The use of passive design of heritage buildings as an alternative indoor climate control for museum

• Main Author: Muhammad Ilmam Tharazi
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://discol.umk.edu.my/id/eprint/8923/1/Paper%202.pdf; http://discol.umk.edu.my/id/eprint/8923/

Heritage buildings are known to be climate responsive, and its building materials were properly selected to attenuate exterior conditions. Many of these buildings were converted into museums, which need to have a stable indoor climate in order to safeguard valuable collections they housed. The characteristics of heritage buildings which were built to response with the climatic conditions may help to contribute a better indoor environment for the collections. By studying several case studies, this research showed that the buildings, occupied by those museums were designed to deal with climate passively and have architectural features that able to regulate the temperature and relative humidity, which in turn can be utilized by the museums. This paper seeks answers and examples of how utilizing passive design can better control the climate, without relying heavily on the HVAC mechanical systems which in turn highlight energy efficiency and sustainability in museum design.