The Conservation Laboratory of Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation is responsible for the protection, conservation and showcasing of our collections.
The Conservation Laboratory has been operating in a specially designed space inside the Foundation's building in the neighbourhood of Tavros since 2013, with the main objective of preserving and conserving the collections. The lab is equipped with all the necessary machinery and materials and utilizes contemporary methods of research and documentation in accordance with international conservation standards. Furthermore, the lab provides advisory services regarding preventive conservation to peer institutions.
The Laboratory welcomes educational visits from departments of related disciplines of secondary and higher education and supervises the practical training of students.
In parallel, the lab designs and organises lifelong learning workshops on preventive conservation, paper, bookbinding and recycling.
The Conservation Laboratory designs, oversees and carries out preventive and interventive conservation processes.
More specifically, in the context of preventive conservation, the Conservation Laboratory plans and organises measures and actions in order to minimise any possible future deterioration of the preservation status of the collections such as:
1) creation and monitoring of optimal environmental preservation conditions in storage and exhibition areas;
2) selection of storage, display and transportation methods of the objects;
3) emergency management planning;
4) staff training for safe handling practices.
In addition, the Conservation Laboratory monitors the operation of the energy management system installed in the storage areas of the collections (Building Energy Management Systems - BEMS), which provides direct digital control and/or remote control of the systems regulating environmental parameters, ventilation, lighting and alarms. This system ensures the stability of the desired environmental conditions 24/7, creates a digital log of temperatures and relative humidity every half hour for 365 days and promotes the rational usage and saving of energy.
In the context of interventive conservation, the Conservation Laboratory is equipped with the necessary tools and equipment for the necessary actions to stabilise or/and decelerate the decline in the conservation state of books and paper objects.
An occupational risk assessment has been carried out for all activities of the Conservation Laboratory to eliminate risks by activity in order to monitor and prioritise the improvement of safety and health measures for employees in the lab.
The management and reduction of the environmental impact of the laboratory's activities is carried out in accordance with the ISO 14001:2004 standard and the European EMAS regulation followed by the Foundation.
Niketoplos Neophytos, Summary of the Holy Gospel
1830, Private collection
Niketoplos Neophytos, Summary of the Holy Gospel
1830, Private collection
Share Certificate, Anatoliki Joint Stock Marine Transport Company
1919, Archives of Konstas, Anastasios and Stefanos - Office of Studies and Industrial Installations, Historical Archives of PIOP
