CubaPLUS Magazine

Celebrating its 66th anniversary today, Wednesday, the Focsa building, in the capital's neighborhood of  Vedado, continues to be a source of pride for Havanans and even for Cubans, as it has always been a symbol among the city's buildings , especially when in 1997 it was selected as one of the seven wonders of civil engineering in the country.

Inaugurated in 1956, it was the second tallest building in the world at the time of its construction, only surpassed by the Martinelli Building in Sao Paulo, made of reinforced concrete that exceeded 18 floors. In total, it had 36 floors (39 levels), a total area of 10,000 square meters with 373 apartments, a 300,000-gallon water tank, a swimming pool, eight elevators, and an underground parking lot for 500 cars.

With its characteristic &Y" shaped design, the Focsa owes its name to the company that was in charge of the construction: the Association for the Promotion of Works and Construction, Sociedad Anónima (Focsa). The team of designers in charge of the construction was directed by engineer Luis Sáenz, the architect Ernesto Gómez, the also engineers Bartolomé Bestard and Gustavo Bécker, all Cubans, who carried out analyses of the subsoil, drilled holes, geological studies, wells, compression and direct load on the ground to carry out the work successfully.

According to the people of Havana at the time, when walking through the basement of that &mass", often visited out of curiosity to see the tallest building in the capital, they felt the gusts of wind that scared and intrigued not a few.

However, according to specialists, the acceleration of the winds near skyscrapers or very tall buildings is caused by the "downdraft effect", which happens when the air hits the building and, since there is no other place to go, it is pushed up, down, and to the sides, which is often annoying and caution is advised.

In addition to apartments, the Focsa also has a shopping center with several stores, an advertising agency, Cuban television studios and a cafeteria on its ground floor. At its highest point is the iconic La Torre restaurant, from where you can see a wonderful panoramic view of Havana.

Little more than six decades have passed since its inauguration and the Focsa continues to exhibit its beauty and majesty of yesteryear to the pride of all those who executed it. The projection group was directed by engineer Luis Sáenz Duplace and the architect Ernesto Gómez Sampera.