Archbishop of Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Urmas Viilma, gave out around 50 commendation letters during a worship service on October 15th. Lembit Kurik and Veljo Sinivee, two TalTech engineers, were recognized along with other remarkable supporters, employees, and volunteers.
Author: Ain Alvela
Kurik and Sinivee are physics engineers in the Department of Cybernetics. They have studied humidity in Estonian churches for years, focusing on Saaremaa, Harjumaa, and Western Estonia. Kurik focused on mapping the dampness in the church walls, while Sinivee worked on optimizing church ventilation.
Currently, three churches have systems that open the windows at just the right time. The scientists say the feedback has been positive and the indoor climate has improved indeed. In addition, some churches have sensors measuring indoor climate and changes in humidity.
Kurik says humidity easily affected churches — these are old buildings with thick walls and lots of roof. Usually, people do not heat churches, so there are many ways humidity can infiltrate the walls. Measurements showed it’s common to have humidity level at some 80 per cent. It’s a problem because the buildings are easily affected and it’s difficult and time consuming to get humidity out.
The researchers looked into it in their spare time. However, the research was the basis for several scientific articles and doctorate theses.
The National Heritage Board that tries to preserve historical buildings started the process. The projects were funded through partnerships with Nordic countries that have churches working on similar issues.