Air conditioning installation in historic buildings
Installing air conditioning in a modern home isn’t particularly difficult, unless we’re talking about very unique homes or those with needs that go beyond the ordinary.
However, an air conditioning project for historic, public, or protected buildings has specific characteristics that require much more customized solutions and greater attention to current regulations.
This type of construction is subject to the strictest compliance with regulations , whether they relate to renovation, environmental, or heritage. Therefore, before beginning an air conditioning installation, it is necessary to obtain detailed information about the building’s conditions and prepare a technical report detailing the chosen solution in order to obtain the corresponding permit.
In addition to municipal ordinances, which in some localities provide specific guidelines on air conditioning in certain urban areas (for example, buildings in the old town) or unique structures in the city, to properly prepare an air conditioning project, the Technical Building Code must be taken into account, and above all, the Regulations on Thermal Installations in Buildings (RITE), approved a few years ago with a more environmental focus. In addition, several general aspects should be considered:
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Aesthetics:
It’s generally not possible to display outdoor units on facades or include any elements of the installation that disrupt the aesthetics of the building, which strives to remain as faithful as possible to its origins. This factor forces us to seek more complex solutions that allow the machinery to be camouflaged or placed in locations that are not visible to the public.
Noise:
Many historic buildings are often public establishments, meeting places, or places where many people work. Therefore, regulations require noise levels to be kept at very tolerable levels , even lower than the maximum limits established by law for other types of buildings.
Technical deployment
:Because these are old buildings, they cannot be freely modified, both because they could compromise structural elements that have withstood the test of time, and for heritage reasons. Machinery, ducts, and air vents must be positioned so as not to detract from the building’s character.
Energy efficiency
Although the insulation characteristics of historic buildings are not optimal, since it is not easy to integrate more modern solutions into them, regulations place great emphasis on the need for them to be efficient , and even more so since the promulgation of the RITE.
We must bear in mind that many are publicly owned, and due to their intensive use, energy consumption tends to skyrocket. Therefore, air conditioning systems must be especially efficient to minimize their environmental impact.
