The choice of the new use of exhibition rooms in historic buildings: advantages and disadvantages for the conservation of buildings

Abstract

The retrofit of historic buildings for new uses is, of course, an effective way to guarantee their conservation. With this process, the building is used daily, guaranteeing the maintenance and prevention of damages. The reuse of historic buildings by exhibition rooms is a subject surrounded by controversy. Despite being frequent in the current Brazilian culture. Museum spaces require environmental parameters capable of preserving their collections. Meanwhile, historic buildings may have their building materials damaged by a change in microclimate, considered ideal for the exposed materials. In order to enhance the contributions of papers that address this theme, the present paper, part of a dissertation, aims to promote a reflection on the choice of the new use of exhibition spaces, through a theoretical revision. In addition, a survey was carried out of three heritage buildings, which received the new use of exhibition rooms in the city of Pelotas, RS, for 12 months, in order to exemplify such a review. With the review of works published nationally and internationally, the study contributed to view of the positive and negative aspects of the installation of museums in buildings of historical value. In many cases, the choice is wrong, failing to achieve the goals of retrofit. With the analysis made in the buildings, it was concluded that there is a need for previous studies about microclimate inside the environments. These studies should be related to the potentiality for the new use and to the economic needs and realities of this process. Thus, it is possible to minimize the negative effects of this choice on historical buildings.