Built Environment Preservation: A Process of Ergonomic Design

Portugal due to this geographical latitude, similar to that of California, with climate comparable to those of South Africa, Chile and Australia, and its location in the Mediterranean basin comprises a series of natural factors that facilitate the propagation of forest fires. The disasters caused by climate change or natural causes in 2017 were extremely significant in the context of Portuguese architectural and urban heritage. Our concern regards the contemporary housing through the heritage perspective, with all its historic, architectural, cultural and social attributes. In terms of spatial framework, we have selected the three Portuguese villages, located in the region of District of Castelo Branco, and which were in the centre of the tragedy. The objective of this work is to discuss heritage preservation and rehabilitation politics, particularly the ones concerned to the built environment and its interface with nature, allied to the ergonomic approach in the design process.