The thesis takes a theoretical approach to invigorate revolutionary aspirations and proposes integrated adaptive reuse as a sustainable alternative for urban regeneration.
Sun Yen Yee
University of Westminster, London
Department of Architecture, Interiors, and Urban Design
SEED of Havana: Dissolving Condensers. © Sun Yen Yee.
Jury
Mina Hasman
Kent Jackson
Phil Obayda
Koen Steemers
Simon Sturgis
The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.
—Marcel Proust
The design project, entitled “SEED of Havana: Dissolving Condensers,” envisions a strategy to rebuild the crumbling city of Havana while empowering the resilient community through a series of architectural interventions. Within the uncertain geopolitical context, the thesis takes a theoretical approach to invigorate the revolution aspirations and proposes integrated adaptive reuse as a sustainable alternative for urban regeneration.
The project also challenges the status of architecture as a privilege of the elite by taking an initiative to be humble, in order to observe and learn. The thesis is inspired by the Cuban spirit of resiliency in face of uncertainties, thus initiating an architectural approach that reflects the aspirations of the people.
Sun Yen Yee
University of Westminster, London
Department of Architecture, Interiors, and Urban Design
grew up in Sabah, Malaysia, and moved to the UK to pursue his BA Architecture (Part 1) at Newcastle University, before continuing his Master in Architecture (Part 2) at University of Westminster, London. The master thesis project, “SEED of Havana: Dissolving Condensers” was also nominated for RIBA Silver Medal and the 2019 AJ student prize. Yee is currently employed as a Part 2 Architectural Assistant at Grimshaw Architects, London. He hopes to gain further experience in developing architecture that is efficient and benefits the inhabitants, while not compromising on aesthetic.
