Historic and Traditional Structures during the 2010 Chile Earthquake: Observations, Codes, and Conservation Strategies

The Maule, Chile, earthquake of February 2010 affected the Central Valley stretching from north of Santiago to the Rio Bío-Bío in the south. The architectural heritage suffered considerable losses, with some buildings seriously damaged or partially collapsed even in Santiago and Valparaíso, areas less affected by the earthquake. Exposing the vulnerability of Chilean architectural heritage, this event has renewed the debate about the national attitude towards architectural preservation and conservation engineering. From the survey conducted by the authors, it emerged that many retrofit and repair techniques implemented following prior earthquakes in Chile resulted in ineffective performance in the February 2010 earthquake. Safety and preservation requirements that are regulated in countries with similar historic heritage are presented as viable alternatives to past approaches and are compared with the Chilean pre-code for earthen buildings, currently under development, which appears to embrace modern preservation philosophies. Suitable remedial strategies conclude the paper.