Methodological approach to the restoration of historical buildings based on microclimatic monitoring: the case of 'La Specola' Museum in Florence

In this paper, a methodology meant to evaluate the building-plant system of historical museum buildings is presented: in this methodology, thermophysical characteristics of the envelope and technical features of the HVAC and lighting devices are collected, microclimatic parameters are monitored and assessed, retrofitting strategies are defined and evaluated. The methodology is applied to ‘La Specola’ Museum in Florence, where microclimatic parameters have been monitored continuously for one year and conservation indicators have been defined and assessed. ‘La Specola’ is one of the oldest museums of Florence and contains zoological collection and anatomical waxes. In the paper, the results of the different retrofitting strategies, such as wall and roof insulation, window and skylight improvements, as well as the adding of shading devices, are presented and discussed for selected representative rooms.