7/28/2019 Notes on Building Conservation

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1. Archives and Record Storage Buildings are facilities that provide a proper environment for thepurpose of storing records and materials that require permanent protection for historic andlifetime storage, upkeep, and preservation. Archives and Record Storage Buildings must be high-performance buildings whose sstems must be designed to operate permanentl at a ver highlevel with !ero tolerance for failure. "he often irreplaceable nature of the materials to bepermanentl stored and preserved in this tpe of building requires a life-ccle analsis andapproach to its design and construction, with e#tensive redundanc in its building sstems.

 "his building tpe must be designed to accommodate the loads of the materials to be stored$ thesensitive environmental needs of di%erent materials to be permanentl stored and preserved$the functional e&cienc, safet, securit, and comfort of the visiting public and operatingpersonnel$ and the protection of the archived materials from 're, water, and man-made threat.

(.Regardless of the tpe of construction and the si!e of the building, the site chosen for anarchives repositor should alwas be reasonabl level, with good drainage so that water )owsawa quickl. "he repositor should not be located ne#t to watercourses that are likel to )ood,nor should it be located near stormwater drains.*f the repositor is to be located on or near a coastal site, it should be placed as far from theshoreline as possible. *n such locations, elevating the building will provide some protectionagainst a king tide, a storm surge that can follow in the aftermath of a cclone, or a tsunami thatcould follow an earthquake o%shore.

+. "he site should be thoroughl inspected for an evidence of pests particularl termites andshould be treated appropriatel before construction begins.An vegetation, including tree stumps, should be removed and the site should be kept free ofvegetation at all times. *deall, the area immediatel surrounding the building should be pavedor concreted.Avoid the use of pest control chemicals that are harmful to records or sta%. o not spra anchemicals directl onto records containers. Spras should be used with e#treme caution andonl for locali!ed outbreaks. /lueboard tras can be used for small outbreaks. 0aorinfestations ma require e#pert treatment.Baits and blunder traps should be placed throughout the building in order to eliminate insectsand other pests. "he are cheap to purchase and are quite e%ective. "he should be checkedregularl and replaced when necessar. "he building2s e#terior, including the roof and gutters,and the grounds, should be inspected regularl to ensure there are no pest infestations.*t is preferable to use steel shelving, which has been treated to prevent corrosion. 3oodenshelving should not be used as it ma be susceptible to attack b termites, or damage b 're.4oodstu%s and empt food and drink containers should be promptl removed from the site. 4oodand drink should never be permitted inside the repositor, or the reading room.

5. building should be located on an east west a#is and the smallest possible surface area shouldface the western afternoon sun. "he building should have good qualit )uorescent lighting andif possibleemergenc lighting. All light 'ttings should be covered with di%users plasticcovers that reduce the glare and help to spread the light more evenl. "o guard

against the e%ects of ultraviolet light, which can damage records, lighting in the repositorshould be of the low ultraviolet tpe, or the 'ttings covered with ultraviolet 'lters. 6o windows,sklights, roof penetrations, or rooftop mounted equipment should occur within7above thecompartmented archive spaces.

8. "he )oors should be covered, preferabl with vinl sheeting or vinl tiles. 9arpet should onlbe used in public and sta&ng areas. *t is not recommended in the storage area as it generallcannot sustain the wear and tear that vinl can. 9arpet also collects dust and can release small'bres. Bare concrete )oors should also be avoided as the can give o% contaminants that a%ectboth records and people. :4loors ma be designed for 18; pounds per square foot psf live load to allow the arrangementof standard full-height shelving anwhere in the librar. Since future growth ma require shelving

7/28/2019 Notes on Building Conservation

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to be relocated, 18; psf design loads will allow the standard full-height shelving to be placedanwhere without being concerned about potential structural damage from e#cessive point loadscaused b overloaded shelves. <owever, increasing the design load to +;; psf allows high-densit compact shelving, as opposed to standard shelving, to be placed anwhere. 9ompactshelving houses a greater quantit of media than standard shelving.

=. Secured visitor7researcher o&ces to view archival materials> consider several ?ees-on?securit vantage points, i.e., viewing glass from o&ce reception and from nearb administrativeo&ce areas and7or 99"@ cameras "he number of doors should be kept to a minimum. "heshould be reinforced with a steel plate and have pick resistant dead-bolt locks. 4ire doors shouldopen onl from the inside and e#ternal doors in the storage area should be limited to emergence#its. oors should not be recessed so that the cannot be directl observed. tili!e site barriersand setback distance, perimeter barriers and blast resistance, access control and intrusiondetection, entrance screening, package screening and control, open areas that allow for easvisual detection b occupants, and minimi!ed e#posed gla!ing.

. "he e#terior walls should be rendered and painted with a light colour paint to help re)ect heatand improve water resistance.

 "he walls should be built with bricks if available or concrete blocks, the latter having betterinsulation properties. "he building should be well insulated for protection against rapid)uctuation of temperature and humidit. *nsulation is best achieved b sealing the building withcaulk and weatherstripping to make it weatherresistant. Sealing reduces air 'ltration, airpollution, pest access, the heating and cooling load, and the amount of particulates in the air.*n tropical areas a mould inhibitor should be added to the paint.

C. "he roof should be steel, lightweight and strong, and is resistant to corrosion and hail. "he roof should be pitched, at least 1(D or more, for rapid rainwater run-o%. 4lat roofs should be avoidedas the ma allow water to collect in pools and subsequentl enter the building. "he eavesshould overhang the walls b at least =;;EF;; mm (E+ feet to aid water run-o% and reduce theimpact of heat on the walls during summer. "he roof cavit should be sealedwith good insulationrating *f the building is located in a cclone !one, it should be constructed to withstand potentialwind of more than +;; kilometres 1C; miles per hour.

F. 4ire e#tinguishers are the 'rst weapon against small 'res. "he can onl be e%ective if theare> in working order$ the proper tpe for the 're$ easil accessible$ and if the person handlingthem has been trained in their use. G#tinguishers should be high-pressure water or dr powderwith a minimum classi'cation of ** A>1;B>9. "he should be of a weight and si!e that allows allpersonnel to handle them. o not rel on small plastic 're e#tinguishers such as those suitablefor home use. 3all-mounted 're hosesAbilit for 're 'ghters to access 'res and adequatel ventilate heat and smoke.Structural loading should consider wet weight of stored materials in the event of sprinkleractivation.

1;. provision for archives e#pansionHverticall, hori!ontall. *t is generall less e#pensive to

increase building height than footprint area for the same amount of volume of stored materials. "his is especiall true in consideration of planning for future e#pansion of storage space.compartmentali!ation of storage areas to limit involved area of catastrophic loss in case of 're orsstem failure 9on'guration of storage spaces will be dependent on si!e and nature of obects tobe stored> )at or volumetric, phsical composition of archived material, and frequenc ofuse7access to stored materials. 9orridor and door widths su&cient for two carts to pass eachother, or for largest obects being stored