“Havana aspires to grow by preserving and promoting its environment, its culture and its values; to achieve this, it has been collaborating with TECNALIA for more than 20 years on innovation and development projects”
TECNALIA collaborates with the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana to promote the city’s industrial and cultural heritage
TECNALIA is working with Havana on a development cooperation project based on knowledge and technology transfer with the aim of addressing the global challenges of the future facing the Cuban capital, such as the pressure of tourism, climate change and energy efficiency in refurbishment.
At the same time, it aims to generate new opportunities for social integration, equality and improvement of the quality of life of residents. To this end, technical capacities for the protection of industrial buildings and the enhancement of industrial and port activity will be strengthened, focusing on the role of women in industry.
Four industrial, training, rehabilitation and cultural actions
The initiative comprises four specific actions: industrial, training, rehabilitation and cultural.
- First, the “Plan for the Protection of the Industrial Heritage of Havana Bay” has been developed as a comprehensive management instrument. It includes innovative tools specialised in urban and territorial data management and analytics, as well as a digitalised inventory of 130 industrial heritage assets.
- Second, a training plan has been launched for more than 50 professionals at the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, covering digitalisation, adaptation to climate risks, and environmental improvements in rehabilitation. In order to carry out this training, exchanges and technical visits have been made to areas of recognised heritage and cultural interest such as the Bizkaia Bridge, the Añana Salt Flats, the Bilbao Estuary and the Punta Begoña Galleries.
- Third, a rehabilitation plan has been carried out, specifically of an industrial building to be used as a Cultural Centre.
- Lastly, a cultural plan has been activated with three industrial heritage interpretation routes in the area around Havana Bay, focusing on the naval history, the commercial port and the industrial warehouses.
The project also involves Labrit Patrimonio, which specialises in intangible heritage, and Señalética Empreinte, which is in charge of installing the elements to disseminate the industrial heritage itineraries.
A partnership of more than 20 years linked to development and innovation
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982, the city of Havana aspires to grow by preserving and promoting its environment, culture and values. This has been stated by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana, which is responsible for its management.
To achieve this, it is counting on TECNALIA, with whom it has been collaborating for more than 20 years on science, innovation and development projects. It also has the support of the Basque Agency for Development Cooperation of the Basque Government, Elankidetza. The aim of this cooperation is to establish a model of sustainable human development in the city.
