NEW !!  The final programme can be downloaded here.

NEW !!  Directions to the hotels and to the Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics can be downloaded here.

The Organisers of the 'COST D42 Training School on Indoor Air Quality in Museums, Galleries and Archives: Analytical Methods and Preventive Conservation Strategies' which is an initiative taken in the frame of  COST Action D42 "EnviArt - Chemical Interactions Between Cultural Artefacts and Indoor Environment" are pleased to invite you to this event which is to be held in Vienna during 5-9 May 2009.

The Training School addresses important aspects of indoor air quality in relation to museums, galleries and archives, and the art objects exhibited or stored there.

Analytical methods and strategies will be discussed, and presented also in practice, to measure indoor air quality of museums or archives. Advanced instrumental techniques will be discussed and demonstrated, as well as simple tests that allow assessing the quality of indoor air, or the suitability of certain materials to be used in the construction of exhibitions, with comparatively low costs and efforts.

The sources of such emissions will be presented and related to their potential effects on art objects of different delicacy. Preventive conservation, understood as an integrative concept, will be a further important aspect of this Training School. Strategies for minimizing the risk for art objects in collections or stored in archives will be presented.

The Training School is aiming at participants from both academia (following curricula in conservation science, restoration, etc.) and curators, conservation scientists, and restorers working in museums, collections and archives. It will also be an ideal opportunity for freelance restorers to update their knowledge in this field in a Training Course held by leading experts.

The format of the Training School includes tutorial lectures and practical laboratory work, as well as site visits to demonstrate good practices, or actual problems and possible solutions, as realised in some of the large Viennese museums.

Due to the fact that laboratory work is foreseen, the number of participants is limited to 20, and participation to this Training School is depending on admission by the Training School organizers.

Financial support is available to eligible Training School participants by the COST Action, following the application procedure described below.

Location

NEW !!  Directions to the hotels and to the Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics can be downloaded here.

The Training School will be held in the lecture rooms and laboratories of the co-organising institutions:

• Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna),
  Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics
  Getreidemarkt 9/164 AC
  A-1060 Vienna
• Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (KHM),
  Burgring 5
  A-1010 Vienna
• Technisches Museum Wien (TMW),
  Mariahilferstr. 212
  A-1140 Vienna.

Furthermore, site visits to the Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (NHM) and the company Artex are foreseen.

The Training School locations are all within a short walk's distance from each other (see map), or can be reached conveniently by public transport.

Hotels and Training School sites are all located in the centre of Vienna.
When arriving by plane, the most convenient way is to take the local train (designation "S7" - ca. 22 min ride, 3 Euro) or the City-Airport Train ("CAT" - modern, a bit faster (16 min), but more expensive: 9 Euro) from the airport to station "Wien Mitte/Landstrasse".

Then change to subway line "U3", direction "Ottakring". Most hotels and the museums are located close to the stop "Volkstheater". The ticket is valid for the ride on the subway as well.

Organising  Committee

Martina Griesser, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (KHM), Austria
Valentina Ljubic, Technisches Museum Wien, Austria
Erwin Rosenberg, Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna), Vienna, Austria
Manfred Schreiner, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, Austria

The Training School will provide tutorial lectures and practical demonstrations / exercises to various aspects of indoor air pollution in museums, galleries and archives by leading experts in the field. Sufficient time is foreseen for discussions, and the programme will be complemented by a number of site visits.

The following experts have agreed to give tutorial presentations:

• Peter Brimblecombe, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK:
  Air chemistry and exchange with rooms and cases in a changing climate
• Dario Camuffo, CNR, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Padova, Italy:
  What do we know so far about interactions between artworks and their environment? 
• Rene van Grieken, University of Antwerp, Belgium:
  Indoor air pollution by particles
• Martina Griesser-Stermscheg, University of Applied Arts Vienna, Austria:
  Packaging metal objects into plastic foils. Pollutants in the museum depot
• Terje Grøntoft, Norwegian Institute for Air Research, Kjeller, Norway:
  Simple devices for monitoring and assessment of indoor air quality for museums, archives and historic buildings
• John Havermans, TNO Delft, The Netherlands:
  COST D42 - ENVIART: A European network dedicated to the interactions between indoor environment & cultural artefacts
• Silvia Kalabis, University of Applied Arts Vienna, AT, and Hans Reschreiter, Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, AT:
  The adaptation of the historical showcases in the prehistoric collection of the NHM
• István Kecskemeti, Finnish National Archive, Helsinki, Finnland:
  Risk Assesment theory for Museums and Archives; practices from the Condition Survey Project of National Archives of Finland

• Valentina Ljubic and Bettina Sánchez-Romero, Technisches Museum Wien, AT:
  How to treat our biggest showcase 

• Marianne Odlyha and C.Theodorakopoulos, Birkbeck College, London, UK:
  The monitoring of indoor environments and the impact of their corrosivity on complex organic materials

• Klaus Pokorny, Technisches Museum Wien, AT:
  Museum Lightning: Three case studies showing different approaches for different exhibitions (National Portrait Gallery London, Museum Liaunig Carinthia, Science Museum Vienna)

• Anita Preisler, Arsenal Research, Vienna, AT:
  Feasibility study- energy efficiency and room comfort optimization at Technisches Museum Wien, AT
• Erwin Rosenberg, TU Vienna, Austria:
  An introduction and discussion of instrumental techniques and strategies for the monitoring / analysis of indoor air pollutants in museums, galleries and archives
• Helene Tello, Ethnological Museum, State Museums Berlin (to be confirmed):
  Biocide determination in ethnological collections: General strategies and analytical methods

Social Programme

On Saturday afternoon, there exists the possibility of an arranged visit to the private museum of Ernst Fuchs, one of the best known painters of the 'Viennese School of Fantastic Realism' which is located in the former villa of the well-known Austrian Art Noveau architect Otto Wagner. As this visit would be arranged exclusively for the group, we ask you to kindly indicate your interest in the registration form to support our planning.

Registration and Financial Support

Application form (pdf)

Interested participants are requested to apply for participation using the enclosed application form (one form for each participant). Your application will be reviewed, and you will be informed as soon as possible of your acceptance. Please submit your application before 3 April 2009, 17:00 h. Applications that arrive later than this date may be considered, depending on availability of places. However, financial support for participation by the COST Office will not be possible for late applications.

The participation to this Training School is financially supported by the COST Office in the frame of COST Action D42 ('EnviArt'). Financial support to eligible* participants will be a contribution to the costs of accommodation during the Training School, plus a contribution towards the travel costs, if occurring. For this reason, there are three categories of financial support that can be applied for:

Due to the rules set forth by the COST Office, all recipients of financial support from COST will have to register for a so-called 'short term scientific mission' (= STSM) through the on-line registration form at: https://www.cost.esf.org/index.php?id=91

Please be informed that the on-line registration form has to be submitted BEFORE 4 April 2009, 17:00 h to be eligible. Registrations that arrive later cannot be considered for finacial support without exception.

The Traing School organisers will cover the costs of the conference materials (handouts of the lectures, materials or consumables for practical work), as well as for lunch and coffee breaks. Also the costs of the welcome evening and the cockatail reception will be covered, while the conference dinner and the guided tour on Saturday afternoon will have to be paid by the participants.

Participants that are not eligible to receive COST support are also welcome to participate in the Training School. For them, the following registration fee applies:

 * Eligible participants come from a country that has signed the 'Memorandum of Understanding' to this COST Action. For the list of participating countries, see:
http://cost.esf.org/index.php?id=1120

Please download here the application form (MSWord).

This Training School is co-organised by:

• Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna),
• Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (KHM),
• Technisches Museum Wien (TMW), and
• Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

It is organised in the framework and with financial support of COST Action D42, "EnviART" ("Chemical Interactions between Cultural Artefacts and Indoor Environment")

For organisational questions, please contact:

Dr. Erwin Rosenberg
Vienna University of Technology
Getreidemarkt 9/164 AC
A-1060 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43-1-58801/15190
Email: e.rosenberg(at)tuwien.ac.at (pls. edit the email address before use !)

or:

Dr. Martina Griesser
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
Burgring 5
A-1010 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43-1-52524/5701
Email: martina.griesser(at)khm.at (pls. edit the email address before use !)

Vienna offers a great number of comfortable and nice hotels in every category.
We have made a special arrangement at the following hotels where you can reserve rooms at reduced rates mentioning the code "COST D42" until 10 April 2009:

• Mercure Hotel Secession****
• Hotel Admiral***

Other hotels situated nearby the Training School locations are:

• Viennart Hotel****
• Hotel Pension Museum***
• Hotel Drei Kronen***

In any case, we do strongly recommend that you make your reservation as early as possible. May is a very popular time to visit Vienna, it may thus be difficult to find a hotel room at reasonable price if you are booking late.

For further accomodations please visit the homepage of the Austrian Tourist Board:

• Austrian Tourist Board: Hotels in Vienna