Energy and economic assessment of HVAC solutions for the armoury hall at the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua:

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) of historical buildings dedicated to public use as churches, theatres and ancient palaces employed as a museum, implies a number of critical issues, as most historic buildings were not designed to be heated, cooled and ventilated. In this context, the present work represents the assessment of the energy and economic impact of different strategies for the musealization of the armoury hall of Palazzo Ducale, in Mantua. The aim of the study is to provide a preliminary technical-economic definition of the HVAC system which fit the climate characteristics, the building use profile, guaranteeing reversibility of the system and comfort conditions for users, ensuring at the same time a low energy consumption and a high speed of response to changes in thermal load. An analysis of the local climatic parameters together with the simulated building energy demand, allowed the definition of the main requirements and performance for the preliminary sizing of the HVAC system. Different configurations are proposed, according to best available technologies, including novel technologies relying on renewable energy sources. A comparative analysis of the different configurations with respect to the criteria of ease of maintenance, speed of response of the system, noise, size and adjustment of the system, is presented in order to identify the advantages and any disadvantages of the proposed HVAC systems.