The Construction and Assembly Company of Granma province introduced the first containers transformed into homes, an improvised solution in response to the scarcity of resources and the growing housing demand that will extend to several communities in Cuba.
The initiative involves repurposing discarded containers to use them as housing, a practice that the company itself describes as international due to its versatility, although in the Cuban context it addresses the chronic lack of construction materials.
In Granma, five units are currently under construction out of a total of 10; once completed, they will feature a living room, kitchen-dining room, bathroom, two bedrooms, and independent access, the entity emphasized through its profile on Facebook.
Recently, it was reported that in the Buena Vista community, located in the municipality of San Antonio del Sur in Guantánamo, there are plans to install 23 converted containers as homes for families affected by Hurricane Óscar, which struck the region in October 2024.
The initiative is part of a program that plans to establish 60 similar homes, built from recycled packaging materials from the photovoltaic park under construction in the eastern province.
In a country where temperatures average around 30 degrees and easily exceed 35, a metal container without proper insulation turns into an uninhabitable oven.
Without efficient ventilation or air conditioning, the interior can reach extreme levels, posing a risk of heat stroke and serious health issues, especially for children and the elderly.
The use of thermal coatings and detached roofs can alleviate the problem, but international experience shows that these structures only function in a livable manner with significant investments in insulation, which drives up project costs.
In countries like Spain, container homes have become popular as a sustainable alternative, but they are accompanied by standards for insulation, occupancy permits, and structural guarantees.
The Cuban government is attempting to boost several projects that include buildings made from shipping containers, as part of its proposals to alleviate the housing shortage in the province of Holguín.
A similar initiative is being followed in Las Tunas, presenting it as an "innovative solution" to the housing shortage. This measure comes after decades of unmet commitments in official housing construction plans and when around 10,659 families in Las Tunas still live in houses with dirt floors, in the 21st century.
Granma reported that the first houses of type 3 will be installed in micro-localized areas of the municipalities of Manatí, Puerto Padre, Jesús Menéndez, Majibacoa, and the provincial capital.
In an effort to demonstrate "creativity" in light of the critical shortage of materials, the government of the province of Villa Clara is constructing two experimental homes—one in Santa Clara and the other in Remedios—that completely eliminate the use of cement and steel.
Meanwhile, in Pinar del Río, an ancient technique is being employed: building houses with earth, lime, and clay, which experts say can withstand hurricanes. With support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mexican specialists trained local builders and students in constructing vaulted roofs using materials from the area.
The significant decline in housing construction in Cuba is an unmistakable sign of the economic and social crisis the country is experiencing: in 2024, fewer houses were built than in the worst years of the Special Period, which highlights the continued collapse of the State's ability to address one of the most basic needs of the population.
Another revealing fact is that the housing deficit in Cuba exceeds 800,000 homes, yet the regime manages to build only a minimal fraction: the lack of materials, the collapse of the local industry, and poor state management exacerbate a structural crisis that directly impacts the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of Cubans.
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