ShareNew air-conditioning system to protect the Sistine Chapel against deterioration.
Carrier is to supply a new air-conditioning system for the Sistine Chapel to help protect Michelangelo’s 16th century frescoes against deterioration.
Carrier is to supply a new air conditioning system for the Sistine Chapel to help protect Michelangelo’s 16th century frescoes against deterioration.
The 16th century frescoes are particularly susceptible to modern pollutants and the amount of humidity and dirt brought into the building by as many as 20,000 tourists per day.
The Vatican called on Carrier to design and install an air-conditioning system that would let the frescoes rest in stable comfort while still allowing visitors from around the world to gaze at Michelangelo's works overhead. The new system is said to be designed to deliver exceptional performance with twice the efficiency and three times the capacity of the actual system, installed in the early 1990s.
Combining off-the-shelf cooling and heating products with computer-based electronic sensors and controls, Carrier created a system that bathed the ceilings and walls with temperate air and humidity. The air is cleaned with powerful filters that remove chemicals and even bacteria-sized particles. Visitors, meanwhile, are showered with a higher velocity air flow that keeps dirt and humidity at floor level. The system also allows the Vatican's conservators to seal the chapel's windows, keeping Roman car exhaust and the pollutants found in the air of any large city outside.
Although Carrier has not supplied specific details of the new system, the existing system is designed to maintain temperatures between 20ºC in summer and 25ºC in winter at 55% relative humidity +/-5%. The air filters remove particles down to 0.1µm.
The 16th century frescoes are particularly susceptible to modern pollutants and the amount of humidity and dirt brought into the building by as many as 20,000 tourists per day.
The Vatican called on Carrier to design and install an air-conditioning system that would let the frescoes rest in stable comfort while still allowing visitors from around the world to gaze at Michelangelo's works overhead. The new system is said to be designed to deliver exceptional performance with twice the efficiency and three times the capacity of the actual system, installed in the early 1990s.
Combining off-the-shelf cooling and heating products with computer-based electronic sensors and controls, Carrier created a system that bathed the ceilings and walls with temperate air and humidity. The air is cleaned with powerful filters that remove chemicals and even bacteria-sized particles. Visitors, meanwhile, are showered with a higher velocity air flow that keeps dirt and humidity at floor level. The system also allows the Vatican's conservators to seal the chapel's windows, keeping Roman car exhaust and the pollutants found in the air of any large city outside.
Although Carrier has not supplied specific details of the new system, the existing system is designed to maintain temperatures between 20ºC in summer and 25ºC in winter at 55% relative humidity +/-5%. The air filters remove particles down to 0.1µm.