Open Forum of the University of Concepcion: preliminary study for a heritage intervention

Abstract

The Open Forum is the public space of the University of Concepción (Biobío region, Chile) with the greatest citizen significance. As it is protected as a Historical Monument, interventions in it must  follow institutional guidelines which preserve its identity and reveal the various historical contexts involved in the creation of the space. The absence of clear methodologies and basic information on the interventions in the Open Forum means it is important to carry out a study that will serve as a basis for any future intervention. In this context, the objective of this article is to review details of the material transformations that this monument has gone through since its creation in the 1960s. From a historical review of the planimetric progression, four significant periods are detected. Results show that there have been transformations that deviate from or respect, to a greater or lesser extent, the original design. The pavement pattern and the design modulations of the Open Forum are of special importance for its preservation, since in them can be found the unity of the campus planning in its portion recognized as a Historical Monument.