How Artworks Emergency Storage Centres are Made

The conservation of works of art and artefacts of artistic interest is of fundamental importance to preserve cultural heritage for future generations. One of the crucial aspects of this conservation is the risk management, especially those that can affect entire territories, such as floods, earthquakes or war conflicts.

In the event of catastrophic events, one of the most important measures to ensure the safety of these works is their transfer to safer areas. For this reason, the design of storage facilities intended to house these artefacts in emergency situations is a crucial aspect. These storage facilities must guarantee safety, fire protection and climatic conditions suitable for conservation.

There are two main models for the design of these storage facilities:

• Centralised model: a single storage facility is able to meet the entire need generated by emergencies. An example is the Centre de conservation du Louvre in France. The Centre de conservation du Louvre (project cost 60 million euros funded by the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Regional Council, the Louvre Museum, the European Union, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and patrons) is a conservation and research center located in Liévin, France. Inaugurated on October 8, 2019, the center has two main objectives:
  • Protect the works of the Louvre Museum from the risk of flooding of the Seine. The center houses approximately 250,000 works previously stored in 60 storage rooms at the Louvre, some of which were at risk of flooding.
  • Provide a research center for the Louvre’s scientific staff, partners, researchers and academics. The center offers spaces specifically designed for the conservation and consultation of the collections.
• Localised model: several storage facilities are built near the risk areas to house the artefacts. An example are the centres in Spoleto and Sassuolo, Celano-Paludi, Cittaducale, Ascoli Piceno and Ancona, in Italy. The Sassuolo center has been established following the 2012 earthquake as collection center and emergency site at Palazzo Ducale, Sassuolo. The center has hosted 1,630 artefacts from the four provinces hit by the earthquake and 715 objects have been made safe. 19 restorers worked at the center between September 2012 and October 2013. Over 5,000 photographic images and 4,000 sheets on the safety interventions have been digitalised in the database of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, which is accessible to public and private entities that own the works, as well as to restorers who request itThe center has two main objectives:
  • to provide a safe place for works recovered from damaged buildings
  • to ensure the safety of those that were seriously damaged.

The choice of model depends on various factors, including the concentration of works of art in the territory, the available resources and the specific characteristics of the areas at risk.

Regardless of the model chosen, the design of the storage facilities must follow rigorous standards to ensure the correct conservation of cultural heritage. In this regard, the European standard EN 16893:2018 provides guidelines for creating suitable storage conditions to effectively preserve these assets for a long period of time. Among the key points of the standard for compliant storage, we find:

• Controlled environmental conditions: constant temperature between 16°C and 18°C, relative humidity between 45% and 60% and protection from light, in particular ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• Physical protection: protection from mechanical damage, use of containers and racks appropriate to the type of object, and storage materials of archival quality, free of acids and chemicals.
• Prevention of contaminants: use of air filters or purification systems to eliminate dust, fungi, insects or polluting gases and isolation from external sources of contamination.
• Controlled access: access limited to authorized personnel, monitoring of areas and security systems.
• Maintenance: regular inspections to monitor temperature, humidity and possible signs of damage or contamination.

The overall objective of the standard is to ensure that storage conditions are the most suitable for the long-term conservation of cultural objects, preserving their integrity and avoiding premature deterioration.

It is important to remember that the implementation of this standard may vary depending on the type of institution, the size of the collection and the resources available.