St. Paul’s Cathedral Library Environmental Study

The Institute for Sustainable Heritage monitored environmental behaviour at St Paul’s Library, using scientific methods to develop sustainable solutions for preservation and access.

About

The Cathedral Library in St Paul's Cathedral was fitted out in 1709 and remains largely unaltered today. It consists of historical library collections, original timber bookcases, mezzanine and wall panels and the magnificent architecture of Sir Christopher Wren.

As part of a collaborative development project, an in-depth one-year environmental campaign was carried out in the Wren Library and Cathedral Triforium so that future plans to improve the environment and increase access could be based on a detailed understanding of environmental behaviour.

Aim

The aim of this study was to gather information that would inform plans by the Cathedral to increase the level of access to the Library and enable the Cathedral Conservation Architect to understand the effect that changes to heating and air flows within the space might have on the sensitive fabric and contents. And to demonstrate how scientific research is applied in practice to develop solutions for sustainable heritage management.

Actions

• Monitoring of the the library, the spaces connected to and comparable with the library, and correlated with regularly logged visitor numbers.
• Data was gathered and integrated to build up a clear picture of the environmental behaviour of the library, and other spaces within the cathedral, throughout the year.
• Strategic mapping provided profiles of the library environment, which were used to inform predictions of the space's environmental performance with changes to the interpretation of the space.

Outputs

This study consisted of a group of interrelated 12-month environmental monitoring campaigns on temperature and relative humidity including thermal imaging, insect pests, internally and externally generated pollution, dust and light.

Simulation of visitor numbers in the St Paul's Cathedral Library was also carried out using EnergyPlus software. 

Impact

The study helped St.Paul's understand better the value of the heavy construction of the library which provides natural stability for environmental conditions and which in turn led to a suitable preservation environment in recent years.

The study concluded that increased access to the library may well reduce the buildup of VOCs in the library. However, the potential increase in the risk from other hazards affecting the collection needs to be managed. This includes control of air exchange caused by more frequent opening of the library doors and the management of adjacent spaces as buffer zones to the external environment.

An increase in visitor numbers is likely to exceed capacity before it creates a problem for temperature and RH. The impact of person traffic on other factors, such as increases in dust, light and sources of food for pests must be managed more assiduously.

People

Professor May Cassar

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Image credit

Unsplash: Hert Niks

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