Revision as of 10:55, 30 November 2021

Abstract

A few months after the San Francisco earthquake and fire in April 1906, the prosperous and cosmopolitan city of Valparaíso (Chile) suffered a similar catastrophe, sparking the forerunner application of new materials and construction systems. After the earthquake, reports, and articles were produced analysing the characteristics of the earthquake and its effects on the built environment, emulating at a more basic level those emanating from the ad hoc commissions created to analyse the earthquakes in San Francisco and Messina (1908). At the theoretical level, solutions for reconstruction were discussed between reinforced concrete and steel structures, and the applications of these new materials, structural systems, and constructions in the world were closely observed. The solutions used for reconstruction ranged from proven inefficiencies prior to the earthquake to new techniques and materials. In this area, the use of steel with imported pre-manufactured systems as well as local solutions stands out. The need to reconstruct public and private buildings in Valparaiso with a reliable and fast system leaned the choice at the beginning towards the use of pre-manufactured metal structures. The article will expose and analyse the discussions of the time regarding construction systems and materials from a seismic-resistant point of view, complemented with the description of three emblematic cases of metal medium height construction in Valparaiso, after the earthquake: the Hucke Factory, Cardonal Market and the “Jabonería La Estrella” Factory.

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