SUMMARY

NCREP - Heritage Consultancy is a structural engineering consultancy, a spin-off of the University of Porto, founded in 2011. It specialises in the structural conservation of historic and contemporary buildings, with recognised expertise in traditional construction typologies in masonry, timber, concrete and steel.

Its value proposition rests on an integrated methodology that combines detailed structural assessment, structural and seismic safety assessment, strengthening design, and structural health monitoring. This approach delivers interventions tuned to the real behaviour of each building, minimising both impact and intervention.

With projects in Portugal and the United Kingdom, NCREP works with public and private heritage owners, architectural and engineering practices, and construction companies. Reference projects include the National Palace of Mafra, the Palácio da Bolsa, Livraria Lello, the Águas Livres Aqueduct and the Convent of Christ.

PROBLEM

Europe's building stock is largely old and, in many cases, poorly characterised from a structural standpoint. Intervening in these buildings - refurbishment, change of use, seismic strengthening - entails decisions under significant technical uncertainty: material condition, geometry, actual load-bearing capacity, seismic vulnerability.

The conventional response tends to swing between two extremes: minimal interventions that fail to address underlying structural damage, and oversized strengthening schemes that compromise the building's character and inflate budgets with no proportionate gain in safety.

NCREP addresses the need for well-grounded structural decisions in existing buildings - where the standard methods used for new-build design do not apply directly, and where sensitivity to heritage value is essential. The problem is not only technical, it is also one of method and judgement.

SOLUTION

NCREP's approach is built on an Integrated Methodology with four interlocking services:

1. Structural Assessment characterises the existing structural system and its condition, combining visual inspection, non-destructive and lightly destructive testing, geometric survey and damages analysis.
2. Seismic Safety Assessment evaluates structural behaviour and safety under seismic action, using numerical models calibrated against inspection findings and the applicable European standards.
3. Strengthening Design defines technically grounded intervention solutions, calibrated to heritage value, intended use and available budget.
4. Structural Health Monitoring tracks the long-term behaviour of buildings, validating design assumptions and detecting changes in behaviour at an early stage.

The impact of this approach is reflected on several levels. For the client: more informed investment decisions, technically robust solutions, and, often, reduced construction costs through the minimization of intervention. For the building: interventions that respect constructive and heritage value. For society: improved structural safety of the built stock, particularly relevant in seismic-risk areas, and the preservation of culturally and historically significant heritage.

A continuous link with university research and active participation in European technical committees ensure that NCREP's work incorporates the current state of the art in structural engineering for existing buildings