Chile and Mexico bring together experiences to publish a Rubble Hospitals Guide

To mark the commemoration of the February 27 earthquake and tsunami, the creation of “Rubble Hospitals” is being promoted, drawing on recent earthquake experiences in Chile and Mexico.

A new guide for creating these spaces was announced in Concepción by Chile's Proyecta Memoria Foundation, coinciding with the anniversary of the February 27 earthquake and tsunami. The guide compiles experiences from earthquakes in Chile and Mexico, while promoting Rubble Hospitals as spaces to safeguard and reuse debris from large-scale seismic events.

The document is the result of three years of work and details memory rescue initiatives during the 2010 and 2015 earthquakes in Chile and the earthquakes in Mexico.

“Any city that generates debris, with or without a disaster, has the opportunity to implement this urban infrastructure, which we call ‘Rubble Hospitals.’ These are public or private sites designed to safeguard, sort, and process this material to be reused in the future for both architecture and public spaces, and they are classified as either Public or Family-level Hospitals,” said Patricio Mora, executive director of the Proyecta Memoria Foundation, when announcing the initiative.

“A month after the 2017 earthquake in Mexico, we visited the Isthmus region to share this initiative. We had previously done this in the central and southern regions of Chile affected by the February 27 earthquake, as well as following the 2015 Coquimbo earthquake. It has also been presented to academics in London and was well received. Overall, our experience is that communities warmly welcome it for its practical aspects—reusing materials to build new works, for restoration projects, and for symbolic reparation as memory,” Mora added.

Chile generates more than six million tons of construction and demolition waste per year, 60% of which is deposited in unauthorized locations, according to a 2017 study by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. This rate undoubtedly increases significantly following a socio-natural disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami.

Eight years after the 2010 earthquake and tsunami—the event that generated the largest amount of debris in 21st-century Chile—the country still lacks a comprehensive management and reuse policy for this material.

“The idea is for these spaces to be associated with workshop schools where traditional trades like adobe, brickwork, or carpentry are taught, while also serving the community. For example, if a resident doesn't have the funds to build a house or a public square, they can come here to find bricks or timber. It is like a ‘Popular Pharmacy’ but for architecture and the city. We are currently in talks with several municipalities to implement them in Chile,” commented Hilda Basoalto, president of the foundation.

Following the 2017 earthquakes in Mexico, the Proyecta Memoria Foundation traveled to the Isthmus region in Oaxaca at the invitation of the Alfredo Harp Helú Oaxaca Foundation to share Chile's experience and advise residents and authorities on implementing this urban infrastructure. During the visit, more than 300 people—including residents, professionals, and local authorities—were trained, leading to the creation of several family-level rubble hospitals in communities such as Ixtaltepec and Ixtepec.

“In the Isthmus region of Oaxaca, Mexico, following the September 7 earthquake, a large amount of debris was dumped along riverbanks. This mixed material had great potential for future reuse; it simply needed to be cleaned, sorted, and safeguarded for subsequent reconstruction work, primarily for traditional housing. That is why, in collaboration with Proyecta Memoria, we are presenting a guide in Oaxaca to help people set up their own hospitals and avoid wasting these materials. Beyond their practical use, these items carry significant emotional and heritage value, representing part of the identity and collective memory of the affected communities. Through this initiative, we hope to foster a culture of preserving built heritage, as well as traditional construction systems and materials, in the face of natural events like the earthquakes that frequently strike southern Mexico,” commented Claudina de Gyves, architect at Casa de la Ciudad, an initiative of the Alfredo Harp Helú Oaxaca Foundation.

International precedents, such as those following the Friuli earthquake in Italy or World War II, show that while spaces emerged in cities to protect these materials, they did not become permanent infrastructures.

“Our mission is to integrate debris management into public policy in Chile. We shouldn't just react to this issue after an earthquake or landslide; it must be planned. Most importantly, besides the environmental benefits, we must recognize that rubble is not garbage—it is identity, representing the memory and heritage of a community,” said Patricio Mora.

Throughout this year, the foundation will continue to collaborate with Mexican cities on this initiative, building bridges to share experiences and eventually expand the model to other countries.

The reference guide for managing spaces to safeguard symbolic debris can be requested at contacto@proyectamemoria.cl or casadelaciudad@fahho.mx