Ad Urbis: "Architecture practices are an obsolete concept for operating in Cuba"

Ad Urbis is a Cuban collective navigating the complexities of inserting contemporary architecture into a high-value heritage context like Havana, prioritizing above all architectural research, theory, and practice across the realms of design and education.

We interviewed the collective to explore their reflections, workflows, the relationship between practice and academia, and their upcoming projects and outlook for the future of architecture in Cuba. 

Fabián Dejtiar (ArchDaily): You say that "Ad Urbis is not a space, not a studio, not a desk where four people sit down to work every day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on a project. It is a process of managing time across public, academic, and private practices." Can you explain this? What has enabled you to define yourselves this way?