Energy and Buildings 61 (2013) 133–139 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Energy and Buildings j ourna l ho me p age: www.elsevier.com/locate/enbuild Stucco panels of Room VI in the Galleria Borghese (Rome): Physical–chemical analysis and microclimate characterization Alessia Caratelli a , Anna Maria Siani a,b,∗ , Giuseppe Rocco Casale a , Alessandro Paravicini c , Kristina Hermann Fiore d , Dario Camuffo e a Sapienza Università di Roma, Physics Department, p.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy b Centro di Ricerca de “La Sapienza” sulle Tecnologie per l’Ambiente, p.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy c Tecno-el S.r.l., via degli Olmetti 38, Formello, Rome, Italy d Borghese Gallery, P.le del Museo Borghese, 5, 00197 Rome, Italy e National Research Council, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Corso Stati Uniti 4, 35127 Padova, Italy a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 30 November 2012 Received in revised form 31 January 2013 Accepted 11 February 2013 Keywords: Indoor microclimate Artificial lighting Material analysis Deterioration a b s t r a c t A multidisciplinary approach was used to study the reason behind the deterioration of four stucco panels that decorate the vault of Room VI in the Galleria Borghese in Rome. During the last nine years the panels were subjected twice to restoration because some cracks, which appeared over the surface of the reliefs jeopardizing the integrity of the gladiators. Since the deterioration continued diagnostic investigations of the components of the stucco pan- els were performed to analyze both the elements and compounds, and the mineralogical structure. A microclimate study was conducted to assess the impact of the indoor environment on the panels. Mea- surements and statistical analysis of the data were performed in accordance with the European Standards EN 15757:2010, EN 15758:2010, and EN 16242:2012. It was concluded that the deterioration is related to high temperatures in a dry environment exac- erbated by artificial lighting with incandescent lamps, located in the proximity of the panels and continuously on for 12 h daily. The body heat released by numerous visitors on a daily basis is an additional problem which should not be overlooked. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction In 1606, Scipione Borghese, a keen art collector, built the today so called Galleria Borghese in Rome to store and exhibit his valu- able art collection [1]. The Gallery consists of an underground service floor, a ground floor where sculptures and paintings are displayed, and a first floor exhibiting only paintings. The Galle- ria Borghese underwent an extensive, 14-year long restoration and was re-opened to the public in 1997. This paper is concerned with Room VI, in the north-western side of the ground floor, and in particular with four stucco pan- els (Fig. 1) located on the lower part of the vault, 6 m above floor level. The panels are copies of Roman originals kept in the Vatican Museum. These were originally copied and drafted by Vincenzo Pacetti (1758–1826) and later realized by the sculptor Costantino ∗ Corresponding author at: Sapienza Università di Roma, Physics Department, p.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Rome, Italy. Tel.: +39 06 49913479; fax: +39 06 4463158. E-mail address: annamaria.siani@uniroma1.it (A.M. Siani). Mazzoni (active in the second half of the 18th century). Each bas- relief panel represent six gladiators with one leg protruding from hip to heel (Fig. 2). Some cracks occurred over the relief threat- ening the detachment of the legs. During the last nine years the panels were restored twice, in 2001 and in 2009 [Fiore personal communication, 2009]. Room VI (covering about 100 m 2 ) is never exposed to direct sun- light. It has two doors and four shaded windows that are open only for cleaning, around 7.00 am, and is illuminated with artificial light- ing. The Museum’s opening hours are from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm. Five visits are scheduled per day, up to 360 people maximum simulta- neously allowed in the Gallery. The total number of visitors is rather large, e.g. 486,000 in 2008 [2]. This paper identifies and discusses the causes of the deteriora- tion of the stucco panels through a chemical–physical analysis of the material made in situ and in laboratory, and the characteriza- tion of the microclimate and the artificial lighting, to determine their impact on Room VI, and on the panels. The final objective of the study is to suggest measures to return to the historic climate with a better choice of lighting and a better Room management. 0378-7788/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.02.013