Moonlit Cartographies: Reclaiming Havana’s Streets through Karolina Hejduk’s Vision
Reimagining Urban Narratives in Havana
Havana, with its rhythmic pulse and storied past, is a city where streets tell tales—and where space, at times, has been quietly, implicitly divided by gender and time. In her final MArch project, Karolina Hejduk has boldly challenged these old boundaries, breathing new life and layered meaning into the Cuban urban fabric. With a celebrated academic journey capped by Distinction at the University of Westminster, and over three years’ experience at Atelier-SM Architects, Hejduk stands at the forefront of a new generation thoughtfully interrogating the spaces we inhabit.
A Tapestry of Cultures and Shadows
At the heart of Karolina Hejduk’s project is a profound exploration of Havana’s social landscape. The design confronts the entrenched notion that the city’s streets belong to men in the bright hustle of day, and revert to women in the soft shroud of night—a reflection of subtle, and sometimes overt, social restrictions that linger in many urban environments.
To stage this intervention, Hejduk turns to the moon: not merely as a fixture in the sky, but as potent cultural symbol. In Taino and Afro-Cuban traditions, the moon embodies fluidity, rhythm, and the passage of hidden wisdom from one generation to the next. By invoking lunar symbolism, Hejduk crafts a spatial narrative that both recognizes the cycles of the past and lights the way toward a more inclusive future.
Designing with Light, Shadow, and Memory
Hejduk’s scheme centers on a series of intimate interventions along a key Havana boulevard, each illuminated not by harsh daylight, but by calculated, shifting moonlight—sometimes simulated, sometimes invited through architectural means. These illuminated zones, neither entirely public nor private, create liminal territories where the boundaries dissolve and new possibilities emerge.
The project’s spatial language draws directly from vernacular Cuban forms—interwoven arcades, filtered courtyards, and shifting thresholds—but re-imagined through a lens of gendered experience. Materials and textures echo those found in nearby barrios, yet they are layered with subtle inscriptions: literary quotations from Cuban women writers, textile patterns inspired by Taino lunar motifs, and tactile surfaces that invite pause, dwelling, and reflection.
Each intervention is situated to reclaim forgotten or marginal spaces—street edges, alleyways, and overlooked plazas—binding them together with a network of “lunar paths” that trace symbolic connections between Havana’s women of yesterday and today. The rhythm of the project itself is dictated by nocturnal cycles, inviting inhabitants and visitors to experience the city in new temporalities, rejecting the sunlit paradigm that has so long privileged one gender’s presence over another.
Ancient Wisdom, Contemporary Urbanism
What distinguishes Hejduk’s vision is the way ancient symbolism is not merely referenced but woven with contemporary societal discourse. Extensive research into Taino and Afro-Cuban mythologies gave rise to an architectural language in which the moon is both metaphor and method: circular openings invite shifting moonbeams into gathering spaces; reflective pools echo the lunar phases; and architectural forms appear to wax and wane as users move through them.
Moreover, the project does not romanticize tradition but leverages it as a springboard for actively confronting urban challenges: how can we design streetscapes that do not merely tolerate women’s presence at night, but celebrate and foreground their lived experiences, memories, and aspirations? Hejduk’s interventions eschew overt monumentality in favour of intimate, participatory acts—temporary installations, night-time performances, and storytelling pavilions—each gently subverting the status quo while cultivating new communal rituals.
Community-Centric Process and Recognition
The process underpinning the project is as considered as its physical manifestation. Hejduk engaged in direct dialogue with local women, artists, and elders, gathering oral histories and personal accounts that informed both the spatial programming and the aesthetics of the interventions. This bottom-up process is evident in the nuanced layers of the design, which refuses to impose solutions but instead creates fertile ground for organic participation and reinterpretation.
The originality and social resonance of Hejduk’s proposal have not gone unrecognized. Her work, submitted as part of her MArch thesis, was lauded by faculty for its sensitive interrogation of place and identity, and its innovative deployment of symbolism—placing her among a select group to graduate with Distinction from the University of Westminster’s venerable program.
Forging New Connections in Practice
Already an experienced Architectural Assistant at Atelier-SM Architects, Karolina Hejduk brings her critical, culturally attuned lens to the professional sphere. Her dedication to the craft—bridging thoughtful inquiry and creative resolution—is increasingly visible both in her own growing portfolio, and in the collaborative ethos she brings to practice.
For those seeking to learn more, collaborate, or invite Karolina into new creative ventures, she remains open to connection and conversation. Engage with her professional journey through LinkedIn or reach her directly via email at kkarolinahejduk@gmail.com.
A Quiet Revolution by Moonlight
Karolina Hejduk’s Havana project is not simply an architectural study. It is, at its core, a call to consciousness—challenging the unspoken codes that shape our shared spaces, and illuminating the stories that have too long dwelt in shadow. In weaving together threads of culture, memory, and innovation, Hejduk demonstrates the power of design not just to build, but to reveal, empower, and transform. And through this moonlit lens, Havana’s streets become, at last, a space for every voice.
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