Indoor Air Quality in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence: Sampling, Assessment and Improvement Strategies

Abstract

The assessment of indoor air quality (IAQ) in museums is a complex issue. In this study, a comprehensive investigation methodology was defined and applied to a museum to be validated. This methodology includes the analysis of exposed objects, the optimal conditions for conservation, the building features and the HVAC systems, and the indoor thermo-hygrometric and air quality conditions. In 2019, a survey in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, one of the most important museums in the world, was carried out to assess the IAQ conditions in the museum, and the workers and visitors’ well-being, by focusing on some representative rooms (nine) of the museum complex in terms of visitor turnout and HVAC systems, including rooms closed to the public. Since IAQ is related to the possible presence and concentration of chemical and biological pollutants, these indicators, as well as thermo-hygrometric parameters, were monitored. The monitoring results were analyzed, evaluated, and compared with those suggested by the literature, guidelines and legislative documents dealing with IAQ in museums. Monitoring approaches for deepening investigations, as well as guidelines aimed at improving IAQ in the Uffizi Gallery and similar buildings are proposed.