**4. Site inspection and fieldwork**

The present study focuses on the Bairro da Beira-mar, one of the most central and picturesque neighborhoods in the Historic City Center of Aveiro, characterized by the presence of its distinctive adobe Art Nouveau buildings.

#### **4.1 Survey area**

The investigated area is approximately 118.000 m<sup>2</sup> and consists of 495 buildings, mostly low-rise, which are divided into regular and some more irregular blocks forming a grid system. The buildings are commonly characterized by attached, deep lots with a very narrow front (mostly less than 7.5 meters) and mainly two or three stories. Various significant buildings, including the listed heritage, are located in the area.

#### **4.2 Site inspection and fieldwork**

The study area was divided, for ease of survey, into five specific zones (**Figure 4**) according to the main streets. The survey of the zones was completed in two phases. Phase 1 comprises the on-site surveys of Zone A, B, and C (242 buildings). Phase 2 consists of remote surveys for Zone D and E (253 buildings), complemented with onsite validation of the buildings not accessible remotely via Google Earth and Street View, as provided by Google and Maxar Technologies.

The building survey was conducted using a checklist hosted on Google Forms. The building checklist includes the inputs for all the building parameters required (e.g., number of stories, construction material, heritage status, etc.) in order to fulfill the

**Figure 4.** *Site survey zones.*

**Figure 5.**

*Thermographic survey showing (a) reinforced concrete structure and (b) masonry units with 16 cm ruler as indicated by an asterisk.*

methodology, as well as additional information (such as number of occupants, function of building, etc.) that could be helpful for further analyses.

The first on-site inspection was carried out on 14 and 15 November 2021 by a team of four persons, working in pairs. The team completed the survey of Zone A, B, and C during the first on-site visit, covering 242 buildings.

The remaining Zone D and E were surveyed remotely using Google Earth and Street View. Having visited the site in Phase 1 prior to conducting the remote survey, the team was well-acquainted and familiar with the urban morphology and building features to be able to replicate an equally objective judgment when conducting the survey remotely.

Due to the limitations of Google Street View, several streets were visually inaccessible. Thus, no information was available for the inspection of a handful of buildings, amounting to approximately less than 10% of Zone D and Zone E combined. These buildings were surveyed in a separate on-site visit on 15 March 2022.

During this on-site survey, thermal imaging using an FLIR T540 thermal camera was conducted to ascertain the construction materials of the selected buildings. In some cases, the thermography provided inconclusive results, depending on the façade coverings. Indeed, thick plastering and finishing with different materials and colors hindered the interpretation of the structural elements beneath. Nonetheless, in several instances, reinforced concrete structural members (**Figure 5a**) as well as masonry units (**Figure 5b**), which would not have been visible to the naked eye otherwise, were clearly identified.
