The preservation of the artistic heritage within the seat of the Chancellorship of the University of Palermo. A proposal on a methodology regarding an environmental investigation according to the Italian Standards

The correct maintenance of artworks of historical and artistic value requires a wide and detailed analysis of all the information relevant for preserving them, such as identification of the main deterioration factors, knowledge of the climatic history of the object, set-up of measuring methods and statistics of the guide parameters, and definition of a set of recommended environmental aspects to be controlled within a stable climate condition linked to the particular kind of object or its surface. In Italy, the basic laws UNI 10829 and UNI 10969 impose a reference methodology for the in-field measurement and data analysis. This paper reports the first results of a measuring campaign, carried out according to the indications of the aforesaid standards, aimed at the investigation of the environmental conditions of the wooden ceilings in two rooms of ‘‘Palazzo Steri’’, an ancient building in the city of Palermo. r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.