10th Anniversary of the Hart Foundation Concert

On 4 October, 2002, the Hermitage hosted a meeting in connection with the accomplishment of the next stage of the project to save power and improve climate in the museum rooms. Danish consulting company NIRAS representing Power Agency of Denmark and the State Hermitage Museum discussed results of the work.
According to the project of the architect F. B. Rastrelli who built the Winter Palace an original heating system was created using bicameral stoves in the basement. Wood and charcoal burnt in the inner chamber, while fresh air was heated in the outer chamber which was delivered to the palace rooms through 1000 exhaustion ducts hidden within walls. During the 1837 fire most of the ducts were closed to prevent the fire from spreading throughout the palace. Now the Winter Palace is heated by 16 heating units situated in the basement through 200 air ducts.
Due to its geographic position, St. Petersburg has complicated climatic conditions with cold winters and humid warm summers. The museum needs a stable climate to preserve its treasures. Oscillation of air humidity makes the material contract and expand recurrently destroying works of art.
In 1997 and 1998 the Danish consulting company NIRAS representing Power Agency of Denmark and the State Hermitage Museum worked at a joint project to improve the climatic conditions and save power in the museum rooms. The quality of air in the Winter Palace was assessed and a project was proposed based on the original ideas of F. B. Rastrelli.

The new equipment whose purchase and delivery was financed by Power Agency of Denmark was installed in the south-east part of the Winter Palace. Danish consultants and equipment suppliers supervised the assembly performed by the Hermitage. The new heating unit was put into operation in November 1998 and finally adjusted in February 1999. The results were exactly as expected, relative humidity during winter increased up to 35-40%, air temperature became more stable, air quality improved due to another 15% of incoming air and the optimal use of heating medium in the system, losses in the brick air ducts became insignificant as showed by moisture loss gauging and, finally, damage to the Winter Palace rooms was avoided due to the repair of the old brick ducts.

During 1999-2002 heating units were installed in five locations with heat sources (three existed previously and the two new were parallel). Along with the works at the heating system and museum rooms, pump equipment was completely renovated. The old equipment was replaced with three new pumps, filters, etc., which along with the circulation improvement in the museum heating system resulted in 50% power saving.

A project of roof insulation is now being evaluated. New insulation coating was laid in the museum attic in summer of 2001.

The project resulted in relatively stable and acceptable climatic conditions in the Winter Palace rooms.

Hermitage Director Mikhail B. Piotrovsky ad the meeting

Meeting participants

Hermitage Director Mikhail B. Piotrovsky and NIRAS representatives