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Life without air conditioning University Museums Group

Life without air conditioning University Museums Group. The Museum Environment: Think Globally, Act Locally Sarah Staniforth, Historic Properties Director 10 December 2010. Typical environmental specification for museums. Relative humidity 50% +/- 2%

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Life without air conditioning University Museums Group

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  1. Life without air conditioningUniversity Museums Group • The Museum Environment: • Think Globally, Act Locally • Sarah Staniforth, • Historic Properties Director • 10 December 2010

  2. Typical environmental specification for museums • Relative humidity 50% +/- 2% • Temperature 19C +/- 1C • Light 50 – 250 lux • UV <75 mW/lm • Victoria and Albert Museum Environment Policy 1991

  3. Recent discussions about environmental specifications • IIC and ICOM-CC Preventive Conservation Group meetings - September 2008 • Bizot Group meetings - May and October 2008 • Nicholas Serota, Director Tate and Mark Jones, Director V&A convened group of UK conservators • NMDC guiding principles developed • Accepted by European Bizot Group - May 2009 • Discussed at International Bizot Group - October 2009

  4. Recent discussions about environmental specifications • Copenhagen - Museum Climate and Global Climate Change Symposium - March 2010 • Boston MFA meeting of US and Canadian conservators - Rethinking the Museum Environment - April 2010 • IIC roundtable discussion at AIC conference - The Plus Minus Dilemma : The Way Forward in Environmental Guidelines - May 2010 • UK University Museums Group - Life without air conditioning - December 2010

  5. NMDC principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint • Environmental standards should become more intelligent and better tailored to clearly identified needs • Care of collections should be achieved in a way that does not assume air-conditioning • Natural and sustainable environmental controls should be explored and make maximum use of: • Buildings with high thermal mass • High thermal insulation • Low air exchange rates • Local control using microclimates • Glazed and backed paintings • Maximising buffering effect of building materials • … architects and engineers should be guided to significantly reduce the building’s carbon footprint as a primary objective

  6. NMDC principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint • Proposed interim guidelines for hygroscopic materials: • For the majority of objects containing hygroscopic material a stable RH is required in the range 40-60% and a stable temperature in the range 16-25C • More sensitive materials will require specific and tight RH control, specified according to the material • Less sensitive materials can have wider parameters for RH and temperature Appropriate not relaxing………

  7. Current position in UK • Comments received from following museums and heritage organisations: • Tate • V&A • British Museum • National Gallery • National Museums Scotland • Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery • British Library • National Archives • English Heritage • National Trust

  8. Current position in UK • Victoria and Albert Museum: • ‘The V&A only has limited areas of air conditioned spaces therefore its environmental conditions…are wide ranging. Conditions for sensitive objects tend to be controlled through the use of conditioned showcases. • Loan conditions are broad and intended as guidance rather than restrictions unless an object is particularly sensitive.’ • Sandra Smith, Head of Conservation, 7 April 2010

  9. Current position in UK • Tate: • ‘As proposers to the UK national museums of the wider acceptable limits for hygroscopic material, Tate is committed to making it work. • Working with architects and engineers on current projects to upgrade galleries at Tate Britain and the plans for a second phase at Tate Modern we are specifying the new range as well as a number of other energy saving initiatives.’ • Stephen Hackney, Senior Conservation Scientist, 6 April 2010

  10. Current position in UK • Tate: • ‘In adopting the broader range, where we have existing HVAC systems, we can afford to vary the temperature between winter and summer to achieve energy gains with no increase in short-term RH variability. We have put into place a mid-point temperature in winter of 20C and in summer of 22C both plus or minus 2C, and a midpoint RH of 45% in winter and 55% in summer retaining the existing plus or minus 5-8% RH range. Effectively this keeps us in the range 40-60%, but means that we are closer to ambient external conditions throughout the year. The midpoint is changed gradually on a monthly basis. The assumption is that stress relaxation means that the materials are insensitive to very slow changes of RH and T. Next winter we will need to assess public reaction to colder galleries.’ • Stephen Hackney, Senior Conservation Scientist, 6 April 2010

  11. Current position in UK • National Gallery: • ‘Although we are sympathetic to the concept of reconsidering a more subtle and energy efficient, object-related approach to managing museum environments, at the National Gallery we are also relatively tightly constrained by the material class of objects we have on display - old master paintings on canvas and panel - which are generally very hygroscopically reactive - often at differing rates within a given painting structure. Therefore although we have accepted some general adjustment of seasonal temperature ranges in order to ease demands on the building plant, we do not think it advisable to change the existing RH parameters.’ • Larry Keith, Director of Conservation, 8 April 2010

  12. Current position in UK • National Museums Scotland: • ‘We have reviewed our “collections environmental policy” and … broadened the generally acceptable conditions to 40-60%RH. We also have lowered T conditions set in non-public storage. • Generally closer control is provided in well sealed display cases with RH buffering. • And like everyone else, we are reviewing our energy use and efficiencies across the NMS estate.’ • Jim Tate, Head of Conservation and Analytical Research, 8 April 2010

  13. Current position in UK • National Trust: • ‘The National Trust aims to keep RH between 40-65% for 90% of the time using conservation heating or dehumidification. • Heating operates in the range 5-22C. No cooling is used. • Conservation heating uses approximately one third of the energy of comfort/heating and humidification; and dehumidification uses one approximately one third of the energy of conservation heating for the same level of RH control.’

  14. Current position in UK • Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery: • ‘We have a range of environments in BMAG from fully air conditioned close controlled exhibition spaces to heated galleries with portable humidification, to others with only heating……. • In terms of loans I encourage a like for like basis approach e.g. we do not seek conditions that we cannot achieve ourselves and we use the GI as our standard.’ • Simon Cane, Head of Museum Operations, 6 April 2010

  15. UK Government Indemnity Scheme • ‘The minimum and maximum conditions for RH per week will be within the band 40-65% with a maximum cycle of 10% within 24 hours, and temperature within the band 16°-24°C with a maximum cycle of 4°C within 24 hours.’ • Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, 2005

  16. UK Government Indemnity Scheme • ‘There are no plans to change the environmental requirements which are considered appropriate for the granting of GIS. Should any scientific evidence be presented that might suggest that amendments to the current requirements would be appropriate these will be evaluated by the Government’s scientific advisers. • …I am of the view that the most important work that can be done is ensuring that buildings, especially those being planned or refurbished, take into account the important developments that have happened in the last thirty years in creating stable and manageable environments by natural processes rather than by energy-inefficient interference with environments that are the result of poorly-designed buildings.’ • Gerry McQuillan, MLA, 6 April 2010

  17. UK Government Indemnity Scheme • ‘I was responsible for writing the guidelines and their implementation by users of the Scheme... In the two decades during which I assessed thousands of GIS applications for environmental risks to loaned objects, there were only two instances when indemnity was refused for environmental reasons… I always encouraged lenders and borrowers to consider that stable conditions… could be achieved with good building and display design and good collections management, that is by maximising the use of passive control… Over the two decades, there has never been any instance of a claim against the GIS for damage due to unstable environmental conditions.’ • May Cassar, GIS Environmental Adviser 1989-2009, • 7 April 2010

  18. UK Government Indemnity Scheme • ‘…I am fascinated by the number of current initiatives on this subject – Bizot, BSI, CEN, EGOR and PAS. To achieve a breakthrough we need to engage heritage science and the evidence from scientific research that is available that links the environment to damage. There are now enough damage functions for wood, parchment and paper … for a sensible discussion to be had about the effect of relaxing standards on cultural materials as well as energy efficiency.’ • May Cassar, GIS Environmental Adviser 1989-2009, • 7 April 2010

  19. Current position in UK • National Archives: • ‘I thought I should bring you up to date with the Environmental Guidance Publicly Available Specification (PAS) sponsored by the BSI. We have the funding in place, a technical writer has been appointed, and we plan to hold our first planning meeting this week…. The PAS has received support from MLA, Collections Trust, CyMAL, The National Archives… It is envisaged this project will complement the CEN work and a planned revision of BS5454… I am speaking at the IIC/AIC roundtable about the outcomes of EGOR and PAS.’ • Nancy Bell, Head of Conservation Research, 12 April 2010

  20. NMDC principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint Further research needs identified: • Environmental management in big buildings • Effects of variations in T/RH • Relationship between T/RH levels and deterioration • Effectiveness of passive buffering • Use of microclimates • Relationship between visitor comfort and T/RH • Measurement of energy consumption

  21. Interim guidelines agreed by US conservators April 2010 • For the majority of cultural materials, a relative humidity (RH) within the annual range of • 40 - 60% and a temperature range of 16 - 25C (59 - 77F) is acceptable. It is advisable to minimize fluctuations. • Some cultural materials require different environmental conditions for their preservation. • Loan requirements for all objects should be determined in consultation with conservation professionals.

  22. Scientist’s view of US conservator’s interim guidelines • ‘You can pretty much bounce around in the 40-60%RH and 16-25C box on an hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis and the majority of museum objects will not be damaged’ • Marion Mecklenburg April 2010 • ‘Mechanical behaviour of paintings subject to changes in temperature and relative humidity’, Art in Transit: Studies in the Transport of Paintings, 1991

  23. The Carbon Footprint of Museum LoansSimon Lambert “The current system of travelling exhibits is not sustainable” Lea Warden 2007, Travelling Exhibits and Sustainability

  24. The Carbon Footprint of Museum LoansSimon Lambert 8 steps to measure the carbon footprint of loans CO2

  25. The Carbon Footprint of Museum LoansSimon Lambert Sustainable Loans Performance Indicator: “How many objects can I lend per tonne of CO2 emitted?”

  26. The Carbon Footprint of Museum LoansSimon Lambert Sample loan data collected at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales Carbon Footprint: The Carbon Footprint of Museum Loans – Simon Lambert

  27. The Carbon Footprint of Museum LoansSimon Lambert Coming in 2011... • Recommendations • Calculation tool • Results Published article in: Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship

  28. Mitigation – reduce carbon footprint • Reduce use of fossil fuels • Change to condensing boilers • Consider use of combined heat and power systems • Increase use of biomass/wood chip fuel • Consider use of ground source heat pumps • Avoid use of electricity from non-renewable sources

  29. Installing ground source heat pump

  30. Mitigation – generate energy on site • Restore historic energy generation – water and wind turbines • Install new turbines • Install solar thermal and photovoltaics

  31. Dunster Castle – PV panels on roof

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