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Title :  ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING USING EMBEDDED SENSORS OF THE ROOF SYSTEM OF THE PRADO MUSEUM

Authors :  Carmen Andrade, Javier Sanchez, Jose Fullea, Esperanza Menendez, Pilar Linares and Guillermo Sotorrio

Publication :  13th – 16th February 2013

Volume :  

Pages :  10-Jan

Price :  250

Abstract :  The roofing of the Prado Museum was changed about 10 years ago from traditional tiles to modern waterproofing layers covered with a metallic lead finishing. During the placing of the new system leaks occurreed in the hall in which Las Meninas by Velázquez was exhibited. The Ministry of Education and Culture to which the Museum belonged at that time commissioned the Institute of Construction Sciences to find the reason of the leaking and provide solutions. From that moment several inspections and assessment were planned and performed relating to the original design of the roof and its waterproofing properties. The study led to suggestions of modifications in the design of the roof layers, and sensors were installed to monitor the roof’s hydrothermal performance. Two specific areas of the roof were selected for the long term monitoring. In the present paper, the behaviour of the sensors embedded in what is referred to as the South area is given. In the present paper the results of recent assessment of the performance of the roof after 10 years of functioning are presented, and comments are made on the results provided by the sensors. No more leakage has been detected after the modifications were incorporated to the existing roof. The results of several years of readings of the sensors show that the temperature attenuates away from the outermost layer, where the readings are very high in summer, since it consists of lead. During the colder seasons, the temperature in the inner layers of the roof is higher than in the outer layers.