Book signing Friday night

Architect Hermes Mallea rediscovers his roots through the Great Houses of Havana

A portrait of Che Guevara hangs at the base of the staircase in arationalist/art deco-style home.
Great Houses of Havana, published in November 2011
Author Hermes Mallea
Photo via Great Houses of Cabana
Beaux-Arts abound.
A pool house in the Casa de Pablo González de Mendoza fuses classical andCaribbean.
Palacio de la Condesa de Revilla de Camargo

New York architect Hermes Mallea left Cuba at the age of five. Decades later, he returned to his homeland for a lecture and found himself moved by and enamored with the architecture there.

Mallea came back to the United States with more photographs of buildings than of people, and with connections to historians eager to talk about the rich history and personalities of their country. From that launching point, Great Houses of Havana came to be.

"I have a family connection to photography," Mallea explained to CultureMap during a Houston visit to tout the book. "Photo albums are all that most people left with when they fled from the Revolution."

That connection manifests itself in an extensive collection of antique photographs. One in particular — an 1860 portrait of two young women in the home of a count, taken by American photographer George Barnard — served as an inspiration and a catalyst for the project. It also forms a chronological starting point for the book, which follows the style, the grandeur and the idiosyncrasies of Havana architecture and society from 1860 through 1960.

"If you think about the Cuban personality, it's romantic, extroverted, informal, family-oriented," said Mallea. "Their houses are really a reflection of that style."

Though communist Cuba, so isolated from much of the world for so many years, has reverted to a third-world state, and many of the formerly grand buildings and residences have met decay and misuse over time, Mallea and Carey Maloney, his partner in business (at M(Group) and as stylist for the book) and in life, insist that this isn't what the book is all about.

Sometimes the reader can see two-by-fours holding the ceiling above a sweeping marble staircase, or cracking glass doors and stucco facades, or chain link fences surrounding mansions, but the book invariably focuses on the architectural marvels that still exist in present day Havana, and the the vibrant people that accompany them.

"If you think about the Cuban personality, it's romantic, extroverted, informal, family-oriented," said Mallea. "Their houses are really a reflection of that style."

Mallea and Maloney spent two years taking week-long trips to Havana, forging relationships with Cuban historians and homeowners, working with young local photographers to capture the architectural gems, reconstructing life in Havana throughout the century.

There were plenty of obstacles, but the team was unrelenting and determined to gain access to certain places, like a palace-like home, once inhabited by an amateur primatologist, now used as a type of Boy Scout lodge. For the most part, locals received them warmly, but Mallea and Maloney were often not allowed to alter anything about a space (styling is minimal, so tables, chairs, flowers and decorations are portrayed as they were found) and expected to leave quickly.

The resulting images are striking, and the stories of how they came to be are priceless — like a ride in the back seat of a Volkswagen with Fidel Castro's former lover, and an unexpected but long-awaited invitation to the home of the French ambassador just hours before a flight back to the United States.

Some buildings featured within the pages are opulent and some are just unusual, but each comes with its own history. All portray a style uniquely Havana, built to withstand the heat and decorated in a confluence of styles from Spanish Colonial to Beaux-Arts, art deco to modern.

"The houses are all great, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're all grand," explained Maloney.

Whatever the distinction, Great Houses of Havana is a treasure and a masterpiece. I look forward to a hopefully-forthcoming second volume.

Hermes Mallea will give a talk and a book-signing for Great Houses of Havana at 7 p.m. Friday at Brazos Bookstore.

unspecified

they're durable, too

3D-printed Houston housing project cements a more affordable future

Courtesy of Cole Klein Builders

Homes in Zuri Gardens are a hybrid of 3D concrete and traditional wood construction.

Houston is putting itself front-and-center to help make sustainable, affordable housing a reality for 80 lucky homeowners in a scalable housing community that will hopefully catch on nationwide. Recently, developer Cole Klein Builders partnered with HiveASMBLD to pioneer what’s touted as the world’s first large-scale, one-of-a-kind, affordable housing development using 3-D printing technology, merging robotics, design, and sustainability.

Located across from Sterling Aviation High School, near Hobby Airport, Zuri Gardens will offer 80 two-bedroom, two-bathroom homes of approximately 1,360 square feet situated in a park-like setting, including walking trails and a community green space.

Homes in Zuri Gardens will hit the market in early summer of 2026. Final pricing has yet to be determined, but Cole Klein Builders expects it to be in the mid-to-high 200s.

Interestingly, none of the homes will offer garages or driveways, which the developer tells CultureMap will provide a savings of roughly $25,000 - $40,000 per home.

Instead of parking for individual units, 140 parking spaces will be provided. Ideally, this small-town-inspired design will provide opportunities for neighbors to meet, connect, and build community.

Each two-story home is comprised of a ground floor printed by HiveASMBLD, using a proprietary low-carbon cement alternative by Eco Material Technologies that promises to enhance strength and reduce CO2 emissions. The hybrid homes will have a second floor built using engineered wood building products by LP Building Solutions. Overall, the homes are designed to be flood, fire, and possibly even tornado-proof.

The Zuri in Zuri Gardens is the Swahili word for “beautiful,” a choice that is fitting considering that the parks department will be introducing a five acre park to the project — with 3-D printed pavilions and benches — plus, a three acre farm is located right across the street. The Garver Heights area, where Zuri Gardens is located, is in what’s classified as a food desert, which means that access to fresh food is limited. Residents will have access to the farm’s fresh produce, plus opportunities to participate in gardening and nutrition workshops—that’s a win for everyone.

With the novelty of Zuri Gardens, it’s no surprise that the neighborhood already has an 800 person waitlist, but with stringent buyer requirements, it’s unclear how many of those 800 will qualify. Developer Cole Klein Builders created Zuri Gardens in partnership with the Houston Housing Community Development Department, who provided infrastructure reimbursements for the roads, sewer lines, and water lines. In return, CKB agreed to push the purchase prices for the homes as low as possible.

Zuri Gardens also received $1.8 million dollars from the Uptown Tourism Bond, 34 percent of which must be used with minority owned small businesses. Qualified buyers must fit a certain area of median income according to HUD guidelines, and must be owner occupied at all times — so no property investors or short term vacation rentals will be allowed.

“They’re trying to bridge that gap to make sure there is a community for the homebuyers who need it — educators, law enforcement, civil workers, etc.,” Cole Klein Builders’ co-principal Vanessa Cole tells CultureMap. “You have to go through a certification process with the housing department to make sure that your income is in alignment for this community. It has been great, and everyone has been really receptive.”

Cole has also brought insurance underwriters to visit the site and to help drive premiums below regular rates for Houston homeowners since homes in Zuri Gardens are not built to traditional standards — claim risks for one of the 3-D homes are extremely low. Tim Lankau, principal at HiveASMBLD, notes that the 3-D hybrid design allows for a more traditional appearance, while having the benefits of a concrete structure: “That’s where the floodwaters would go, that’s where you can hide when there’s a tornado, and that’s where termites would eat. So you get the advantages of it while having a traditionally-framed second floor.”

It’s important to note that Zuri Gardens is not located in a flood prone area, nor did it flood during Hurricane Harvey — being flood proof is merely a perk of a cement house. The concrete that Eco Material Technologies developed is impervious. The walls are printed into hollow forms, which house rebar, plumbing, and accessible conduits for things like electrical lines and smart house features. Those walls are then filled with a foamcrete product that expands to form a “monolithic concrete wall.”

David McNitt, of Eco Material Technologies, explains that his proprietary concrete is made of PCV, and contains zero Portland cement. Instead, McNitt’s cement is made from coal ash and is 99 percent green (there are a few chemicals added to the ash). Regardless, it’s made from 100 percent waste products.

“This is a product that has really been landfilled before,” says McNitt. “It’s coal ash, and it’ll set within 8-10 minutes. It’s all monolithic, and one continuous pour — it’s literally all one piece.”

Eco Material Technologies’ concrete product is impressively durable. A traditional cinderblock wall will crush at around 800 psi, while this material crushes at about 8,000 psi.

“It’s ten times stronger than a cinderblock wall that can withstand hurricanes,” claims McNitt. “I don’t think you’d even notice a hurricane. It’ll be really quiet inside, too — so you won’t get interrupted during your hurricane party. It’s way over-engineered, it really is.”

The second story is built using weatherproof and eco-friendly products by LP Building Solutions. Their treated, engineered wood products come with a 50 year warranty, and their radiant barrier roof decking product blocks 97% of UV rays, and keeps attic temperatures 30° cooler than traditional building materials. These materials, combined with the concrete first floor, will keep heating and cooling costs low — something the folks at HiveASMBLD refer to as “thermal mass performance.”

Courtesy of Cole Klein Builders

Homes in Zuri Gardens are a hybrid of 3D concrete and traditional wood construction.