Preventive Conservation of Heritage Building: The Case Study of Palazzo Gioia in Corato (Italy)

An ancient stone building, Palazzo Gioia in Corato (Italy), has been monitored in order to check its eligibility to host artworks of different nature and temporary exhibitions. The microclimatic parameters, temperature and relative humidity, were monitored for about two years, covering a period considering the HVAC system in operation and a period in passive thermal regime without HVAC system. The experimental data made possible to verify if the building is suitable to the ASHRAE classes for the exhibition and/or preservation of artworks. From the monitored data, it is evident that the relative humidity is acceptable compared to the classes “As” and “B,” while the temperature is a few degrees above the upper limit for the “As” class. This control class is also the economically most convenient one for the Italian locations and allows some seasonal variations for the temperature with consequent less effort to control the relative humidity level.