The Influence of External Climate on Church Internal Microclimate

Abstract

This paper deals with monitoring microclimate in the area of church and describes influence of exterior microclimate to interior microclimate, changes during one year. The basic parameters of the interior space (temperature, relative humidity, dew point and specific air humidity) were monitored in the long-term in the selected sacral building. These parameters were monitored at the same time as monitoring the surroundings in the exterior. The long-term monitoring of the internal microclimate of ossuary showed significant instability of the interior environment during the annual cycle, where the appropriate limits of humidity of the environment (excessive moisture in the spring and over-drying in the winter) are significantly exceeded. The microclimate behavior of ossuary is also different in different height levels, where the lower space acts as a pool with heavy cold air and vice versa, the space under the vault is moistened with vapor. The fact that under no circumstances of the exterior climate in winter is the temperature of the interior below freezing point is specific. The negative phenomenon of the internal environment of ossuary is the fact that in certain periods optimal conditions are created for condensation of water on the surfaces of walls and interior equipment of ossuary and also for the creation of ideal conditions for the formation and development of mold. Monitoring of the internal microclimate of ossuary during everyday operation has become the basis for the subsequent design of the reconstruction of the building. The remediation proposal must address several issues at once. It has to solve the issue of reducing moisture in the peripheral and inner walls of the building, restoring original materials while maximizing their preservation, stabilizing the internal microclimate in terms of humidity, creating optimum conditions for the natural drying of residual structural moisture and, last but not least, ensuring the mode of future operation with minimal effect on changes in the internal microclimate. Due to the historical value of the building and its layout, it is possible to use forced air treatment only to a limited extent, and great emphasis must be placed on addressing this issue by using the natural physical properties of air and phenomena involving its natural flow and controlled temperature exchange between spaces.

Full document

References

[1] Dorokhov, V. Pintelin, N. Control of Temperature and Humidity Conditions of Church Buildings-Architectural Monuments as a Method of Preservation, 2018 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 463 032076

[2] Pavlík, Z., Balík, L. Kudrnáčová, L., Maděra, J. and Černý, R. Chapel of Cemetry Church of All Saints in Sedlec – Long-Term Analysis of hygrothermal Conditions. Thermophysics 2017, AIP, Santa Fe, 2017

[3] Kudrnáčová, L. Balík, L. Sledování mikroklimatu v prostorách kostela. In: Sanace a rekonstrukce 2017, WTA Praha, 2017, p. 71-77. ISBN 978-80-01-06347-7

[4] Černý, M. Němeček, M. Mikroklima v historických interiérech. NPÚ Praha, 2011, ISBN 978- 80-87104-82-8