The Museum of History and Anthropology in La Laguna will receive a €327,061 upgrade to its electrical, lighting and telecommunications infrastructure
The Museum of History and Anthropology of Tenerife, housed in the historic Casa Lercaro in La Laguna, is set for a major overhaul of its electrical infrastructure after an assessment identified significant safety and maintenance problems.
The work will replace and reorganise the building’s existing electrical network, lighting and telecommunications systems, including the installation of new fibre optic infrastructure.
The project is being carried out by the Autonomous Organism of Museums and Centres of the Tenerife Cabildo, with the aim of reducing fire risks while bringing the museum’s infrastructure up to modern standards.
An ageing electrical system
The assessment found an electrical installation that has become increasingly difficult to maintain.
Among the problems identified are excessive and poorly organised distribution boards, oversized circuits, exposed wiring and alterations that do not sit particularly well with the original structure of the building.
The condition of the system has also resulted in deficiencies relating to fire safety, making the planned works more than a simple modernisation project.
An earlier refurbishment was carried out in 2007, but almost two decades on, those improvements are no longer considered sufficient for the museum’s current needs.
New electrical and lighting infrastructure
The project will involve removing and reorganising much of the existing infrastructure.
Visible conduits will be replaced with concealed electrified systems, while technical furniture will be positioned strategically to make the installation easier to maintain and less intrusive within the historic building.
The museum’s exhibition lighting will also be upgraded, with new solutions designed to improve conditions for displaying collections and accommodate modern audio-visual equipment.
The telecommunications network will receive an upgrade too, with additional connection points and new fibre optic infrastructure linking the museum with the nearby Casa Saavedra.
Protecting a historic building
The work comes with an obvious complication. Casa Lercaro isn’t exactly your average building where you can start knocking holes in walls and worry about the mess afterwards.
The property is classified as a Cultural Asset of National Interest and forms part of the historic centre of La Laguna, which is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Built in the late 16th century by the prominent Lercaro family, the building retains important architectural features including traditional courtyards, carved wooden balconies and its distinctive Mannerist entrance.
Any modernisation therefore has to improve safety without compromising the character of the building.
A €327,061 project
The electrical, fire safety, lighting and telecommunications works have a total budget of €327,061, with an estimated completion period of seven months.
Much of the finished work will probably be invisible to museum visitors, which is rather the point.
The aim is to make the infrastructure safer, easier to maintain and capable of supporting the museum’s technological requirements, while allowing Casa Lercaro’s historic features to remain the main attraction.
It is not the most glamorous museum upgrade, perhaps, but replacing an ageing electrical system in a 16th-century building is one of those jobs that is considerably more interesting to do before something catches fire.