How can we restore the initial conditions of thermal comfort in a historic building (built heritage)?
We know that materials change their physical behavior because of their mishandling over time.
Please pay attention to the fact that our (human beings') understanding and expectations of thermal comfort has changed during the history. Moreover, in many places, climate change has also affected the conditions. So, you should specify where the building is located. Needless to say, the neighborhoods have also changed a lot in many cases, so for instance shadows of the surrounding buildings may cool down a courtyard of an old building.
Hello,
that is a very interesting topic. And it sounds like a very difficult task. I agree when you say that building material physical behavior is changed over a long span of time and I also agree with Aryan Shahabian that climates is changed as is changed conditions of environment. For example now there could be trees in front the building that once were not present or vice versa. And surrounding buildings could have been demolished and rebuilt in a different way or could have been added with new volumes on the sides or top. I am not aware of such thing already done but I think that if one knows all the neighboring conditions of the time, then climate changes can be calculated and also the building material properties change can be calculated. With all the adjusted conditions to meet then it is possible that active systems can be set to restore initial conditions of thermal comfort. it is just an idea.
Hi, interesting to find this question here. I guess, as others already mentioned, it is worth to distinguish between thermal comfort (which includes subjective perception of comfort) and physical quantities such as temperature and humidity. For the latter, you may get a model depending on how much you know about the original state of the material. We are currently investigating similar questions on the deterioration of glass. Best, Lars.
Could you be more precise in your question? Which materials have decayed?
Also do you intend to restore the initial comfort conditions, that is to ensure the comfort requirement applied when the buiding was erected, or to you intend to apply today's comfort standards?
Finally, are you allowed to retrofit that heritage building? If not, I think we can only restore the old comfort conditions.
Hi, I agree with all the foregoing and would also ask to distinguish between thermal comfort conditions for humans and what is good for the materials. Sometimes modern conditions and technological applications such as in repairs can degrade the materials. Classic issues are to do with, for example, central heating, dampproofing methods and use of mortars such as lime mortar instead of cement mortar. However, surely with improved thermal comfort conditions over time we would not want to live with previous conditions at the time of construction. Surely , we would want to use all the benefits of technological solutions that play a balancing act between preserving the integrity of the materials in a scientific empirical and conservational aesthetic sense. This requires a sensitive approach leading sometimes to a decision to just leave the existing conditions largely untouched yet with some minor adjustments to allow for the changed circumstances that can happen as described already, also climatically. Sometimes upgrading insulation can change the original constructional configuration leading to condensation, thermal movement, even chemical changes. Finally, there are perhaps no hard and fast rules on this, possibly opinions change especially as we become more informed about historicity, materials behaviour and so on.
Historic buildings (built heritage) originally had thermal conditions generally not according with our present confortable standards. In order to improve their original thermal conditions 1) you have to restore their architectural qualities, and 2) install sustainable conditioning systems respecting their restored original architectural qualities.
Dear friends,
Thank you so much for your answers and explanations that give me an enlightenment about this topic.
Hi. If you want a thermal comfort condition such as new standards, you should use an additional facade base on your requirements to existing surface.
In addition to very good Grant's reply, it is important to understand issues of breathabilitity, hygroscopicity and general moisture movement management of historic building envelopes in order to both control thermal comfort and protect the structure itself. For example, U-values are not static, they are dynamic and will fluctuate dependent on relative humidity and moisture content of the materials they make up building envelope.
These scientific contributions answer your questions from different perspectives. I hope this information is useful to you.
- Effects of future climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort and energy consumption in historic buildings
- Energy effciency, thermal comfort, and heritage conservation in residential historic buildings as dynamic and systemic socio-cultural practices
- Evaluation of thermal comfort in a historic building refurbished to an office building with modernized HVAC systems
- Assessing visitors’ thermal comfort in historic museum buildings: Results from a Post-Occupancy Evaluation on a case study
- Thermal performance evaluation and comfort assessment of advanced aerogel as blown-in insulation for historic buildings
- Energy efficiency and thermal comfort in historic buildings: A review
- Refurbishment of historic buildings: Thermal mass modified, its influence on indoor comfort, energy efficiency and heritage value
- The use of computerized energy simulations in assessing thermal comfort and energy performance of historic buildings
- The use of computerized energy simulations in assessing thermal comfort and energy performance of historic buildings
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