Methodology to evaluate the level of suitability of hygrothermic conditions on Heritage Displays: The case of The Historic House of Independence Museum in Tucuman, Argentina

ZAMORA, M. SILVANA; AJMAT, RAÚL; PREBISCH, LILIAN

Granada

Conferencia; Eleventh International Conference on the Inclusive Museum; 2018

University of Granada

The damage caused to the collections shown in museums has resulted in the search for a balance between the architecture of the building, the use of space, and the environmental requirements that favour the conservation of heritage. This goal is difficult to achieve when the museum lacks a system to regulate environmental conditions. The proposed methodology evaluates the hygrothermic suitability between the use of space and the material sensitivity according to current norms. Hygrothermic measuring was carried out in July 2017, for twenty-four consecutive hours, in a museum house that received thousands of daily visitors, to analyse the levels and its fluctuations. The results indicated that the tendency is to follow the external behaviour maintains the nocturnal temperature at four degrees above the external one. The temperature was in keeping with the exposed material but not the humidity, especially during the opening of the museum. This was probably due to the excessive number of visitors. Daily humidity fluctuations exceeded the limits 80% of the time and the hourly fluctuations were not significant. In winter these are less harmful than in spring-summer so the recommendation is to increase ventilation and limit visits in order to minimise the effects on the heritage.