Just a few days before the 73rd anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks, the Construction and Assembly Company of Las Tunas (CONALZA) presented, as a "greeting" for July 26, the progress of a housing project built from recycled shipping containers. This initiative is promoted by the government as an alternative to address the housing crisis, but it has faced delays and doubts concerning its viability.
In two posts shared this Sunday on Facebook, the state-owned company showcased images of the work being carried out in the El Cornito area of Las Tunas, alongside Gelma, Metunas, and Mantenimiento Constructivo.
According to CONALZA, the containers used "completed their commercial cycle in the transport from China to Cuba of the components for the photovoltaic solar parks" and are now being repurposed as housing within the official strategy of "circular economy."
The photographs show several containers, one of which features the logo of the Chinese shipping company COSCO, placed on concrete bases and handled with XCMG cranes, also made in China. According to the metadata of one of the images, it was taken on July 16th in Cuban territory.
The company described the future homes as "social housing, with excellent comfort and aesthetics," although the program's development is progressing well below the targets set by the government itself.
The national plan aims to reuse over 3,500 containers to convert them into housing. However, during a meeting led by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz in April of this year, authorities reported that only 133 units had been delivered nationwide, and only 19 were fully completed.
The difficulties have also been acknowledged by the state media. On July 17th, the newspaper Escambray, from Sancti Spíritus, published a report admitting that the program is significantly behind schedule in that province, where out of more than a hundred homes planned for 2026, only 17 were in the assembly phase and none had been completed.
Doubts about its habitability
In addition to the delays, experts have questioned the habitability conditions of this type of construction.
The Cuban architect Abel Tablada warned in May that metal containers can reach extremely high temperatures under the island's tropical climate if they lack proper thermal insulation and permanent air conditioning systems. This concern has led many Cubans to nickname these homes "the Microwave" on social media.
Criticism becomes more significant in a country where prolonged blackouts hinder the continuous use of air conditioning units.
The cost is also not affordable for most families. Although they are part of a state program, each home has a price close to one million Cuban pesos, financed through loans.
A housing crisis that continues to grow
The promotion of the project coincides with the worsening housing deficit in Cuba. Official figures indicate that demand already exceeds 929,000 homes, while in 2025 only 2,382 properties were completed out of the 10,795 planned, which is just over 22% of the annual target.
In that context, homes built with containers have become part of the projects that the Government showcases in the lead-up to July 26, a date that this year will have its main event in Pinar del Río under the slogan "My Moncada is the Homeland," coinciding with the centenary of Fidel Castro's birth.
Related videos:
Filed under: