Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/ docomomo journalarrow_drop_down
image/svg+xml art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos Open Access logo, converted into svg, designed by PLoS. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Access_logo_PLoS_white.svg art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina, Beao, JakobVoss, and AnonMoos http://www.plos.org/
docomomo journal
Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
addClaim

Interrupted Modernity in Santiago de Chile

The Political Afterlife of the Ochagavía Hospital
Authors: Claudia Oliva Saavedra;

Interrupted Modernity in Santiago de Chile

Abstract

The Ochagavía Hospital serves as a tangible reminder of Chile’s interrupted modernist aspirations and shifting political ideologies. Conceived in the late 1960s under the principles of the Welfare State, it was envisioned as the largest public healthcare facility in the country, bringing high-complexity services to Santiago’s southwestern periphery. Designed with a “tower and slab” typology and influenced by international references such as the Saint-Lô Hospital in France, the project embodied hygienic principles and the role of modern architecture in promoting social equity. However, construction was halted following the 1973 military coup, and for four decades the building remained unfinished, informally appropriated by nearby communities, artists, and activists. This article analyzes the architectural, political, and symbolic trajectory of the Ochagavía Hospital, focusing on how its form, location, and evolving uses reflect broader transformations in Chile’s political economy. Combining critical architectural analysis, historiographic research, and the study of visual and literary archives, the article examines how the hospital became both a symbol of abandoned utopia and a stage for memory and resistance. Particular attention is given to the building’s resignification during the dictatorship, including the performance “Suda-mérica” by Pedro Lemebel and interventions by Lotty Rosenfeld. In 2013, the hospital was sold and converted into a logistics and office center, erasing its original public intent and marking the final step in its privatization. As an unfinished modernist project turned commercial infrastructure, the Ochagavía Hospital exposes the effects of neoliberal reforms on public architecture, while also revealing the layered meanings that emerge from spatial abandonment and reappropriation. The building’s transformation stands as a poignant reminder of Chile’s intricate political, social, and economic history. Its unfinished state offers a critical lens through which to understand the broader urban consequences of Chile’s political transitions and the enduring legacy of neoliberalism.

  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    0
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average
gold