The Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (FCFM) of the University of Chile, the same where the university teaches nothing more and nothing less than engineering degrees, was forced to urgently convene an Advisory Commission and commission “a detailed technical study” to its Research Center (IDIEM). It was no wonder, considering the repetitive glass fall that afflicts two towers of the emblematic, avant-garde and million-dollar Beauchef 851 building, located to the west of the campus of the same name in Santiago.
It is a mega-project inaugurated with great fanfare in November 2014, which The university classified it as an “architectural milestone” with seven years of planning and which had a total cost of almost 100 million dollars financed, in large part, thanks to separate bank loans that the university will only finish paying in 2030.
The delay in the works (it had to be operational 1 and a half years earlier) and the large amount of money that the university disbursed was at one point a matter of internal controversy. Despite everything, the architectural work of 55,000 m2 and 13 floors (seven above ground and six underground) today houses classrooms, academic offices, laboratories, as well as sports and recreation spaces. Without going any further, it has a semi-Olympic heated pool inside.
Be that as it may, for some time now the mega-work designed by A4 Arquitectos and Borja Huidobro, and executed by the construction company Ingevecbecame a headache for the university authorities and a mandatory comment among those who use the facilities.
“Protective scaffolding”
According to information collected by BBCL Investiga, the problems began during the second half of 2023 and have intensified during the first months of this year.
“A glass panel just fell in front of Aidan’s office,” wrote a person in one of the university community’s WhatsApp groups on January 15. In his message, he referred to the detachment of part of the architectural coating that ended up on a terrace in front of the office 211 of Aidan Hogan, one of the associate professors, located on the second floor of the Poniente Tower of Beauchef 851.
“One day they are going to kill someone and the U is not going to be able to continue acting stupid,” the same person then expressed. In response, another member of the community replied that the pieces of glass had even reached floor -1.
In response to these episodes, the university authorities decided to mitigate the risk by installing “fall protection scaffolding”, restricting circulation in some sectors and removing the exterior coating in areas where it was not possible to put scaffolding or cut off the traffic of people.
Intelligent building
Among other avant-garde aspects, as explained at the time, the complex of buildings that make up Beauchef 851 was designed to achieve 50% energy savings compared to a traditional building in Chile.
That is why, among other things, it was decided to cover the east and west towers with a compound of two-sided plates of tempered glass, joined by a central sheet that is attached to the façade using a complex anchoring system. The objective? Reduce direct solar radiation in the building and thus “help with air conditioning and energy efficiency,” as explained by the faculty.
Over the years—presumably due to material fatigue or external conditions—some of these glass plates first began to chip and then fall. This, despite the fact that the University of Chile has maintained that each year the maintenance plan established for the correct conservation of the coating has been applied to the letter.
However, the students of the School of Engineering began to pressure the university authorities to take action on the matter. So much so that in the mobilizations of recent weeks, which included the seizure of the Beauchef buildings, the situation was included in the petition by the Engineering Student Center (CEI).
In response to the students’ demand, and as a result of the work of an Infrastructure Board, the Dean’s Office issued an official statement explaining the measures adopted due to the falling glass. In the document, they clarified that “the break and eventual fall is not due to lack of maintenance or budget.”
In the communication, dated June 3 of this year, the FCFM recognizes at least four episodes of these characteristics during 2024, ensuring that they are carrying out measures to correct them as soon as possible and avoid risks.
The U of Chile responds
When consulted by BBCL Investiga, from the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences of the University of Chile, they stressed from the outset that “the problem observed is related to that exterior coating and does not compromise the structure of the buildings.”
Likewise, they pointed out that “Although scheduled maintenance has been carried out through a contract, as a result of the breakage and fall of some elements, measures have been taken aimed at protecting the people who circulate in the sector.”
In that sense, they listed some of the short-term measures adopted, such as the restriction of circulation, the deployment of scaffolding and the removal of coating in some areas. In addition, they explained that “a daily monitoring system was implemented.”
“Given the complexity of the problem, sophisticated technical studies are required to find the best solution, so IDIEM was commissioned with a detailed analysis using models and experimental tests of its causes and possible permanent solutions.. In addition, an Advisory Commission was convened made up of specialists in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Architecture, which has been analyzing various options to address this complex problem,” they noted.
Regarding the existence of insurance and the total cost of the repair, the university stated that “there is insurance contracted, which is in force.” However, “the amount of the final solution will necessarily depend on the option adopted, a matter that is currently being evaluated with the support of IDIEM and specialists, including the analysis of the results of various technical tests.”
Regarding the cost of the project that began construction in 2011 and was delivered in November 2014, the university reported that it had a total cost of UF 2,051,010. Of that total, a part was financed “through conversion of faculty assets and savings over several years” and the other, through bank loans that were tendered for a total of UF 750,000.
Using as a reference the value of the Development Unit and the dollar at the time the work was being carried out, it had a cost of 97.7 million US dollars.
The credits, both awarded through public bidding in 2012 to Banco Santander, will be paid by the Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in 2029 and 2030, respectively.
