ABSTRACT
Vila Real de Santo Antonio is located in the Algarve region and was erected ex novo at the end of the 18th Century, after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, following a Pombaline development that showed seismic concern at an urban and architectural level. The seismic concern that emerged after the earthquake can also be perceived in the generalized good quality and strength of the original buildings of Vila Real de Santo Antonio. At an architectural level, the most significant seismic resistant constructive solutions applied was the inclusion of timber frame partition frontal walls that connect the timber roof structure and the timber floor structure, analogous to the system developed for the reconstruction of Lisbon known as gaiola Pombalina. The Alfandega building was constructed using traditional seismic resistant features and is one of the buildings that show nowadays less alterations, preserving most of the original structural elements.
