Maintenance and Energy Optimization of Lighting Systems for the Improvement of Historic Buildings: A Case Study

Ferdinando Salata,Andrea Vollaro,Iacopo Golasi,Francesca Pagliaro,Fabio Nardecchia,Franco Gugliermetti,Marco Allegri,Giacomo Falanga,Emanuele De Lieto Vollaro

doi:10.3390/su70810770

Ferdinando Salata, Andrea Vollaro + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su70810770

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Aug 7, 2015
Citations: 31	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Sapienza University of Rome, Roma Tre University

Abstract

Proper lighting is vital to improve, from an artistic point of view, the surface expanse and decorative detailing of architectural heritage buildings considered valuable. When properly lit, monumental buildings can become to onlookers an essential part of the city. Nowadays, for design planners dealing with the improvement of buildings, whose architectural design should be valorized, the real challenge is to combine the lighting artistic requirements with scrupulous economic management in order to limit the energy demand and to respect the environment. For these reasons, this case study examines the lighting of the monumental façade and the cloister of St. Peter in Chains situated in the Faculty of Engineering of Sapienza University of Rome. The present lighting installation, characterized by metal halides, compact fluorescent and halogen lamps, is compared with an alternative scenario presenting LED lamps and scenographic lighting of the monumental façade. Such comparison is based on the evaluation of the lighting levels for different visual tasks and on energy and maintenance issues; the first analysis was performed through the software DIALux Evo 4.0, whereas the second was performed using ecoCALC. This study leads to the conclusion that the lighting levels of the solution presenting LED lamps are better than those of the present solution, and they comply with current standards. Finally, the higher costs of LED lamp installations and the scenographic lighting of the monumental façade are balanced by lower maintenance costs, with a payback period of seven years.

Highlights

In the past twenty years, the attention paid to the lighting sector has increased [1,2,3,4] and, in particular, the attitude towards lighting of outdoor spaces has changed during this time
The pre-renovation scenario is characterized by metal halide lamps, compact fluorescent lamps and halogen lamps
The post-renovation scenario uses LED lamps, and thanks to its implementation, the possibility of redirecting the energy and maintenance savings made by the scenographic lighting of the external façade to the entrance can be explored

Summary

Introduction

In the past twenty years, the attention paid to the lighting sector has increased [1,2,3,4] and, in particular, the attitude towards lighting of outdoor spaces has changed during this time. Besides creating a safer environment, must enable a spectator to enjoy the atmosphere while revealing shapes and features of the city Several times it has been underlined how illumination can affect personal sensations [5,6,7]. Such influence is even more significant when dealing with monuments, which has been more of a focus of study in recent years [8,9,10,11,12] They represent works of art and architecture and, from an artistic perspective, monuments are part of the collective consciousness for many reasons (e.g., historical, memorial, etc.): they symbolize historical moments describing something that has happened or give form to the emotions of the artist who created them. Monuments pay homage to an historical period, an idea or opinion

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