Microclimate Management for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

This paper presents a line of research aimed at studying in detail the interaction between air conditioning/heating systems and thermo hygrometric conditions inside museums. An experimental test was carried out on the microclimatic conditions inside a building envelope, using as case studies the interiors of the Castle of Chiaramonte in Favara (Agrigento), and the Church of Saint Matthew (Palermo). In this phase of the work the “real” measured values and the recommended “optimal” values were compared for the various museum exhibits displayed. The analysis of the complex dynamic interaction of climate conditions, the need for the museum pieces to be preserved in a situation of maximum stability, the problems regarding thermal comfort in relation to users’ enjoyment of the exhibition space, the construction model of the building envelope – the synergy between all these variables led to establishing the final design project. This consists of an air conditioning system with radiant panels, floor heating, cooling system and primary air, in which the benefits seen from an environmental and energy point of view, are fully explained. The conservation of cultural heritage collections in museums, on the one hand implies that the attention of the specialists must turn to the prevention of the natural degradation caused through time and on the other to improve the quality of the environment. This means environmental parameters must be checked and monitoring techniques used. Since the connective tissue between the museum and its container is the environment, the building-plant system must be held responsible for the “degradation suffered by the museum itself” or “be largely responsible for its optimal conservation with the passing of time”.