Environmental Sustainability in Traditional University Libraries: Contributions from BIM/BES Integration to the Thermal Performance and Books Conservation

As a spreader of knowledge, universities must be practical examples of sustainable applications, including building or intervening in their buildings. However, some authors point out that universities focus more on the social dimension of sustainability than the environmental one, emphasizing the need for research aimed at environmental sustainability in these places. In this context, university campuses present emblematic buildings with historical and architectural relevance with more than 20 years old and still need analyses in terms of thermal performance. Among these traditional buildings on university campuses are the libraries, usually proposed in open floor plans, with spaces for collaborative study and an integrated collection of books. However, both spaces must meet different criteria of thermal performance and conservation of books, which is associated with the internal microclimate and consequently with the adequacy of climatic conditions. The main objective of this research was to analyze the environmental sustainability in iconic libraries through transdisciplinary procedures, where the thermal performance and conservation of books from the Library of the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU Library), Brazil, were jointly evaluated. The analyzed spaces have open floor plans with natural ventilation, a communal study area, and a collection of related books for consultation. The method adopted was the hygrothermal simulation based on the BIM/BES data transfer, having as parameters the operating temperature ranges according to (ASHRAE 55 (2020) Thermal environmental conditions for human occupancy. ASHRAE, Atlanta) and the isoperm method of (Sebera in Isoperms an environmental management tool. Comission on Preservation and Access, Washington (1997)). We concluded that the hygrothermal simulation contributes to environmental sustainability since it allows the analysis of the current scenario of the library, as well as the creation of new scenarios. Regarding the thermal performance, we observe that the appropriate scenario is the current one, as it presented service between 82.15% and 86.88% of the occupied periods throughout the year. The proposed scenario with double glazing did not present significant temperature differences concerning the current scenario. Regarding the book conservation, we concluded that the current scenario is unsatisfactory, with isosperms between 0.28 and 1. That corresponds to the longevity of the paper between 12.6 and 45 years. Unfortunately, the data transfer between BIM/BES could have been finer since there were errors in the transfer of geometry, thermal properties, and information such as usage, occupation, and scheduling.