Keeping in mind the nature of a historic house museum and the special relationship among the collection, its character and the building, a multidisciplinary team has been trying to establish a method for developing a preventive conservation plan for the House of Rui Barbosa Museum and its collection, based on an environmental control strategy. This team of technicians and administrative staff from the House of Rui Barbosa Foundation has sought and received advice from international sources on conservation science, environmental management, material engineering and construction techniques, all adapted for the Brazilian context.