Feature. Now building: Caribbean future through culture

On Cuba Street in Old Havana, the people stand on their balconies in the morning to see how the roof of the former Convent of Santa Clara is coming along. They leisurely sip some freshly brewed coffee and, amid the noise of hammers and saws, watch how carpenters place pieces of wood. This job requires skill and a lot of patience, and they must cover more than 100 linear metres of wooden truss roof. One of the largest of its kind in Latin America, it occupies two square blocks. When the structure is finished, they will climb back up again under the blazing Caribbean sun to lay 10,000 tiles.