This study tackles the challenges of documenting architectural heritage in Macao’s dense urban settings. Traditional methods are often inefficient and invasive for the complex materials of actively used temples. We propose a lightweight method that integrates portable 3D laser scanning with non-destructive testing (NDT), using the Kuan Tai and Tin Hau Temple in Taipa as a case study. A millimetre-accuracy 3D point cloud was used as a unified spatial framework to correlate multi-source inspection data. This framework spatially correlates multi-source data on elemental composition, thermal anomalies, and surface hardness. Our approach achieves high-precision digital documentation. It reveals that the primary degradation mechanism is sulfate-induced corrosion, caused by incense pollutants under high humidity. The entire system weighs under 4 kg, making it portable and minimally invasive. It provides a scientific basis for the preventive conservation and digital management of heritage in similar complex environments.

The Macao rammed earth wall is a typical representative of cultural heritage in hot-humid regions. However, the spatial differentiation mechanisms of its surface deterioration remain unclear. This study, taking the Old Wall in Macao as a case, combined field investigation with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and thermal imaging to systematically reveal the spatial distribution patterns of surface pathologies and their hydrological driving mechanisms. Based on structural separations and deterioration characteristics, the wall was divided into three adjacent sections for comparative analysis. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Quantitative analysis showed the section with a gentler slope (77%) experienced significant flatness deterioration due to uneven settlement, promoting internal water penetration that triggered severe undercutting (35% of its surface area); (2) The other two sections maintained steep slopes (86%) that promoted surface runoff, which combined with adjacent building drainage led to significant biological colonization (68% in the section most affected by nearby temple drainage); (3) Thermal imaging verified the correlation between water infiltration cores and temperature-flatness anomalies, enabling construction of a coupled “geometry-hydrology-pathology” model that elucidates the complete causal chain from foundation settlement to surface pathology. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical support for the differentiated protection of rammed earth heritage in hot-humid environments.