Río Grande demolishes two social housing blocks in northern Chile

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  Two excavators on the Parque Oriente III site. The one at the back is working from the rubble of the

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  A part-demolished block at Parque Oriente III, with an excavator working from the rubble behind the

The contractor did the work for SERVIU Tarapacá in 2025 and has since been awarded the demolition of 240 flats in Rancagua

Chilean contractor Minera y Constructora Río Grande demolished Blocks 1 and 2 of the Parque Oriente III housing estate in 2025. The estate is in Alto Hospicio, next to the port city of Iquique in northern Chile. The client was SERVIU Tarapacá, the state housing and urban development service for the region, which let the work as two contracts, one per block.

Both were blocks of flats with walkways and internal corridors. SERVIU wanted them taken down completely and the land left clear for whatever use it decides on next.

Río Grande used excavators fitted with hydraulic breakers, working from the rubble of the building itself, and removed the demolition material from site. Work on Block 2 started on 22 May 2025. A perimeter fence kept the site closed off throughout and was left standing when the job was finished.

On 4 November 2026, SERVIU O’Higgins awarded Río Grande the demolition of 240 flats in 18 blocks at the Baltazar Castro housing estate in Rancagua, in central Chile. The contract period is 75 days from site handover.

“In social housing demolitions the neighbours are right next door, so we close off the site and plan every stage around them. That is how we worked in Alto Hospicio, and it is how we will approach the 240 flats in Rancagua,” said Domingo del Río D., Planning and Development Manager at Río Grande.

Río Grande was founded in Concepción in 2004 by Juan Andrés del Río Bustamante, who had previously run other companies in the sector; together with them, the family’s track record exceeds 25 years. The company’s head office is in Santiago. The family-owned company has carried out more than 400 projects and has worked in all 16 of Chile’s regions, in demolition, earthworks, hydraulic works, and civil and road construction.

These are just a few of Río Grande’s projects. Over its history the company has carried out more than 40 demolitions across Chile, among them the old Municipal Theatre of Concepción, the municipal stadiums of La Florida and Chillán, an old structure at the ONEMI (now SENAPRED) headquarters in Santiago and demolitions for Santiago Metro Line 7. See our demolition projects.

The company’s website also has an interactive demolition simulator (in Spanish) that walks visitors through the safety measures and the sequence of a demolition on site, step by step: try the demolition simulator.