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Heritage
Special Issues
Managing Indoor Conditions in Historic Buildings
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Managing Indoor Conditions in Historic Buildings

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 August 2026 | Viewed by 998

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Alexandru Ilieş

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Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Tourism and Territorial Planning—TSAC, The University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
Interests: heritage; indoor air quality; cultural heritage; territorial planning
Dr. Tudor Caciora

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Geography, Tourism and Sport, The University of Oradea, Oradea, Romania
Interests: heritage buildings; photogrammetry
Prof. Dr. Celestina Fazia

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Guest Editor
Department of Engeneering and Architecture, The University of Enna "Kore", Enna, Italy
Interests: urban planning; spatial planning; land and sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Historic buildings are an essential component of cultural heritage, embodying historical, architectural and social values. Ensuring adequate indoor environmental conditions in these buildings is a complex, multidisciplinary challenge, as it involves balancing heritage conservation, user comfort, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation while respecting the constraints imposed by traditional construction materials and techniques.
This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to explore innovative approaches, methodologies, and case studies for managing indoor environmental conditions in historic buildings. Unlike modern buildings, historic buildings often exhibit specific hygrothermal behaviour, limited opportunities for intrusive intervention, and increased sensitivity to adverse environmental conditions, which can accelerate material degradation or negatively affect the health and well-being of occupants.

Contributions to this Special Issue may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Indoor environmental quality in historic buildings;
- Thermal comfort, air quality and humidity control in heritage contexts;
- Indoor climate monitoring, modelling and simulation;
- Non-invasive and reversible technologies for indoor microclimate control;
- Energy efficiency strategies compatible with heritage conservation principles;
- The impact of climate on indoor conditions and building materials;
- Preventive conservation and risk assessment of the indoor environment;
- Policies, guidelines and good practices for managing indoor conditions in heritage buildings;
- Case studies on historic buildings (museums, churches, homes, archives, libraries, etc.).

Prof. Dr. Alexandru Ilieş
Dr. Tudor Caciora
Prof. Dr. Celestina Fazia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Heritage is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • historic/heritage buildings
  • indoor environmental quality
  • thermal comfort
  • indoor air quality
  • indoor climate and humidity control
  • preventive conservation
  • indoor climate monitoring and modelling
  • non-invasive climate control technologies
  • energy efficiency in heritage buildings

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

42 pages, 21289 KB  
Article
From Mašrabiya to Ṣaḥn: Managing Indoor Environmental Quality in Cairo’s Islamic Architectural Heritage Under Climatic Pressures
by Thowayeb H. Hassan, Mahmoud I. Saleh, Amany E. Salem, Luminita Anca Deac, Jermien Hussein Abd El Kafy and Ahmed Tawhid Eissa
Heritage 2026, 9(5), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050195 - 18 May 2026
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Cairo’s Islamic architectural heritage represents one of the world’s most significant concentrations of pre-industrial environmental ingenuity. For over a millennium, an integrated suite of passive climate-control systems—the Mašrabiya latticework screen, the open courtyard (Ṣaḥn), the wind-scoop (Malqaf), and stalactite [...] Read more.
Cairo’s Islamic architectural heritage represents one of the world’s most significant concentrations of pre-industrial environmental ingenuity. For over a millennium, an integrated suite of passive climate-control systems—the Mašrabiya latticework screen, the open courtyard (Ṣaḥn), the wind-scoop (Malqaf), and stalactite vaulting (Muqarnas)—has moderated temperature, humidity, and airflow with remarkable effectiveness. Today, these inherited solutions are under unprecedented stress from urban densification, chronic particulate pollution, climate-driven temperature rise, and growing visitor footfall. This study investigates indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in six Fatimid- and Mamlūk-era buildings in Historic Cairo through the integrated IQAD-IAH framework, combining IoT field monitoring (January–December 2023) of temperature, relative humidity, CO2, and PM2.5 with CNN-based deterioration image analysis and Random Forest predictive modeling. Results document critical summer thermal buffering failures reaching 28% of occupied hours above the ASHRAE 55 adaptive comfort limit; hygrothermal stress cycles exceeding the EN 15757 ±10% RH safe threshold for up to 38% of annual hours; and PM2.5 courtyard concentrations of 40–61 µg/m3 under normal conditions, surging to 180–320 µg/m3 during Ḫamāsῑn-seasonal wind events. Machine-learning projections indicate all three principal passive elements will cross the critical deterioration threshold of 70/100 under RCP 8.5 before 2050. A precautionary intervention window is identified between 2025 and 2032. Evidence-based management recommendations compatible with UNESCO World Heritage obligations are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Indoor Conditions in Historic Buildings)
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23 pages, 9608 KB  
Article
Integrated Assessment of Indoor Air Quality, Fungal Contamination and Visitor Perception in Museum Environments
by Alexandru Ilieș, Tudor Caciora, Cristina Mircea, Dorina Camelia Ilieș, Zharas Berdenov, Ioana Josan, Bahodirhon Safarov, Thowayeb H. Hassan and Ana Cornelia Pereș
Heritage 2026, 9(5), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9050175 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 352
Abstract
The indoor microclimate of museums plays an essential role in preserving priceless cultural heritage for future generations and in ensuring visitors’ comfort and health. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate indoor air quality, the degree of fungal contamination, and visitors’ [...] Read more.
The indoor microclimate of museums plays an essential role in preserving priceless cultural heritage for future generations and in ensuring visitors’ comfort and health. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate indoor air quality, the degree of fungal contamination, and visitors’ perceptions in a museum environment through an integrated, interdependent approach. Measurements of the physicochemical parameters of air quality (temperature, relative humidity, CO2, TVOC, HCHO, PM2.5 and PM10, negative and positive ions and brightness) were carried out in three exhibition halls within a museum in Oradea, Romania, during the period January–August 2024. Fungal contamination was assessed using surface and air samples, with classical isolation and microscopic identification methods. Visitors’ perceptions were analysed using a standardised questionnaire that focused on perceived comfort and visit duration. The results showed that the parameters defining indoor air quality generally fell within the limits set by the international standards in force, with occasional exceedances. These conditions are associated with the presence of fungi of the genera Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus in the air and on museum exhibits, which pose risks to human health and the deterioration of the exhibited materials. The statistical decision-making model determined the critical thresholds above which visitor behaviour changed visibly. The results highlighted the importance of maintaining a stable microclimate in museum spaces, not only for the protection of exhibits, but also for optimising the cultural experience. Indoor air quality indicators and fungal microflora can only affect vulnerable people or those with pre-existing conditions. Occasional visitors do not present a significant risk of developing new conditions, considering the limited duration of exposure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Managing Indoor Conditions in Historic Buildings)
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