La Guasasa项目丨古巴丨Asociación Erentia（西班牙）,MLC（古巴）

La Guasasa Viñales, Cuba

Location: Viñales, Cuba

Phase: construction preparation

Asociación Erentia was born from a commitment to create positive impact through architecture and learning. In rural Viñales, Cuba, where homes are vulnerable to natural disasters, we aim to innovate in architecture and sustainable material production, while empowering the community through technical training to build safer, more resilient homes with greater self-sufficiency and long-term sustainability.

Project leader: Asociación Erentia

What is still needed to proceed?

Finance

Still 100% of € 8,000

Skills

Stuff

Hands

Support

The project

What’s needed?

Project Needs Introduction

La Guasasa is a rural neighborhood located in the Palmarito Valley, within Cuba’s Viñales region. Despite its proximity to a well-known tourist area, the community remains economically marginalized, with precarious housing, limited infrastructure, and high exposure to environmental risks.

More frequent and intense hurricanes have left homes increasingly vulnerable. Many have already been declared unsafe due to structural damage or collapse. Most dwellings are built informally, using fragile materials and without technical guidance, making them highly exposed to future extreme weather events. At the same time, Cuba’s ongoing economic crisis has made access to construction materials nearly impossible, forcing families to rely on improvised, short-term solutions that prioritize survival over durability.

Rural-to-urban migration continue to draw younger generations away, limiting the transmission of traditional building knowledge. This, along with environmental threats and material scarcity, has led to the disappearance of safer and context-sensitive construction techniques.

In response, this project proposes a comprehensive strategy: to revitalize vernacular knowledge, introduce safer and climate-adapted building methods, and promote the use of locally sourced, resilient materials. Through community-led learning and collective action, it aims to strengthen both the resilience and the long-term autonomy of those who build and inhabit.

Impact

The project strengthens the long-term development capacity of the community by combining practical training, material innovation, and cultural recovery. Through hands-on learning and collaboration, it enables local residents to acquire technical skills in safe, sustainable, and climate-adapted construction. These skills are transferable, allowing participants to improve their homes, support neighbors, and access job opportunities in a context of economic crisis.

By promoting the use of locally sourced, low-impact materials—especially earth-based techniques adapted to the Cuban context—the project reduces reliance on costly, often unavailable industrial options. This fosters autonomy and ecological balance while offering a replicable model for other rural areas.

Qualitatively, the initiative reinforces social cohesion and self-determination. Community participation from design to construction builds collective responsibility and local pride. It values traditional knowledge, linking generations and strengthening cultural identity.

Quantitatively, the first phase aims to support 8 homes in total collapse and 10 in partial collapse. The school-workshop hosts up to 10 students per specialty to ensure quality training, while offering general workshops open to the broader community. Its long-term impact lies in building local capacity, reducing vulnerability, and enabling effective responses to environmental and social challenges.

Core team

The project is led by two core teams: Asociación Erentia (Spain) and MLC (Cuba), all trained as architects and fully involved in the design and development of the initiative. Alejandra and Anabel, from Asociación Erentia, studied architecture together in Spain. Similarly, MLC—composed of Manuel, Leonardo, and Carlos—formed their collective during their studies in Havana.

Alejandra leads the institutional and strategic coordination of the project. As founder and CEO of Erentia, she brings solid experience in project direction and coordination, in addition to having worked in several renowned international architecture firms. Anabel focuses on production and logistics. Her background includes hands - on community construction projects centered on sustainability, material reuse, and participatory processes, supported by her urban planning studies.

MLC specializes in earthen construction and has led workshops across Cuba with other collectives and local communities. As young professionals, they seek sustainable alternatives adapted to the Cuban context that allow them to develop their practice responsibly and collaboratively. The project has been featured in ArchDaily, Tectónica, and Amazing Architecture.

team in the workshop

Palmarito Valley

Palmarito Valley

new production materials

total collapse house

vernacular architecture

vernacular architecture

block tests

block tests

Palmarito Valley

team in workshop

Palmarito Valley

community reading pavilion

community reading pavilion

Palmarito Valley

school-workshop

school-workshop

dwelling

Palmarito Valley

pavilion floorplan

pavilion elevation

pavilion elevation

pavilion elevation

construction process

pavilion elevation

school-workshop elevation

pavilion elevation

dwelling floorplan

pavilion elevation

pavilion elevation

pavilion elevation

pavilion elevation

water collection strategy

pavilion elevation

Help bring our project to life!

Finance: Still 100% of € 8,000. Contribute via Goteo

Skills: Technique Support

Stuff: Materials Support

Where are we now? We are in the early stages of the project, with key alliances and permissions already in place. We’ve partnered with local institutions such as the Office of the Conservator, the network of Escuela Taller schools, the Faculty of Architecture, and with community representatives. Our team includes professionals with expertise in vernacular architecture and earthen construction. We’ve launched a crowdfunding campaign is live and has raised nearly half of our Phase Zero goal in under three weeks.

An indication of our team’s capacity:

50% funding already raised

70% expertise already found

30% materials / equipment already found

40% builders already found

Finance: € 8,000

We hope to secure crowdfunding to complete Phase Zero: launching the BTC production line and testing it through a small community reading pavilion for the rural school. But this is just the beginning. Additional funding is needed to build the Escuela-Taller, expand training programs, and begin the reconstruction of homes in critical condition. Supporting this project means investing in sustainable materials, community-led construction, and long-term resilience for vulnerable families in Viñales.

CEB Machinery 5,000

Raw material 2,000

Logistics and transportation 1,000

Skills: Technique, Financial advice

We are seeking technical advice in earthen construction, particularly from professionals with experience in similar contexts, to refine our building methods and training materials. Additionally, we need support in defining effective funding strategies, including potential donors, partnerships, and in-kind contributions, to ensure the continuity and growth of the project across its different phases.

Stuff: Materials, Equipment & tools

We need complementary materials such as wood, which are extremely difficult to obtain in Cuba due to high prices and limited availability caused by import restrictions. We also require essential tools and equipment to properly equip the Escuela-Taller and support the implementation of the project, ensuring adequate training and construction processes.