To Plan the Renovation of the Philbrook Museum of Art HVAC System

FAIN: PF-255866-17

Philbrook Museum of Art, Inc. (Tulsa, OK 74114-4104)
Rachel Keith (Project Director: December 2016 to November 2019)

A planning project to address significant environmental factors—in particular, an aging heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system—that pose a threat to the Philbrook Museum’s comprehensive fine art collection. The proposed project seeks to incorporate sustainable practices into future plans for environmental controls and to identify ways to balance the needs of the 1927 museum building with the preservation requirements of the 14,000 objects stored and exhibited in the historic structure.

The Philbrook Museum of Art HVAC system is in great need of a total overhaul. Major concerns include: 1) The two boilers we have are over 25 years old, are inefficient, and have outlived their useful life. 2) The eight air handlers we have are also all over 25 years old and have likewise outlived their useful life. 3) The software related to our control panel is in need of upgrades. In visiting with Philbrook leadership in both the Curatorial and Facility Departments, they feel that this is the single largest barrier to Philbrook’s ability to ensure the long-term stability of the collection as an organization over the next 20 years. Furthermore, as environmental standards in the field have changed especially over the past ten years, reexamining the needs of the collection vis-à-vis sustainable approaches to preventative conservation is a top institutional priority.