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Applied Sciences
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Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition
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Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 6172

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hugo Entradas Silva

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Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, NOVA School of Science and Technology | FCT NOVA, Campus Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: Cultural heritage; preventive conservation; hygrothermal behaviour; building simulation; indoor air quality; thermal comfort; building physics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Luís G. Baltazar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NOVA School of Science and Technology | FCT NOVA, Campus Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
Interests: rheology of colloidal suspensions; old stone masonry consolidation; sustainable construction materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Luísa Dias Pereira

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Guest Editor
ADAI-LAETA, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, 3030-289 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: energy efficiency in buildings; thermal comfort; indoor air quality; hygrothermal behaviour; preventive conservation; cultural heritage
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are currently inviting submissions to this Special Issue on “Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition”.

Cultural heritage plays a major role in societies as it is a symbol of the past. Conservation is a challenge, but its purpose is to safeguard identity and to ensure cultural diversity in a continuously changing world.

The 21st century has brought about new concerns and currently, in addition to issues related to conservation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality, there is an urgent need to ensure the sustainability of buildings and assess the impact of climate change on all these factors. This complex balance can only be achieved with the involvement of all stakeholders and by studying the actual and future needs of cultural heritage.

Authors are encouraged to publish their original theoretical and/or experimental research on the hygrothermal behaviour of cultural heritage, climate monitoring campaigns, simulations, preventive conservation, building rehabilitation, energy efficiency, climate control strategies, thermal comfort and indoor air quality, climate change and sustainability.

Interdisciplinary studies and papers that incorporate more than one topic or more than one methodology (e.g., experimental, modelling, analysis, and optimization) are encouraged. Review papers are also welcome.

Dr. Hugo Entradas Silva
Prof. Dr. Luís G. Baltazar
Dr. Luísa Dias Pereira
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cultural heritage preventive
  • conservation climate monitoring
  • hygrothermal behaviour risk
  • analysis simulation rehabilitation
  • energy efficiency sustainability
  • impact of climate changes on cultural heritage
  • indoor air quality thermal comfort

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6200 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Visitors on Heritage Conservation: The Case of the Church of San Juan del Hospital, Valencia, Spain
by Antonio Galiano-Garrigós, Concepción López-González, Jorge García-Valldecabres, Carlos Pérez-Carramiñana and Stephen Emmitt
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(5), 2065; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14052065 - 1 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1246
Abstract
One of the greatest challenges in heritage management is to find a balance between the demands of visitor access and heritage conservation. The income generated prevents decay and benefits the conservation of buildings. At the same time, cultural tourism can accelerate the deterioration [...] Read more.
One of the greatest challenges in heritage management is to find a balance between the demands of visitor access and heritage conservation. The income generated prevents decay and benefits the conservation of buildings. At the same time, cultural tourism can accelerate the deterioration of buildings from increased use and an increase in agents harmful to conservation. This unique research analyses the influence of building use at San Juan del Hospital, the oldest church in the city of Valencia. Its architectural characteristics and the climate of the city mean that visits to the building put the conservation of its heritage assets at risk. Monitoring data from the summer months were put into a digital twin generated from a heritage building information model (HBIM), and the modelling of visitor numbers and the impact on indoor environmental quality was conducted. Monitoring and simulations confirmed that visitor numbers need to be reduced or mechanical conditioning systems need to be installed to prevent damage to the heritage artefacts within the building. This research provides building managers with information to make informed decisions about the preventive maintenance of heritage buildings. This research also demonstrates for the first time the value of using monitoring and a digital twin for conservation management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition)
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22 pages, 6356 KiB  
Article
Hygroscopicity and Morphology of Bio-Based Boards—The Influence of the Formulation
by Eleonora Cintura, Lina Nunes, Luisa Molari, Matteo Bettuzzi, Maria Pia Morigi, Rosa Brancaccio and Paulina Faria
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14020873 - 19 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1083
Abstract
The internal structures and the hygroscopicity of bio-based boards consisting of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) and hazelnut shells as bio-aggregates, and a sodium silicate solution as the adhesive, were investigated. The aim was to evaluate the influence of each material (the [...] Read more.
The internal structures and the hygroscopicity of bio-based boards consisting of giant reed (Arundo donax L.) and hazelnut shells as bio-aggregates, and a sodium silicate solution as the adhesive, were investigated. The aim was to evaluate the influence of each material (the bio-aggregates and adhesive) and their distributions in the boards on the final performance. By carrying out X-ray computed tomography, the internal structures and the porosities of the boards were determined, allowing important considerations of their hygroscopicity. The voids’ percentages were between 26% and 36% of the total volume of the composites. Both the materials and the composites demonstrated high hygroscopicity. In particular, the mixtures of the bio-aggregates and the sodium silicate allowed reaching a moisture buffering value of 7.44 g/(m2%RH) for the A. donax-based composite, 3.86 g/(m2%RH) for the hazelnut-shell-based composite, and 4.65 g/(m2%RH) for the mixture-based composite. Besides the identification of the contributions of the materials, a detailed discussion of the assessed properties was carried out to use these bio-based boards in vernacular historic construction. The results show how the aggregate type and the adhesive content affected the final behavior, demonstrating the importance of a conscious material choice. Furthermore, helpful information for the future development of these types of bio-based boards and their possible optimization was provided. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition)
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19 pages, 5737 KiB  
Article
Differentiation Study of the Damage Characteristics of Rock Cultural Heritage Sites Due to the Sulfate Weathering Process
by Jie Hong, Ye Zhu, Yue Zhang, Jizhong Huang and Ningbo Peng
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12831; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312831 - 29 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1199
Abstract
Salt crystallization represents one of the primary forms of weathering encountered in rock cultural heritage sites, with sulfate weathering having particularly notable destructive effects. This study focuses on sandstone and limestone, using them as test materials to conduct simulation experiments on sulfate weathering [...] Read more.
Salt crystallization represents one of the primary forms of weathering encountered in rock cultural heritage sites, with sulfate weathering having particularly notable destructive effects. This study focuses on sandstone and limestone, using them as test materials to conduct simulation experiments on sulfate weathering under specific environmental conditions. The experimental process involved documenting the surface morphology of the rock samples and analyzing changes in indicators such as wave velocity, hardness, composition, and pore size distribution. The degree of damage to the two types of rock was evaluated using the entropy weight–TOPSIS method, and the sensitivity of different weathering indicators in assessing the weathering of the two rocks was also discussed. The results revealed that sandstone exhibited obvious surface damage under sulfate erosion, with dissolution holes and pits surrounding the rock samples, while limestone primarily suffered damage at its edges. There were notable differences in the rate of attenuation observed in the macro and micro indicators between the two rock types. The wave velocity of both types of rocks exhibits linear attenuation while the intensity undergoes exponential change. It is worth noting that sandstone hardness demonstrates a pattern of “fast–rapid–slow–stable” decline characteristics, whereas limestone follows an exponential trend with an initial fast decline followed by a slower decline. Additionally, sandstone exhibited significantly greater damage and weathering thickness compared to limestone, owing to the involvement of complex and diverse physical and chemical reactions. The pore damage factor and macro-level indicators of the rock samples could be fitted using exponential and linear functions, respectively, although the fitting curves differed distinctly. The sensitivity indicators reflecting the weathering state of sandstone and limestone under sulfate erosion varied, with mass loss applicable to sandstone and porosity to limestone. Overall, with our research findings, we aim to provide a theoretical foundation for the anti-salination and precision protection of rock cultural heritage sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition)
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19 pages, 4474 KiB  
Article
Energy Efficiency in Historic Museums: The Interplay between Thermal Rehabilitation, Climate Control Strategies and Regional Climates
by Hugo Entradas Silva and Fernando M. A. Henriques
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(23), 12732; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132312732 - 27 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1046
Abstract
Museums housed in historical buildings combine the intrinsic value of the collections with the historical and architectural values of the building itself. Although usually made with thick elements with high thermal inertia, very effective in damping and delaying the heat flow, these buildings [...] Read more.
Museums housed in historical buildings combine the intrinsic value of the collections with the historical and architectural values of the building itself. Although usually made with thick elements with high thermal inertia, very effective in damping and delaying the heat flow, these buildings are usually characterized by elements with low thermal resistance, poor-quality windows and low area/volume ratio in the noblest buildings, which renders them ineffective at maintaining a stable indoor climate adequate for conservation, comfort and energy efficiency issues. In this paper, a simulation study was carried out to analyze the impact of the building location (weather), thermal envelope and climate control strategies by analyzing a generic room of the National Museum of Ancient Art of Lisbon. A simulation study was carried out for 15 European cities to verify the impossibility of standardizing the rehabilitation solutions in cultural heritage since energy needs depend on the location. It was concluded that the focus on climate control strategies has great potential for energy reduction and that in temperate climates of southern Europe, the improvement of thermal transmittance has a reduced effect on the building’s response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition)
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24 pages, 7210 KiB  
Article
Study of Natural Ventilation Strategies in the São Cristóvão Church in Lisbon Using a Multizone Airflow Model
by Luis G. Baltazar, João Alcobia and Hugo Entradas Silva
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(21), 11838; https://doi.org/10.3390/app132111838 - 29 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1109
Abstract
Visitors have a significant impact on the indoor climate of buildings housing works of art, and the relationship between the number of visitors, the indoor air quality and the protection of exposed works of art is an important factor in the overall study [...] Read more.
Visitors have a significant impact on the indoor climate of buildings housing works of art, and the relationship between the number of visitors, the indoor air quality and the protection of exposed works of art is an important factor in the overall study of the indoor climate of heritage buildings without mechanical ventilation and/or air-conditioning systems. In view of these concerns and the lack of studies on natural ventilation in heritage buildings, this study aims to analyse the performance of natural ventilation in the São Cristóvão Church in Lisbon, Portugal. For the preparation of this study, an analysis of the natural ventilation of this church was carried out by creating a model in the CONTAM software, and the indoor air quality was analysed based on different international standards and guidelines for carbon dioxide levels and air flow rates (ACH). Estimating the current ventilation strategy, an average ACH of 0.75 h−1 was estimated during the time the church is open, and an ACH of 0.15 h−1 was estimated during the time the doors were closed. In a yearly analysis, an average ACH of 0.30 h−1 was obtained. These air exchange values guarantee EN 16798-1 category I air quality for 72% of the year and category II air quality for 18% of the year. Different natural ventilation strategies were analysed: (a) three scenarios exploring different cross ventilation scenarios; (b) a scenario assuming that the church is closed all year round; and (c) a scenario estimating an increase in the number of visitors, giving an idea of the variations in human pollutants and possible consequences. Taking into account the air infiltration and the fact that masses, an occasional situation with a high number of visitors, are always held just before the church closes, it is guaranteed that carbon dioxide levels will never exceed the limit of 350 ppm above the outdoor values imposed by EN-13779, registering a maximum of 291 ppm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hygrothermal Behaviour of Cultural Heritage and Climate Change: Second Edition)
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