Cubans build houses with ancient Mexican technique

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-09 04:25:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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HAVANA, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Construction workers in the Cuban province of Guantanamo, about 900 km east of Havana, are using a century-old Mexican technique to build houses as they seek to rebuild hundreds of homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

According to an article published in the daily Granma, the technique uses ceramic brick vaults for roofs and it has become very popular with workers.

This solution is part of an initiative brought to the island by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which is cheaper than regular roofing techniques as it does not require steel or concrete.

The extension of this technique, applied for more than 200 years in Mexica, could solve Cuba's regular shortage of construction materials to build regular concrete roofs.

The Cuban construction workers, architects and engineers involved have been trained by Ramon Aguirre, director of the Mexican Bovedas and Regional Technology Institute. Bovedas are domed roofs built out of bricks.

Guantanamo, the eastern Cuban province, was the worst affected area by last October's Hurricane Matthew, the third most devastating storm in the Cuban history.

The storm affected 46,706 homes, of which 8,312 were completely destroyed, according to official data.

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