The archaeological site of villa Horta da Torre in Portugal reveals distinctive architectural features within the context of Roman villae in Hispania. Notably, the triclinium was designed with an artificial cascade originating from a double apse wall, and the walls were adorned with mosaic tessellae panels and marble skirting. During the Roman era, the surrounding area belonged to the former province of Lusitania, with Augusta Emerita serving as its capital. This study examines 11 mortar samples from various contexts and functions, such as masonry, preparatory, render, and opus signinum mortars. A set of complementary analytical techniques was employed to determine the textural and mineralogical compositions of the mortars. The aim was to gain insights into the production techniques and the selection of raw materials within the geological context of this rural construction. It was observed that the processing of raw materials and production techniques did not always adhere to the rules of Vitruvius. A comparison with other villas revealed comparatively less meticulous attention to sand selection and precise layering for mural painting. Nevertheless, it was noted that in preparatory layers for the supranucleus and nucleus tesserae, ceramic pieces were intentionally added to improve the mortar. The binder used was calcitic lime, likely obtained from locally sourced limestone. The nature of aggregates is diversified but consistent with the local geological provenance within a radius of less than 3 km, in accordance with two sand exploration sites. This research aligns with the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, contributing specifically to SDG 11 and Target 11.4, which “aims to strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”.

Climate velocity is rapidly shifting bioclimatic zones, creating a mismatch between evolving exposures and static, location-based building codes. Codes anchored in outdated data and infrequent revisions risk undermining efficiency, thermal safety, and exacerbating inequities, particularly in transition belts and capacity-constrained districts. High-resolution climate records (2006–2023) combined with building-physics diagnostics were used to track spatial and seasonal realignment of thermal loads. Subtropical conditions advanced northward by up to ~7° latitude (~700 km), moving warm-temperate cities toward subtropical regimes and reshaping seasonal risk profiles. In warm-temperate zones, winter heating burdens declined, while temperate and sub-temperate regions experienced intensified summer cooling and latent loads, signaling a broader transition from winter-dominant to multi-season stress. These heterogeneous patterns reveal mismatch hotspots where rapid climatic shifts coincide with low adaptive capacity, magnifying thermal risk and potential energy burdens. The findings support a transferable framework for dynamic codes, that routine remapping of climate zones, trigger-based revision of design parameters, and equity-oriented targeting of finance and retrofit resources toward vulnerable regions. Prioritizing no-regrets passive upgrades can provide equitable and low-carbon adaptation worldwide.

Human labour capacity is bounded by rigid biophysical heat thresholds that remain systematically misrepresented in current climate–economic models. In this study, we integrate four decades (1980–2020) of wet-bulb temperature (WBT) observations from 1,834 meteorological stations, CMIP6 climate projections and intensity-specific labour-response functions to identify a nonlinear productivity regime governed by thermoregulatory limits. Labour capacity peaks at 20.6°C WBT, declines sharply beyond 24°C and falls below 60% above 28°C. This sharp transition—a ‘productivity cliff’—marks the limit at which impaired heat dissipation imposes a biophysical ceiling on economic output, shifting the basis of impact assessment from empirical extrapolation to mechanistic boundary identification. We show that these constraints are distributed unevenly through thermal positionality: tropical populations are climatologically situated closer to physiological thresholds, so that equivalent warming produces disproportionately large losses relative to temperate regions. Global exposure to hazardous heat (WBT > 28°C) has nearly doubled since 1980, placing ~ 2.5 billion people at chronic risk by 2020. In labour-dependent economies with limited capital, such shocks trigger ‘productivity lock-in’ a self-reinforcing dynamic in which declining output erodes the very adaptative capacity needed to reduce future vulnerability. We further demonstrate that localized labour losses propagate as systemic economic risk. Multi-regional input–output analysis reveals that heat-induced disruptions in manufacturing and agricultural hubs transmit across supply chains to high-income economies, while the increasing synchrony of extreme heat events undermines the buffering capacity of global trade networks. Under SSP5–8.5, tropical WBT approaches survivability limits (~ 35°C) by the late century, threatening the viability of labour systems and global economic connectivity. By embedding intensity-specific physiological thresholds within a global economic framework, this study provides a mechanistic foundation for revising climate damage functions, occupational heat standards and adaptation finance priorities.