Microclimatic Monitoring—The Beginning of Saving Historical Sacral Buildings in Europe

Abstract

A suitable indoor climate positively affects the lifespan of historical building structures. The path to an agreeable climate begins with monitoring current conditions. Considerable attention is given to monitoring the indoor climate of historical buildings. The motivation for monitoring air temperature and surface temperatures, relative air humidity or airflow can be, for example, the installation of heating, the occurrence of biotic damage, and others. Through the analysis of the most frequently used keywords, a strong connection was found, for example, between thermal comfort and the church. This review also summarises the various reasons for conducting microclimate monitoring studies in historical religious buildings on the European continent. It is supplemented with an evaluation of the monitoring methodology from the chosen period of the year point of view, the measured parameters, and the length of the interval between the recordings of quantities. It was found that in more than one-third of the cases, the recording time was less than or equal to 15 min, but mostly less than or equal to 1 h. Quite often, monitoring results are used to calibrate a simulation model describing the hydrothermal behaviour of a historical object under various operation alternatives (e.g., influence of ventilation, climate change, occupancy, etc.). This way, it is possible to test various intelligent systems in the virtual world without much risk before they are used in an actual building application.

Architectural Heritage Indoor Comfort after Retrofit Works: The Case Study of S. Vito Church in L’Aquila, Italy

“…After having calibrated and validated the model for the dynamic simulations thanks to in situ monitoring data [10], it was impossible to evaluate the benefits of the heating system present in the church, in terms of environmental comfort. Currently, the church is heated exclusively thanks to the infrared lamps placed along the nave (Figure 9); the underfloor heating system realized during the retrofit works is not used as the customers of the church reports that the cost-benefit ratio to bring the heating system up to speed is not effective for the real usage period of the church (two hours, one day a week).…”

“…This choice stems from the fact that monitoring data are often used to better calibrate simulation models. In this way, technological systems can be 'tested' virtually, reducing the risks associated with their application in valuable contexts [10].…”

Impact of climatic-meteorological conditions on the Polish wooden cultural heritage: the example of wooden churches in Krakow

“…This is due in large part to the fact that in the dawn of modernization, the details of the ancient craftsmanship that demanded less of wooden churches have begun to be lost (Bucur et al, 2015, Elam andBjördal, 2020). However, because wood is more susceptible to unfavorable atmospheric factors and re than stone and brick, wooden churches are less durable and more frequently destroyed and rebuilt; they require more frequent restoration (Chang et al, 2021, Poljak andPonechal, 2023). Also, the artifacts that form collections in these buildings respond differently to changes in temperature and relative humidity, which can affect their mechanical, biological, and chemical damage (Silva and Henriques, 2015).…”

Preliminary Study on Indoor Air Temperature and Moisture Behaviour in 13th-Century Churches in Latvia

“…Thorough knowledge of the usage conditions within religious building spaces is essential to identify compatible and sustainable intervention strategies [18]. Cultural heritage is threatened by biotic attacks, moulds, and fungi, which tend to develop under certain favourable microclimatic conditions (mainly at the beginning and end of winter) [19]. Pollutants can be viewed as a significant contributor to the deterioration of construction materials used in the field, particularly in the case of heritage buildings that are part of and represent the culture of a country.…”