EXPERIMENTAL AND COMPUTER SIMULATION APPROACH TO INVESTIGATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE OF A RARE BOOKS ARCHIVE

This paper presents the findings of a case study of a rarebooks archive that seeks to balance the environmentalneeds of both the collection and users of the librar y. Withthe aid of physical data collection and computer simulationsusing computational fluid dynamics, the indoor environmentalperformance of the archive was analyzed. Datawas collected on the archive’s air temperature, humidity,light level, volatile organic compounds, particulates, mold,and formaldehyde. In addition, the mechanical system wasinvestigated as was the design and construction of thearchive and its maintenance and operation. Specific areasof investigation were ventilation effectiveness, temperaturedistribution, pollutant concentration, and possibleindoor and outdoor sources of pollutants specific to theenvironment under investigation. Focus was placed onimproving the overall local mean age of air and minimizingpotential sources of pollutants as a result of maintenanceand design. This study provides some insight into howarchitects, preser vationists, conservators, and environmentalengineers can collaborate to design more environmentallysound archive spaces.