Seismic vulnerability of vernacular buildings in urban centres—the case of Vila Real de Santo António

Abstract

Following detailed studies of Portuguese vernacular building typologies, this paper deals with buildings located in historical urban centres. An analysis of the history of the urban centre and, in particular, of some vernacular buildings is enhanced. Additionally, a discussion on the influence of changes of the geometry, and on added built volumes to original buildings in the seismic vulnerability of the buildings is also provided.

Seismic Behavior Assessment of a Brazilian Heritage Construction

“…As highlighted by [8], the assessment of the seismic behavior of historic masonry structures is a challenging task also because the structural skeleton of a historic building is usually capable of safely resist to gravitational loads, but poorly perform against horizontal loads (like the earthquake ones). According to [9] the study of the seismic vulnerability of historical constructions, that is, their susceptibility to damage under earthquake is very important because it allows to properly addressing the resources necessary to mitigate material and human losses. The seismic hazard is unavoidable; therefore actions aiming to minimize the impact of earthquakes on the structures should be directed to find solutions that improve the seismic performance of buildings.…”