To analyze public buildings in Cuba and around the world, we first need to define a common understanding of public architecture. The way public buildings were perceived changed over time. The perception of public architecture 100 years ago was very different than it is today. Nowadays, a public building is defined as any building open to the general use, participation, or enjoyment of the public and owned and operated by a city, county, state, or federal government, or by a public utility corporation. In a broader sense, a public building can be a hospital, a capitol building, a school or kindergarten, a college or university, a city hall, a church, a railway station, a library, or a museum. The basic requirement for all public buildings is the public use of the exterior as well as the interior. Buildings need to be accessible - however not at all times of the day. When speaking of public architecture, parks, plazas, town squares, and even art installations can be defined as public.^1,2 In our research study, we want to focus on public buildings that are only designed and built for one specific public use. E.g. as universities are open to the public, they combine educational and public functions. Though in this research we want to focus on architecture that only serves society for gathering, participation (e.g. in elections), and enjoyment. Its objectives are to bring together the community around culture, education, administration, and religion. As public architecture is intertwined with its construction, we need to define the specific characteristics and forces of public construction. Public-sector construction is the section of the built environment that consists of public services and public enterprises that are owned by the government. Usually, a public project is financed (or part-financed) by the public sector and is operated by the government. Typically, public projects are costly due to their size, and representative architectural design language. Thus, several stakeholders contribute to the financing of public projects. State governments, federal governments, cities, and sometimes even private firms invest in the construction of public buildings.³ 

article written by Ginet M. G. Porras , Dominik Glück, Philipp Merbeler

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