Sheltering of stone art

Abstract

Application of shelters during the winter season has a tradition for high grade stone decorations of some parks, castles and cathedrals in Central Europe. The often delicate sculptures from world famous artists exposed outdoors in parks and gardens are covered seasonally by mobile shelter systems. Quite different systems of protective sheltering for winter covers are to be distinguished. These encompass wrapping techniques and several types of boxes used to cover sculptures for protection. Recently, systems made out of new materials have come to the market and extend the stock. The distribution of those different winter cover types in Europe seems to reflect local traditions. Here, the different seasonal shelter types are presented, differentiated and evaluated, and important recommendations given for decision making on the application of protective winter covers. New environmental measurement data, inspection of different materials in use, considerations, modelling and conclusions on the first ventilation measurements and recommendations about the definition of the macroclimate in the shelters are presented. For an optimal preservation, the winter shelters have to be designed and adapted with respect to the material properties of the stone.