Reclaiming Heritage: Potentials of reclamation materials for reconstruction in the case of February 27th 2010 earthquake in Maule, Chile

This thesis discusses the potential for preserving the cultural assets embodied in built heritage, which is damaged in disasters and further threatened during recovery processes. The general underlying assumption is that the use of reclaimed and recycled building materials is a way to retain heritage and cultural values in a sensitive post-disaster reconstruction. It looks at the development of the reclamation practice in Germany, and through analysis of successes and barriers there, it makes parallel comparisons for opportunities and limitations in the Chilean post- February 27th, 2010 earthquake context. This thesis goes on to propose a housing prototype design, which aims to address the undervaluation of traditional building materials and to recommend improvements to urban quality through the design of a house prototype intended to replace those lost in the earthquake. The design site is Chanco, a town that typifies regional heritage architecture of adobe, timber, ceramic tiles and continuous facades in the Maule region of Chile