Mapping, characterization and quantification of damage in the conservation of built heritage

Abstract The Soledade Palace (Palácio da Soledade), a historic building listed by IPHAN in Recife, Brazil, exhibits an advanced state of deterioration on its Northwest and Southwest façades, requiring systematic technical diagnosis to support restoration and conservation interventions. This study mapped, characterized, and quantified the pathological manifestations affecting these façades through an integrated methodological approach, comprising a technical survey with elaboration of a damage map, random statistical sampling with a 50 × 50 cm grid overlay and calculation of the Damage Factor (DF), infrared thermography using a FLIR camera, and prioritization of pathologies through the GUT Method. Statistical treatment employed the Shapiro-Wilk, Mann-Whitney U, and Spearman Correlation tests (α = 0.05). Seven typologies of pathological manifestations were identified on each façade, with moisture and infiltration presenting the highest Damage Factors, 16.33% on the Northwest façade and 30.21% on the Southwest façade, as well as the highest GUT scores. Thermography revealed three predominant thermal-anomaly patterns, roof-related infiltration, generalized subsurface moisture, and rising damp, showing that the actual extent of the damage is considerably greater than that detectable by direct visual inspection. Statistical analysis identified no significant difference between the distributions of the two façades (Mann-Whitney U: p > 0.60) and no correlation between severity and extent of the pathologies (Spearman: ρ ≈ 0.33; p > 0.47), confirming the indispensability of the GUT method as a multicriteria prioritization tool. The integrated approach proved effective and replicable for diagnosing historic buildings in high-humidity climatic contexts.