Industrial heritage in “sacrifice zones”. The potential of Bocamina I & II thermoelectric in Coronel, Chile

This work aims to present the recovery potential of the Chilean Sacrifice Zones, urban areas affected by high amounts of pollution caused by industrial activities. It centers in the case of “Bocamina I & II”, two Thermoelectric based in the city of Coronel, southern Chile. A settlement historically related to the mining processes. These plants operated for decades supplying the national energy grid and are seen as both symbols of progress and detriment. As part of the government Energy Transition Plan, they were recently closed for more sustainable energy sources and though the decision is seen as a national milestone, not much has been said regarding the buildings themselves. This research contextualizes the case of study, elaborates on how its future use and perception could help mitigate the negative impact on its surroundings and how the case can be extrapolated to similar cases internationally. For this, the work focuses on the plant’s infrastructure, their relation to the immediate context of Coronel and importance to Chilean industrial history on two approaches: Analyzing the alternative of their classification as National Monuments by the Chilean National Monuments Council, and by the Adaptive reuse approach, internationally seen as a sustainable strategy for abandoned buildings. Different arguments and examples are presented with the purpose of providing an understanding of the potential of Industrial Heritage reclamation, and how it could change the perception of the Sacrifice Zones through community involvement, urban planning, collaborative design and identity empowerment.