Building typologies identification to support risk mitigation at the urban scale – Case study of the old city centre of Seixal, Portugal

• Published in: Journal of cultural heritage 2013-11, Vol.14 (6), p.449-463
• Main Authors: Santos, Cátia, Ferreira, Tiago Miguel, Vicente, Romeu, Mendes da Silva, J.A. Raimundo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Building typologies; Old city centre; Rehabilitation; Seismic vulnerability; Urban fire risk
• ISSN: 1296-2074; 1778-3674
• DOI: 10.1016/j.culher.2012.11.001

The old urban centres are marks of an historical and architectural heritage that should be protected and safeguarded. For such, it is fundamental to have a complete understanding of the genesis, regarding both building and the urban mesh. This fact is essential to the support of qualified, conscientious and sustainable rehabilitation interventions on the old building stock. The research carried out addresses the issue of the old urban centres from the perspective of the analysis and inventory of buildings features. The cataloguing process of the building typologies is presented in this work as a synthesis of the principal construction forms, with the old city centre of Seixal being used as a case study. The identification of building typologies has supported a seismic and fire vulnerability assessment of the old building stock. The assessment methodologies developed and used are based on the detailed survey and building inspection, therefore the building typology cataloguing is essential in the analysis at such a large scale. Then we discussed the strategy for the conservation actions incorporated in a broader risk management policy.