The aim of the Granadilla City Council to transform 30 partially finished structures into public housing – primarily halted by the crisis of 2008 and presently owned by banks and investment funds – has revealed a grave issue that has spread throughout the region like a plague over recent decades: the solid frames, those abandoned constructions that bear witness to the excesses of the construction boom in the South. One of these, the former Chasna building in Costa del Silencio (Arona), made headlines in recent weeks when it was evacuated by court order on March 12 due to the risk of collapse.
There exists no official count of unfinished buildings in the South, apart from the recent inventory conducted by the Granadilla City Council, which has succeeded in identifying the aforementioned 30 properties. However, it is an open secret that the southern region of Tenerife is dotted with numerous dormant structures – some estimates suggest over a hundred – particularly in locations like San Isidro, El Fraile, or Costa del Silencio, where the scars of failed business ventures within the construction sector are clearly visible.
This considerable number of dormant buildings in the South is intricately tied to the high hopes of the tourism boom during the 70s and 80s. Many building projects, some of which are over 40 years old, were plagued by inexperienced investors seduced by the allure of the tourist boom, embarking on ventures that ultimately bankrupted them. Other factors also played a role, such as the oil crisis in 1973 and the financial crash in 2008, as well as legal disputes, heirs renouncing claims, or the demise of promoters.
Aside from the negative visual impact they create, these abandoned buildings have become hazardous spots for homeless individuals, as they are concrete structures that have deteriorated over time, composed of materials that have not received any maintenance and have been exposed to external elements such as wind, rain, sun, and most notably, the sea, whose proximity is one of the most damaging external factors. As an architect in Tenerife succinctly put it, “seawater and metal do not mix well.”
Reviving a construction skeleton is typically not the most feasible choice, given the additional expenses involved in dealing with the decay that has affected the structure over time, based on an in-depth assessment determining the true condition of the materials. Some studies suggest that completing an abandoned building can be 20% more costly than constructing a new one from scratch.
Experts in urban planning caution that the land will never be the same after an unfinished construction, as it disrupts the ecosystem. They also stress that the site of an abandoned building triggers a domino effect of debris and useless construction materials, leading them, in some cases, to transform into dumping grounds, posing a health hazard.
Some environmentalist groups are advocating for the establishment of a specific deadline for finishing these monstrosities, and if the works are not resumed, they propose solutions such as demolition or the creation of social housing – the latter being an option that the Granadilla City Council is considering, becoming the first in the Canary Islands to take a step in that direction.
