Carrier cooling solutions help preserve Vatican art pieces

The papals visit last week has generated renewed interest in the Vatican Cityincluding its works of art.

The walled city within the enclave of Rome receives up to 20,000 visitors a day. These huge crowds bring in a mix of dust, body sweat, and carbon dioxide, which end up on the surface of the paintings and can harm them over time.

Earlier this year, the Vatican partnered with Carrier Corporation to install top-end HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) units in the Sistine Chapel in an effort to properly preserve Michelangelos frescoes.

According to Concepcion Building & Industrial Solutions, proper ventilation and heating plays a critical role in preserving works of art.

In light of the oncoming papal visit, our brand is proud to have played a role in helping protect the Vaticans art pieces, said Rajan Komarasu, Group Director of Concepcion Building & Industrial Solutions.

Jointly developed by museum experts and the Carrier Air Conditioning Company, the Vaticans new air-conditioning system regulates humidity and temperature to help preserve some of the most famous art pieces in history.

High-tech cooling for the Sistine Chapel

Carrier installed and designed the Sistine Chapels first air-conditioning units in 1993. At the time, the HVAC system was engineered to accommodate a maximum load of 700 visitors.

Over the last two decades, however, the foot traffic in the renowned chapel has significantly increased. In fact, visits are estimated to have grown by over 300 percent from the 1980s.

To address these changes, Carrier has installed a new system using two AquaForce 30XWV water-cooled chillersan enhanced HVAC system that enables optimum temperature control which prevents climate fluctuations in the process. It also comes with air-filtration technologies that prevent the proliferation of airborne contaminants.

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Carrier cooling solutions help preserve Vatican art pieces