School for young restorers
“Challenge
of a utopia, an integral strategy to save old Havana” is the title of a
book about the restoration of Havana. An innovative school for young
restorers plays an important role in this strategy. It prepares young
people for the ongoing restoration activities in Old Havana, which is a
UN patrimony of humanity. During their two-year apprenticeship they
learn the theoretical and practical issues of restoration and also how
to work and use different materials and tools that are not used
nowadays. They learn the arts of masonry, carpentry, painting, glass
craftsmanship, stone masonry, mural and gypsum painting for the
restoration of the old damaged buildings.
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In the heart of the historical centre of Havana is
the school for young restorers. The school-workshop “Gaspar Melchor de
Jovellanos” prepares young people in the arts of masonry, carpentry,
painting, glass craftsmanship, stone masonry, mural and gypsum painting
for the restoration of the old damaged buildings.
“Challenge of an utopia, a integral strategy to save old Havana” is the
title of a book about the restoration of Havana. The school plays an
important role in this strategy, since its foundation in 1992 it has
occupied various buildings and actually it’s in the Calle Teniente Rey
No. 15. The student’s restore the same building in which they study,
once its restored they handed over to the office of history who uses it
in different ways. Apart of restoring other buildings they also are
occupied keeping the surroundings nice, with gardens, fountains,
statues, murals, etc.
In masonry for example, they participate in the rehabilitation of
monuments, dismantle and collocation of beams, construction of brick
and hollow block walls, floors, glazed tiles and welding. They build
all the molds cornices and standing outs to be able to make the finish
coating on the walls. Ejecutan revestimientos, construyen las cornisas,
molduras y resaltos, y las terrajas para elaborarlas. They also learn
to read and understand architectonical plans and projects, build forms
for structural elements and also the wired body of them.
During their two-year apprentice they learn the theoretical and the
practical issues of restoration and also learn how to work and use
different materials and tools that are not used anymore nowadays.
The school director, Ing. Eduardo Gonzalez, is proud to announce that
the majority of the young apprentices are from old Havana itself, they
are females as well and they are between 18 and 21 years old. They are
restoring their own district and at the same time learning old
craftsmanship and historical applications of contemporary professions.
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The
100-120 students learn from recognized professors and have the great
possibility to practice en places declared as UNESCO patrimony of
humanity.
At the same time they are being prepared to use their learned
capabilities in the modern world, with a high level of skills,
something that is not very common nowadays.
The number of restored buildings grows almost daily and the
historical centre takes more and more a character that shows the beauty
of the architecture of the past centuries, incorporing the modern
world.
