Microclimatic analysis in the Museum of Physics, University of Turin, Italy: A case-study⋆

The Museum of Physics (University of Turin) was established in 2009 and displays scientific instruments dating from the early 1700s. A monitoring microclimatic campaign has been performed in an exposing hall that houses also part of the collection of the Library of the Department of Physics. The measurements were made using 11 thermo-hygrometers during 13 months inside and outside some showcases, and an outdoor meteorological station on the building top monitored the external weather conditions. Time delays in temperature between outdoor, indoor and inside showcases environments were evaluated. The microclimatic analysis show that the showcases mitigate the daily excursions in temperature and relative humidity and that the showcase microclimatic conditions are dependent on the position in the room. Finally, a new index is proposed to compare the “goodness” of microclimate in the different sites.