Environmental Laboratory

Environmental Laboratory (FCE CTU) Living organisms, such as microorganisms, plants and invertebrates, pose a serious threat to objects of cultural and architectural heritage. The Environmental Laboratory is focused on the evaluation of mutual interactions of building materials and living organisms, biodegradation of building materials and ecotoxicity testing. The laboratory makes it possible to study the processes of biodegradation in historical materials, to support the selection of appropriate surface treatments, and to evaluate the treatments’ long-term mutual interplay with living organisms. The laboratory employs a holistic approach based on in-unison study of biodegradation and changes of materials’ hygrothermal performance, which enables application of measures leading to the elimination or at least mitigation of the effects of biodegradation. The main facilities include a climatic chamber, microbiological incubators, a laminar biological hazard box containing HEPA filters, a ventilator and UV lamp for work in a sterile environment, a spectrophotometer combined with fluorometer for measuring in microvolumes and cuvettes for sub-cellular research.