A Cuban civil engineer has shared a revealing video on Facebook, exposing a dire situation at a Havana intersection. The footage reveals that structural columns are constructed from brick masonry without any internal steel reinforcement, raising concerns that the building could collapse without urgent intervention.
The video, which has garnered over 36,000 views, provides a technical analysis of the construction’s risks. "There is a corner in Havana, like many others, progressively deteriorating to the point of nearly collapsing. Structural failures are evident in all its components," the engineer warns.
Located at the intersection of 19 and 44 in the Playa municipality, the site includes a pharmacy. The video shows the columns in a state of significant decay, making them unsuitable for supporting the building, which also suffers from severely damaged roofs.
The engineer explains that the building's columns are made of bricks "arranged in a citerón pattern," a masonry technique without internal metal reinforcement, commonly used before the widespread adoption of reinforced concrete.
Without steel, these structures are far less durable and much more susceptible to wear from humidity, sea salt, and lack of maintenance. "This isn’t reinforced concrete. With columns made from bricks arranged in a citerón manner, continuous maintenance is critical. A collapse could have fatal consequences," the video cautions.
The engineer, who leads a surveying, construction, and design company, emphasizes the crucial need for regular maintenance, a practice not entrenched in Cuban culture. This negligence turns many homes into ongoing threats for their residents.
His concerns have institutional backing. A manual from the University of Havana notes that "officials, managers, residents, and building users generally lack awareness of the regularity, importance, and necessity of maintenance management systems," highlighting that the issue is not merely economic but also cultural and institutional.
The video surfaces amid a grim reality. Annually, about 1,000 buildings in Havana collapse, and the national housing deficit exceeds 929,000 units, with 35% of existing structures in poor or critical condition.
In 2025, building collapses repeatedly claimed lives. A collapse on Compostela Street in Old Havana killed a man and his mother due to years of ignored deterioration. Months earlier, three people, including a seven-year-old girl, died in the collapse of Monte 722 in the same area.
In January, two partial collapses occurred within 24 hours in Old Havana, on Muralla and Teniente Rey streets. In February, the former site of the Higher Institute of Design collapsed due to prolonged neglect.
The regime's response capacity is virtually non-existent. In 2024, Cuba produced only 258,000 tons of cement, just 10% of its installed capacity. In 2025, the government completed only 2,382 of the 10,795 planned housing units, achieving just 22% of its annual target.
Recently, Vice Prime Minister Inés María Chapman led an inspection near the Malecón, identifying buildings at imminent risk of collapse, including the historic Castillito, without offering concrete repair timelines.
Last Saturday, Cuban architect Bertín Díaz warned that the main challenge isn't a lack of technicians or materials, but financing. An estimated $6 to $10 billion is needed just for an initial stabilization phase of Cuba’s housing stock.
As the regime conducts inspections without solutions and deterioration continues unabated, Minister of Construction René Mesa Villafaña acknowledged the need for "annual maintenance and conservation actions in over 240,000 homes" to halt the progressive collapse—an objective the government admits it cannot meet.
The Structural Crisis of Havana's Buildings
Why are Havana's buildings at risk of collapse?
Many buildings in Havana are at risk due to structural columns made without steel reinforcement, making them less durable and vulnerable to environmental damage and lack of maintenance.
What is the government's response to the housing crisis in Cuba?
The government's response has been inadequate, with limited cement production and failure to meet housing construction targets, making effective intervention in the crisis nearly impossible.
What factors contribute to the deterioration of buildings in Havana?
Environmental factors such as humidity and sea salt, combined with a lack of routine maintenance and structural issues like the absence of steel reinforcement, contribute to the rapid deterioration of buildings.