The Columbus Museum of Modern Art., Columbus, OH
Project details
Industries
Products
Condair's Solution for the expansion of the Columbus Museum of Modern Art
While many people who visit the new Margaret M. Walter Wing do so because of their appreciation for works of art in a unique esthetic setting, museum staff and the people who built the wing know its humidification system plays no small role in creating the quality experience that the Columbus Museum of Art prides itself on. Choosing the right humidification system was of vital importance to the museum, considering its walls are adorned with priceless paintings from world-renowned masters such as Picasso, Matisse and Degas. Like most major museums, the Columbus Museum maintains its relative humidity within a narrow range to ensure the preservation of its collection and for the comfort of visitors. Condair’s agent in Columbus, OH, Environmental Comfort, teamed up with Limbach Company, an experienced mechanical contractor; the two companies worked together to give the Columbus Museum of Art a precise humidification solution.
“ The RS humidifier’s versatility was ideal for the Columbus Museum of Modern Art...”
“Limbach is one of the most experienced and respected mechanical contractors in Columbus”, said Chuck Blythe, a sales engineer with Environmental Comfort. “Partnering with them is the reason this job was such a success for the Museum and their construction team”, added Blythe.
The Challenge
Both Environmental Comfort and Limbach initially knew this application had a few challenges, and that they needed a precise and reliable solution. What made this project especially challenging was that the new 50,000 square-foot Margaret M. Walter Wing, which opened to the public in the fall of 2015, required a total of 19 humidifiers for five different zones – and they all had to fit into very tight spaces in cramped mechanical rooms. The Museum already had a number of Condair products in use. The Owner actually preferred Condair humidifiers, due to their past performance and reliability. Knowing this, and knowing the project constraints was key in discussions with the consulting engineer. Given his ample experience with Condair’s humidifiers in a wide range of applications, Chuck recommended Condair’s RS Series resistive humidification system. He explained his reasons to the project’s consulting engineer, and received the go-ahead to proceed with Condair equipment in his bid for the museum’s humidification system. Condair’s bid was a winner, with Limbach choosing Condair’s RS humidifier for its zero clearance and precise control.
A museum can only acquire priceless artwork if it can guarantee precise and consistent humidity levels like Condair’s RS resistive humidifier can provide. Resistive humidifiers create steam through the transfer of heat from the resistance heater elements to the water. Steam output is controlled by applying more or less heat to the water rather than controlling water level or conductivity. This results in more accurate humidity control. “Resistive element humidifiers offer the highest accuracy and performance for humidity critical applications”, says Condair's Application Manager. The RS was the perfect solution for the museums tight mechanical room as its design allows for zero service clearance requirements on both left- and right-hand sides of the steam generator.
Conclusion
Museums require precise humidity control and fluctuations in humidity caused by external factors, such as the weather or the number of visitors inside the museum, can be a major problem for museums. Fluctuations that occur repeatedly over a short period of time tend to cause the most damage to art objects, as the materials they are made of do not have enough time to acclimatize. The key objective of a humidification system, therefore, is to buffer or prevent any rapid environmental changes that may occur and create stress within art objects. Since humidity can fluctuate frequently and dramatically on a daily basis, museums must be able to control the environment around their exhibits on a 24/7 basis. This requires constant operation of a humidification system which needs to be reliable and responsive.
“The RS humidifier’s versatility was ideal for the Columbus Museum of Modern Art, because temperature and humidity has to be adjusted for each zone, depending on the art,” says Chad Tassin, a commissioning manager with Limbach, the mechanical contractor for the museum’s expansion project. The museum’s Margaret M. Walter Wing, is a stunning, two-story, modernist structure made with pre patinated copper, Indiana limestone and curtainwall glazing. The wing was built in the $37.6-million, third and final phase of the museum’s multi-year transformation. The final phase in the renovation was named as one the best architectural projects of 2015 by the Wall Street Journal. When you need humidity for museums and art galleries, you can count on Condair
The Condair group was founded in 1948 and is based in Switzerland. We are the global leader in humidification, dehumidification and evaporative cooling.
Supported by science, we engineer individual, holistic solutions that customers can trust through the entire lifecycle. With optimal humidity, we increase productivity and create healthier built environments.
Condair Group has production sites in Europe, North America and China, its own sales and service organizations in 23 countries, and representatives in 50 locations worldwide.
Hospitals and healthcare
Cleanrooms and Laboratories
Museums and Art Galleries
Condair in action
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Vidant Health Foundation
Krypton Solutions
Humber River Regional Hospital
CHUM Research Center
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Apple Campus, Cupertino
At a diameter of almost half a mile, the building complex offers a massive 2.8 million sq ft of usable space and accommodates 12,000 employees. The ring surrounds a 1.4 million sq ft park featuring rest areas, cafés, sports facilities and a rainbow-colored festival stage that was inaugurated by Lady Gaga in 2018. Powered entirely by renewable energy, the building features a 17-megawatt rooftop solar array and energy-efficient evaporative cooling from Condair.
Peninsula Gardens
Harvard University
or expert guidance?
Get in Touch with Condair
Contact Your Local Condair Rep
Contact your local Condair representative who can help you with all of your humidification, dehumidification, and evaporative cooling projects.
Contact Condair in North America
Not sure where to start? Contact us and we’ll direct your enquiry to the appropriate Condair representative or department.