Buildings in the old town of Coimbra: knowledge and action to promote their rehabilitation

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on the behaviour of the different types of fac¸ades used in the old town of Coimbra in Portugal when they are exposed to seismic activity. Design/methodology/approach – Over 400 fac¸ades in the uptown, and 700 in the downtown of Coimbra were surveyed to determine their material and their current state of decay. Further investigations on two specific sites were undertaken to determine the effects of seismic activity on the fac¸ades. Findings – The paper reports on the classification of the results from the different surveys into a web-based database. In order to achieve this classification a geographic information system (GIS) tool was used to locate the different sites under investigation. Originality/value – This paper combines the results of an investigation into the inspection of fac¸ades in Coimbra, Portugal, with a GIS tool and database to document the results of the different surveys for seismic activity.