Title: People comfort and artwork saving in museums: comparing indoor requisites

Authors: Maria La Gennusa, Gianfranco Rizzo, Giuseppe Rodono, Gianluca Scaccianoce, Matilde Pietrafesa

Addresses: Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali, Universita degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali, Universita degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali, Universita degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali, Universita degli Studi di Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy. ' Dipartimento di Informatica, Matematica, Elettronica e Trasporti, Universita Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria, Italy

Abstract: In museums, environmental indoor conditions should, contemporaneously, preserve the exhibited works of art and ensure the comfort conditions for people. Unfortunately, human and artworks requirements are characterised by different values of the physical indoor parameters that, occasionally, could become conflicting. In the paper, these problems are addressed by means of a literature analysis, with a specific attention to thermal comfort conditions of people. The possibility of finding common ranges of values for both requisites is finally discussed. Some recent technical recommendations on the matter have also been considered for indicating some HVAC equipment and appliances to be adopted in museums.

Keywords: museum buildings; works of art; art conservation; indoor comfort; microclimate parameters; artwork preservation; thermal comfort; HVAC equipment; heating; ventilation; air conditioning; museums.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSDES.2009.028884

International Journal of Sustainable Design, 2009 Vol.1 No.2, pp.199 - 222

Published online: 10 Oct 2009 *

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