms, protected loggias, or fully open spaces, creating flexible transitions between interior and exterior.
Simple, sustainable materials characterize the project, with bamboo, recycled concrete, and embedded glass bottles forming key elements of the design. At night, the bamboo cylinders and colored glass fragments glow softly, turning the galleries into radiant facades that reflect Havana’s vibrant spirit.
The Star and the Comet offers a contemporary approach to Havana’s courtyard typology, providing affordable homes designed for the tropical climate and the distinctive urban fabric of Old Havana.
Project initiators: Gilbert Brownstone and Dr. Eusebio Leal Spengler
Type: Direct commission
Location: Havana, Cuba
Brief: Housing (230 rental apartments), commerce
Client: City of Havana
Local experts: Orestes M. del Castillo del Prado, Mariela Mulet Hernández, Madeline Menéndez
Area: 21,000 m²
Phase / Status: Study
Architects: Habiter Autrement / Ateliers Jean Nouvel
Mia Hägg / Jean Nouvel
Team members: Pawel Krzeminski, Karolina Sławecka, Lina Lagerström, Nicolas Métro, Noélie Sénéclauze, Viktor Ungna Essling