2. L.A. Confidential — continued from page 1
The Getty Center (www.getty.edu) is the flagship cities in the world, LACMA serves as a cultural “village green”
museum of the J. Paul Getty Trust. The 110-acre campus is for the people who live in, work in, and visit Los Angeles.
located on a hill in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles. Since its founding, LACMA has undergone an enormous
The Getty Center is high enough that on a clear day, it is physical expansion, driven by its achievements in exhibi-
possible to see the snow at Big Bear as well as the Pacific tion, collection and scholarship, as well as a growing role
Ocean and the entire Los Angeles basin. There are 86 acres within the fabric of the Los Angeles community. Covering
of gardens and terraces, and 600 acres of surrounding hill- more than 700,000 square feet, the museum currently includes
sides left in their natural state. Visitors are transported from six buildings on Wilshire Boulevard’s “Miracle Mile”, between
the main parking area, three-quarters of a mile up the moun- downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.
tain on an emission-free electric tram that glides on a cushion The Museum of Contemporary Art — MOCA
of air generated by electric blowers. This is the only tram (www.moca.org) — is the only museum in Los Angeles
system of its kind on the West Coast of the United States. devoted exclusively to contemporary art. Founded in 1979,
The Getty Center collects and exhibits classical sculpture MOCA is committed to the collection, presentation and
and art, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculp- interpretation of work produced since 1940 in all media,
ture, decorative arts and photographs. In 1997, the museum and to the preservation of that work for future generations.
moved to its current location in Los Angeles, and the origi- MOCA offers a variety of exhibitions, collections, educa-
nal Malibu museum, renamed the “Getty Villa”, was closed tional events, and publications. The Museum is currently
for renovation. housed in three facilities: MOCA Grand Avenue, MOCA at
The Villa re-opened in January, and we plan to include The Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo, and MOCA at
a visit to the new Villa during this year’s conference. The the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. If you love
Villa is dedicated to Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. Contemporary Art, this is one of the finest museums in the
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, known locally United States. Exhibitions are always mind-blowing, and
as LACMA (www.lacma.org), is the premier encyclopedic leave you with a refreshing new look at contemporary art.
visual arts museum in the western United States. Originally This year’s conference will feature an exciting Guest
established as part of the Los Angeles County Museum of Program, including a day at Universal Studios. There will
Natural History, Science and the Arts in early 1900, it relo- also be a harbor dinner cruise offering panoramic views
cated to its present 24-acre campus in the mid-Wilshire area of the city and coastal areas.
in 1965. As an independent institution, the Museum has Lodging during the conference will be in Santa Monica
assembled a collection of approximately 100,000 works near the beaches and the Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade.
from around the world, spanning the history of art from Please refer to the conference registration form at www.
ancient times to the present. Through its far-reaching col- iamfa.org, and contact the hotel directly, mentioning the
lections and extensive public programs, the museum is IAMFA conference when booking your room.
both a resource to, and a reflection of, the many cultural We are looking forward to seeing everyone this
communities in Southern California. September in Los Angeles, and will do our very best
As one of the region’s foremost public art museums, to match the terrific experience at last year’s conference
located in the heart of one of the most culturally diverse in Bilbao.
MARISSA ROTH
MARISSA ROTH
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. MOCA Grand Avenue. MOCA Grand Avenue.
2
3. Message from the President
to publish this issue of Papyrus — his begin to gather feedback from all IAMFA
first since taking on this new role on members on the priorities that IAMFA
the Board of Directors. Dan will be should be considering over the next
Guy Larocque,
President of IAMFA looking for contributions of articles five years. The establishment of the
from members, so please be proactive committees as discussed at the Stra-
and share your experiences through tegic Planning brainstorming session
Getting on with IAMFA a Papyrus article. in Bilbao is already one step ahead of
Business John de Lucy has been very active in this process, and is a positive initiative
It’s hard to believe that several months putting order in the Regional Chapter towards achieving IAMFA’s longer-term
have already past since our annual lists and assisting Richard Kowalczyk objectives.
conference in Bilbao. My family and with the website updates, as well as As you can see, IAMFA business
I thoroughly enjoyed the company of making contact with Chapter members continues to progress because of the
our colleagues and their spouses, our to encourage activity in their regions. dedication and hard work of your
hosts, and the hospitality of the Basque John is also working on sending out Board and of other IAMFA members.
people. I take this opportunity to once letters to as many Presidents and CEOs These efforts are truly appreciated and
again thank Rogelio Diez and Roberto of Museums and Cultural Institutions in I look forward to the future success of
Cearsolo for producing a truly wonder- the world as possible. My membership our association.
ful and very informative conference. with ICOM has provided me with access
Their hard work, very structured orga- to their membership lists, and I have Guy Larocque, P.Eng.
nization, dedication and support from been working with John on this task. President, IAMFA
their staff and colleagues have made You will be happy to know that
this conference one that we will never IAMFA has created new committees
forget. I would also like to thank all to perform more detailed work for the IAMFA Board of Directors
of the speakers whose excellent pre- Board of Directors. Each committee President
sentations were most appreciated by has a chairperson who will report to a Guy Larocque
the delegates, encouraging much dis- Board member, and may be composed Canadian Museum of Civilization and
cussion among the IAMFA members of all types of IAMFA members. The Canadian War Museum, Gatineau, Canada
guy.larocque@civilization.ca
in attendance. committees established so far are the
Since our annual conference last Benchmarking Committee chaired by V.P., Administration
Richard Kowalczyk
September, your Board of Directors has Keith McClanahan of Facility Issues, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.,
been busy working behind the scenes. the Outreach Committee chaired by USA
Richard Kowalczyk has updated our John de Lucy, and a committee chaired kowalczykr@nasm.si.edu
IAMFA website to include changes to by Jack Plumb dealing with the U.K. V.P., Regional Affairs
the Board of Directors, information on emissions initiative, which aims at hav- John de Lucy
the IAMFA 2006 Annual Conference in ing buildings labeled with a recognized The British Library, London, U.K.
Los Angeles, the new IAMFA Museum standard such as the one proposed by john.delucy@bl.uk
Benchmarks of Survey of Facility Man- IAMFA. We expect that, as these com- Treasurer
agement Practices, etc. I invite you all mittees make progress in their respec- Jim Moisson
Harvard University Art Museums,
to visit our website to stay abreast of tive areas of responsibility, they will Cambridge, MA, USA
our activities. be able to share their progress with james_moisson@harvard.edu
Jim Moisson has put a lot of effort members through articles published
Secretary and Papyrus Editor
into working with our financial institu- in future issues of Papyrus. Daniel H. Davies
tion to allow credit card payments for Joe May has already made excellent Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.,
membership via the website. Because progress with the planning of our 2006 USA
ddavies@si.edu
of his dedication to keeping IAMFA’s Annual Conference in Los Angeles.
accounts in order, we are once again This promises to be another excellent Chairman — Conference 2006
this year operating with a surplus. Jim conference, and I urge you to visit our Joseph E. May
J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, CA, USA
is also preparing the IAMFA member- website to obtain more information on jmay@getty.edu
ship mail-out that you should have dates and places.
received by now. Finally, the results of the strategic For additional contact information,
Your IAMFA Secretary and Papyrus planning session that we had in Bilbao please visit our website at
Editor, Dan Davies, has worked hard are being organized, so that we can www.iamfa.org
3
4. Fire Protection and
the British Library Repository
by John de Lucy
In recent years, the British Library has Applying Section 6 of the British standard has been identified which
identified a need to facilitate automa- Standard to this repository is not simple, could be similarly reviewed. However,
tion of its collections, leading to the in that the repository is significantly some relevant guidance on construction
creation of a new repository. The repos- larger than the typical archive building has been identified in the LPC Design
itory will be fully automated, delivering for which the Code of Practice was Guide for the fire protection of buildings
and receiving totes from a conveyor belt written. In addition, with the exception 2000, and this is discussed within the
which connects to the smaller ancillary of the ancillary staff area, it is a stand- section on Fire Compartmentalization.
staff area (picking area) where books alone building rather than being part The risk of a serious fire occurring
are selected, then loaded for dispatch or of a larger building, as is more typical. in the archive building — given its
received for storage. The repository is Finally, and possibly most significantly, high level of protection against arson,
approximately 80 meters (262 feet) long, it is not possible to remove one of the and the fact that it is a modern build-
50 meters (164 feet) wide and 24 meters main ignition risks (i.e., the automation ing — remains low. As such, the fire-
(78 feet) high, providing a total volume system), by isolating the electrical sup- protection strategy will guard against a
of 96,000m3 (3.4 million cu. ft.) ply when not in use. The British Library low-risk event that has high-potential
The repository will store irreplace- thus requested that possible approaches consequences.
able documents, and the British Library to fire prevention, detection and sup- There are two main approaches to
requires that the repository should pression be identified, the links between fire protection:
comply as fully as possible with BS them explained, and their costs set out. 1. Fire Prevention — preventing fires
(British Standard) 5454 “Recommenda- The Library has also requested that the from occurring in the first place.
tion for the storage and exhibition of role of providing fire compartments
archival documents“. This Code of also be considered and explained. 2. Fire Suppression — containing or
Practice lays out the environmental con- Given the unusual nature of the extinguishing fires once they have
ditions that must be achieved, and the repository, the approach adopted in started.
measures that should be taken to limit the United States — as outlined in
risk to the collection. Fire is identified as NFPA 909 “Fire Protection of Cultural Fire Prevention
a key risk, and Section 6 of the British Resources” — has been reviewed to General
Standard details the measures that determine if there is any applicable In principle, prevention offers the most
should be taken to mitigate against it. guidance. No equivalent European effective approach to fire protection
Artist’s rendition of the new British Library Repository.
4
5. because, if it can be prevented from prevention strategy, it will be necessary first line of defense is early detection
occurring, there will be no conse- to apply a holistic approach which and rapid powering-down. This enables
quential damage. To prevent a fire eliminates all potential sources. an investigation to determine if remedial
occurring you have to remove one Sources of ignition are not generally action should be taken, such as the
of the following: eliminated in commercial building con- removal of faulty equipment. As dis-
struction, so practices adopted in the cussed below, the new British Library
• fuel;
nuclear, offshore and chemical industry Repository will be provided with a
• ignition source; or
were reviewed instead. Unlike com- high-sensitivity fire-detection system,
• oxygen. mercial construction, these industries which should be able to detect an over-
do employ protected electrics to prevent heating component before ignition has
Removing the fuel from the repos- ignition in flammable atmospheres, but occurred. Rapid powering-down of
itory is not practical, given that it stores work on the principle of excluding the all electrical supplies upon first detec-
combustibles. As for the ignition source, atmosphere. In highly hazardous areas, tion is thus considered a worthwhile
as an unoccupied warehouse, the which must include only intrinsically fire precaution.
repository’s principal ignition source safe automation equipment, pneumatics At the same time that automated
is its automation equipment. The prac- are used instead of electrics. There are systems are shut down, consideration
ticality of modifying the automation also proprietary products, such as self- could be given to shutting down the
equipment to prevent it from pro- contained suppression systems, to pro- air-conditioning system as well, in
viding the necessary ignition source tect motors, computer cabinets, etc. order to reduce forced ventilation and
is discussed below. As for oxygen, a However, the applicability of these eliminate another potential ignition/
low-oxygen system creates an inert products to the proposed automation fire source.
atmosphere which reduces the con- equipment is not clear.
centration of oxygen. The application It is therefore clear that, while reduc- Low Oxygen
of a low-oxygen environment to the ing the risk of ignition from the auto- The principal benefit of a low-oxygen
repository is also discussed below. mation system is not impossible, it system is that, because it will prevent
cannot be achieved with off-the-shelf a fire from occurring, there should be
Fire-Safe Automation technology, and achieving it would no consequential damage to the archive.
Within the repository’s automation require significant development with The system achieves an inert atmosphere
equipment, electrical motors, wiring automation contractors. by forcing compressed air through a
and mechanical drives are all potential molecular sieve, which strips away the
sources of ignition. Sensible steps can Powering Down oxygen molecules to produce a nitrogen-
be taken to limit the potential for this Computer rooms are similar to reposi- rich atmosphere. The system will reduce
by, for example, fitting the electric tories, in that the risk of fire is low, but the oxygen concentration to 15%, down
motors with thermistors. However, they are often fire-protected because from the normal 21%, at which com-
if removing the ignition source is to the consequence of a fire would be bustion will not occur, although forced
be adopted as the repository’s fire- high. In such cases, the recommended pyrolosis could still occur.
The principle of maintaining an inert
atmosphere to prevent fire has been
applied in the nuclear and defense
industry, but is not yet widespread.
Over 100 systems — some of which
were for buildings larger than the
proposed repository — have been
installed in Europe over the past six
years. This is inconsequential, how-
ever, when compared to the proven
track record of sprinkler and water-
mist systems. It should thus be recog-
nized that, while low oxygen offers,
in principle, the most effective fire-
protection strategy, the Library and
design team will be pioneering a new
approach to archive protection.
Floorplan for the First Floor of the new British Library Repository. continued on page 6
5
6. Fire Protection and the British Library Repository — continued from page 5
A low-oxygen system comprises a to the building envelope, could simi- issue, rather than affecting the reposi-
compressor, a molecular sieve and an larly result in the archive being unpro- tory’s protection strategy. For example,
oxygen-sensing device that samples the tected. Should all plant systems fail, the the benefit of having a 100% standby
air over many points to ensure that it building’s atmosphere would remain capacity is that replacement of com-
remains at the required 15% oxygen inert for 90 hours. pressors replacement and nitrogen gen-
concentration. A unique advantage of A low-oxygen system has higher erators would be phased-in, so that the
a low-oxygen system is that the pipes running costs than suppression sys- repository always remains protected.
used to check oxygen concentration tems. Depending on the degree of air-
can also be used for smoke detection. tightness, a compressor rated between Staff Area
Given the irreplaceable nature of the 55 and 65 kW would be required for The support building will be separated
archived materials, the system would approximately seven hours. Maintenance by a four-hour fire-resistant compart-
be provided with a standby compressor of the system would include normal ment wall; thus, any fire within it should
and standby molecular sieve to provide compressor maintenance and annual not directly affect the repository con-
a high level of redundancy. The power inspection of the oxygen-sensing tents. There are no significant issues
supply to the compressors and the system and the molecular sieve. associated with achieving a reasonable
sensing equipment would also be With a 15% oxygen concentration, level of life safety in this part of the
provided with standby power. the repository would be classified as a building, and the only active fire-pre-
The other element in the system is confined space. Therefore, while it caution measure required for Building
the building’s fabric. In order to main- would be safe for the Library staff to Regulations is a fire-alarm system. How-
taining an inert atmosphere, the build- enter the repository for regular main- ever, a fire in the support building could
ing must be as airtight as possible. The tenance tasks, full confined-space pro- damage any part of the collection which
repository can be designed to achieve cedures will need to be developed and is in transit, as well as the conveyor
this, and its integrity will be tested followed. Ironically, if things go wrong system, thus halting operations. The
upon completion to ensure that the and air enters, the space gets safer! Automation Consultant advised that,
installed low-oxygen system will Within the 70-year anticipated design if the conveyor belts were damaged,
achieve the required nitrogen con- life of the building, there will be a need it could take several weeks before the
centration. However, the building’s to replace the major mechanical ele- conveyors could be reinstated and the
integrity will need to be maintained ments of the plant; i.e., the compressors. building resume normal operations.
over the building’s life, which may have These will be in daily use; however, The support area will benefit from
long-term maintenance implications. providing that they are well maintained, being staffed when in operation, and
Events such as the removal of a the anticipated replacement period good fire-safety procedures could be
crane, which requires the building to would be approximately every 20 to considered to provide an effective fire-
be opened up, will result in the archive 25 years. The molecular sieve (nitrogen precaution strategy for most buildings
being unprotected for a period of time generator) would require replacing of this size. These procedures will need
as normal air enters the building. Once every 10 years. to encompass good standards of house-
the atmosphere is normalized, it would The plant for the low-oxygen system keeping, having all staff trained in the
take approximately 75 hours to return it will be housed outside the repository, use of fire extinguishers, and being
to a 15% oxygen concentration. Unplan- and plant replacement will therefore familiar with emergency procedures.
ned events, such as accidental damage be an economic cost and management
Automatic Fire Detection
Recommended Method
The British Standard recommends that
a Type P1 automatic fire-detection
system be installed throughout. This
level of coverage ensures that all areas
are protected with automatic fire detec-
tion. The Code of Practice also recom-
mends that it might be desirable to
install a high-sensitivity fire-detection
system which is designed to detect a
fire in its incipient stage, before any
East Elevation of the new British Library Repository. smoke, heat or flame is produced.
6
7. An aspirating system is the recom- are actually best-suited for detecting Suppression
mended method of smoke detection clean-burning fires that would be pro- The British Standard recommends only
for the repository. It meets the recom- duced in spirit stores, for example. the consideration of fire suppression
mendations of the British Standard, in There are other methods of detection, for maximum protection. Thus, any
that this type of system can be 1,000 such as sensing for carbon monoxide, system could be considered to com-
times more sensitive to the early signals which is present in all fires — often in pensate for the additional risk presented
of fire than conventional point detec- large quantities. It might even be prac- by the automation system. NFPA 909
tors. Aspirating detection is also com- tical to modify low-oxygen sensing to recommends the adoption of a sprinkler
monly used in high-rack storage, as a sample for CO as well as oxygen, and system.
matter of best practice. This is because have a separate conventional aspirating Other fire-protection measures which
sampling the environment at several smoke-detection system to provide were considered and discounted are
levels, via the pipes running vertically two separate smoke-detection systems. detailed in Table 1 below.
within the racks, overcomes the prob- continued on page 8
lem of early smoke stratification (smoke
not reaching high enough levels) that
would render point detectors ineffective TABLE 1 — DISCOUNTED METHODS
in this environment. Method Means Reasons
An aspirating smoke detection sys-
Inert gas Displaces oxygen Repository is much larger than
tem might sense a fire at a very early available systems can handle.
stage, but in this large repository it
Chemical gas (FM200) Uses a refrigerant that As above; in addition, because
will only be able to provide an approx- extinguishes the fire by only low concentrations by
imate location. The principal benefit chemical action. volume are required, it needs
of early detection is to enable the auto- a relatively airtight
mation system to be rapidly powered environment to be effective.
down (as the most likely ignition If either of the above gases was discharged inadvertently, the archive would be
source), and any faults investigated unaffected, but there would be a large cost associated with replacing the
“wasted” gases, during which time the archive would not be protected.
within it.
With aspirating systems, false alarms Cycling sprinkler Acts as a sprinkler Cannot be applied to the
are prevented by enabling the system systems system, but water repository, because of difficul-
is turned off when ties in accurately sensing the
to “learn” the background environment automatic detection state of any fire. Also, in the
it will see in the non-fire condition senses that the fire has U.S. there have been practical
during the commissioning period. The been dealt with. failures in which the heat
detectors which turn off the
system is then set to recognize fire sig-
water supply have been
nals in addition to the normal conditions cooled by the sprinkler,
that it is constantly sampling. causing the water flow to
halt while there is still a fire.
Secondary Smoke-Detection System High-expansion foam Fills large spaces, pre- Rejected for the repository: if
The British Library’s conservators venting combustion it went into operation, every
expressed their preference for a sec- by excluding oxygen. single tote would need to be
decontaminated afterward.
ondary smoke-detection system which
would act as a backup to the aspirating Powder suppressant Delivers powder to Rejected because it was
system the fire source, which developed for more localized
system. However, while beam detection acts by halting the applications, in which flooding
is relatively simple, it is not sensitive chain reaction in the assistance helps effectiveness.
enough. A fire at the ground-floor level combustion process.
would have to become large enough Suppressant mounted Puts out the fire locally. Not considered workable,
to be clearly visible before the beam on crane because of the time delay
would likely detect it. Point detectors between the fire being
detected and the robot
are impractical, because a large number reaching it.
would have to be incorporated within
Smoke ventilation Designed to keep A system that kept smoke
the racking. Infrared or ultraviolet
smoke above the level above the highest level of
detectors are line-of-sight devices which of stock to protect it stock could not practically
would need to be automated to enable from damage. be provided. (N.B.: Smoke
them to scan the stacks and allow for clearance as required by BS
5454 will be provided.)
the crane’s motion. Furthermore, they
7
8. Fire Protection and the British Library Repository — continued from page 7
Sprinklers given by reference to the case studies • sprinkler tanks and pumps. Two
Sprinklers work simply by putting provided in NFPA 909. These refer tanks would be provided, so if
water onto the fire source. A point to 29 library fires that have occurred one had to be drained for main-
often misunderstood about sprinklers in the U.S. and elsewhere. Of these, tenance, the other would remain
is that they are thermally operated and 23 libraries had no sprinklers or had available. There would be a duty
therefore only sprinklers close to the only partial sprinkler protection. In and a standby pump.
fire are activated. NFPA 909 suggests the majority of these fires, damage
that 70% of fires are controlled by four was extensive. In the six incidents in The sprinkler system would need to
sprinkler heads or less. which sprinklers had been provided, be a closed system, and a small jockey
The disadvantage of thermal-operated the extent of damage was reduced, pump will maintain system pressure,
sprinklers is that they require a reason- as shown in Table 2 below. requiring a small amount of electrical
able fire to operate, and damage to the The repository’s sprinkler system power. The main pumps will only be
archive would inevitably occur. This will comprise heads positioned at run for a short period to ensure that
damage would include direct fire dam- the front of the racks and in the flues. they will operate when required.
age, smoke contamination and water Heads will be provided at every level, Maintenance requirements would
damage from sprinkler run-off. How- alternating between the front of the be fairly minimal, involving weekly
ever, it is stressed that a sprinkler head rack, then in the flue and so on. In operation of the sprinkler valves and
will typically deliver 65 litres per minute, order to enable the supplier to provide the pumps. In addition, an annual
whereas a fire brigade hose will deliver cost and plant estimates, it was neces- inspection should be carried out. There
1,000 litres per minute, making the sary to assume that there would be are numerous approved contractors
latter far more like to cause extensive 25 layers of totes that were 600 mm who could do this, irrespective of who
water damage. high, with a 150 mm gap between supplies and installs the system.
A sprinkler system for the repository each tote and the sprinkler head. A more significant factor is the rec-
would comprise in-rack sprinklers to The system would include the ommendation that a foam additive be
ensure that they operate at an early following components: provided. The foam additive AFFF
stage. The extent of damage that is • the heads within the racks; would be introduced into the sprinkler
likely to occur in the event of suc- water via a bladder tank and a propor-
cessful sprinkler operation is not easy • the pipe work;
tioning valve, as only 3% by volume is
to estimate. The best indication is • sprinkler zone valves, and
required. It would be released through
the normal sprinkler heads and foams
upon contact with air. By forming a
TABLE 2 — REPORTED INCIDENTS OF SUCCESSFUL SPRINKLER OPERATION foam blanket, AFFF generally improves
Number of the suppression system’s effectiveness
Sprinkler Heads by excluding air from the seat of the fire.
Library Initiating Event in Operation Reported Damage
The sprinkler system’s mechanical
Broward County Fire in trash room Not reported Parts of first floor plant would have to be replaced within
Main Library (1993) from cigarette damaged, including
some library material.
the repository’s lifespan. The duty and
standby pumps would be run on a
University of Utah Overheating Two heads Damage mainly
regular basis only to test their operation,
(1981) slide projector confined to
audiovisual area. would be well maintained, and should
not wear out. However, it is usual
South Bend Public Fire started in Not reported Building damage
Library (1992) elevator shaft associated with industry practice to assume that they
elevator area. will require replacing every 25 years.
Saint Joseph Hospital Incendiary device Two heads Damage contained As with the low-oxygen plant, because
Missouri (1982) in second floor to room of origin they are housed outside of the reposi-
book stack tory and have a 100% standby, their
New York University Fire in book stack One head Damage reported replacement will be a cost and man-
Library (1965) to be limited to agement issue, and will not affect the
$7,000. repository protection.
New York University Fire in book stack One head Damage was The sprinkler system would have
Library (1951) reported to be zones, enabling the phasing of head
limited to $1,000.
and pipe replacement, and allowing
8
9. for the decanting of totes to protected place air, thus reducing the available could only be established by full-scale
areas. However, their replacement will oxygen to the fire and increasing the fire testing to determine the most effec-
clearly involve significant costs and system’s effectiveness. This increased tive positioning of sprinkler heads.
management resources by the Library. effectiveness enables a water-mist sys- These fire tests would need to be insti-
tem to extinguish a fire with typically gated, and several would be required
Water Mist a tenth of the water required by a to determine the optimum head spacing.
A water-mist system is best regarded sprinkler system. This would be expensive.
as a high-pressure sprinkler system, This reduced water delivery limits A water-mist system does differ from
although the pressure at 200 Bar is such the extent of water damage that would a sprinkler system for lifecycle costs,
that the water is delivered in drops just occur if the water mist operated within in that the pipe work and heads are
several microns in size. This gives them the repository. It also requires a smaller of stainless steel. The need for stain-
a larger surface area and a greater capa- plant and pipes, which would make it less steel is partially due to strength
city to absorb heat. The fine nature easier to fit into the building. It may requirements, but is largely due to
of the spray also enables water mist even be possible to reduce the clear- the fact that the small holes within the
to be more penetrative, although this ance between the mist head and top head could easily become blocked by
does rely on the thermal currents of a of the tote to below 150 mm. contamination. As the “wet” side of
fire to draw it in. This makes water The major disadvantage of a high- the water mist system is stainless steel,
mist less effective on small fires than pressure water-mist system is that each it should not be necessary to replace
an equivalent sprinkler system. When application is a one-off design. A water- the pipes or water-mist heads within
drawn into a fire, the mist will also dis- mist system design for the repository the repository’s 70-year lifespan.
continued on page 10
TABLE 3 — COMPARISON OF SUPPRESSION METHODS WITH LOW OXYGEN
Running and Maintenance
Advantages Disadvantages
Costs
Suppression
method Principal Secondary Principal Secondary System Secondary
Low Oxygen Will prevent fire Oxygen sensing system Novel technology; the System can only be £535,000 Saving on smoke
from occurring. can be supplemented British Library would maintained by supplier, detection system:
with smoke detectors, be pioneering this potentially putting the 70-year cost: £20,000.
Claimed 100% avoiding the need for approach to archive British Library in a poor £1.7M
effective when a separate system. protection. commercial position. Annual maintenance
plant running. costs: £8,100.
System’s effectiveness
Plant availability is dependent on Power consumption:
> 99.9% building integrity. £13,000 per annum.
If lost, archive will
be unprotected for
a period of time.
Repository will need
to be treated as a
confined space.
Sprinklers Proven effective Staff area easily If they operate, a fire Building size has to be £800,000 Additional building
method of pro- sprinkler-protected. has occurred and increased to accommo- cost due to increased
tecting archive a proportion of date sprinklers. 70-year cost: building size:
storage. Well-established the archive will be £2M £450,000
design codes to damaged by water Potential for leaks or
80–90% effective validate. run-off and smoke accidental activation. Annual maintenance
damage, as well as costs: £10K
direct fire damage.
Running cost advised
Sprinkler heads and as £250 per annum.
pipe work will require
replacement in the
racking during the life
of the building.
Water mist Quick knock- Reduced water delivery. Will require expensive Expensive. £3–4 million Similar to that for
down of fire; less testing to prove it for sprinklers.
damage than Smaller sprinkler pipes. this application. 70-year cost:
sprinklers. £4.4M
Reduced plant area
80–90% effective required.
9
10. Fire Protection and the British Library Repository — continued from page 9
Fire Compartmentalization of time in a real fire — long enough 15%. It offers preventive fire pro-
to allow for firefighters to intervene tection, not post-event (reactive)
Applicable Guidance and ensure that the fire is contained suppression of an actual fire.
Since the repository is a single-storey in that compartment.
building, there is no requirement under A further advantage to providing any 3. No water present in the repository.
Building Regulations to divide it into compartment walls within the reposi-
separate fire compartments. The Support 4. An advantage for salvage, as com-
tory is that they will run longitudinally,
Building is two storeys in height. In pared to discharge of sprinklers and
and will generally avoid any penetra-
order to treat the repository as a single- resulting water and smoke damage.
tions for doors and services. These pen-
storey building, it is necessary to provide etrations have been proven to be the
a fire compartment wall between them. 5. Nitrogen is an inert gas which
weak link in compartment construction, achieves homogeneous distribu-
As no maximum compartment size with some estimates putting the instance
is given in the British Standard, the tion, easily providing consistent
of failure in fire doors as high as 40%. levels of protection throughout
only requirement for compartmen- Given the above, it can be stated
talization is between the repository the building.
with a high degree of confidence that
and the Support Building. However, any compartment wall provided within 6. The system continuously samples
as discussed above, BS 5454 does not the repository will prevent fire spreading and monitors oxygen levels in the
envisage archive storage on this scale. to the adjacent compartment. repository. It is always clear whether
It is understood that, when the clause or not the repository is protected
was written, the largest compartment Application to the British Library against fire.
area was envisaged was 300 m2. With Repository
an assumed floor-to-floor height of To strictly satisfy the British Standard, 7. The system indirectly monitors
4 meters, this gives a total volume of as written, the only compartment wall integrity of the building fabric by
1,200 m3 or 1/50th of the proposed required is the one between the reposi- indicating any issue with air-tightness.
size of the British Library Repository. tory and the ancillary accommodation. A reduced-oxygen fire prevention
This compartment wall will have to system operates in conjunction
Requirement and Effectiveness be provided. The British Library has with air-handling systems.
The true benefit of any compartment decided to provide a single longitu-
wall will only be realized in the unlikely dinal compartment wall dividing the 8. Early smoke detection (an aspirated
event that the suppression system fails building into one four-aisle space and system) is combined with the oxy-
to operate, or halt the fire, and fire- one three-aisle space. gen sampling system and uses com-
fighters subsequently fail to prevent mon pipes in the repository. Pipe
the fire from involving a large part of Compartmentalization Summary work is plastic and not pressurized
the building. Therefore, any compart- Advantages and therefore has good resistance
ments formed in the repository would • Reduces consequence of to deterioration and accidental
be provided as the last line of defense. uncontrolled fire damage (e.g., by a crane).
The caveat to this statement is that, even
without fire resistance, any subdivision • Reduces consequential damage (due 9. The aspirated system can detect
of the repository will help to protect to smoke/steam) of controlled fire very early stages of pyrolysis in
non-fire-affected items from any smoke very large spaces with a high
Disadvantages degree of sensitivity.
or steam that will be generated, even
• Increases building footprint and
when a sprinkler or water-mist system
land requirements 10. The fire risk posed by automated
has successfully controlled the fire.
systems is mitigated: electrical cabl-
A four-hour compartment wall, • Additional cost
ing will not burn in 17% oxygen.
established against the standard time/
temperature curve, will not necessarily Reduced Oxygen Fire 11. There is a clear advantage in the
survive this period of time in a real Prevention Systems: simplicity of the plant used, its
fire. However, given the standard of standardized industrial components,
Risk/Benefit Analysis
construction required to achieve four and its known maintenance cycles.
hours under the standard BS476 test, Benefits
it is reasonable to assume that any 1. A reduced-oxygen fire prevention 12. Plant maintenance is not tied to a
compartment wall will maintain its system will prevent fire occurring specific reduced-oxygen system
effectiveness for a significant period with the proposed oxygen level of supplier.
10
11. 13. The proposed system offers good 4. While the principles, equipment, the Library’s proposed building.
scope for disaster planning. The and fire prevention rationale are They protect three years’ worth of
proposal includes a duplicate com- not new, the combination is inno- advance fabric stock with a reduced-
pressor and nitrogen generator. This vative in relation to fire protection oxygen environment, and chose to
plant redundancy permits several and a building of this type. build a single warehouse protected
layers of fire mitigation within the in this way, rather than two separate
solution (e.g., backup should one 5. The Library would be applying warehouses protected by sprinklers.
compressor fail or run both com- an innovative solution to a large (They would cease to exist as a
pressors continuously to reduce repository, having not tested the corporate entity if this stock was
oxygen below 15% if desired). It solution elsewhere; it would not lost to fire.) Their main reason for
will also be possible to cater for be using an incremental, proto- this shift in their property strategy
an emergency nitrogen gas dump typing strategy, which is the BL was the perceived additional bene-
from a tanker. approach now adopted for other fit of the preventative/monitoring
developments such as IT systems. fire-engineering rationale offered
14. It is simple to integrate the reduced by a reduced-oxygen system. Also
6. In Europe, reduced-oxygen systems
oxygen system with the existing see mitigation for point (9) below,
have only been in use since 1998
site-wide fire alarm and building re: Oxford University.
in approximately 100 installations,
management systems.
and thus do not have a long track
3. Constant monitoring of oxygen
15. The current architectural building record.
levels by the reduced-oxygen fire-
design parameters (air tightness; prevention system also provides
7. We do not have data on reliability
environmental controls; BREAM data about building integrity and
of these systems.
ratings) needed to meet Part M of air tightness. This would be required
the Building Regulations already 8. Forced pyrolysis can still occur: anyway to monitor BREAM stan-
accommodate a reduced-oxygen e.g., damage including charring dards. Building foundations are
fire-prevention system’s operational produced by proximity to a very being designed to avoid differential
requirements. hot motor, oxyacetylene torch, settlement that would deform the
or overheating cable. automation racking. Sealant between
16. There is a period of oxygen stability
when the plant is not running: the the panels has the same design life
9. Suppliers can own the patented con-
repository remains protected (an as the PAROC wall panels. The
trol panel software system and have
estimated 90 hours between failure architects’ design proposal and
a monopoly over its maintenance.
of plant and oxygen levels rising costs already include over-cladding
above the upper operational 10. The BL will be pioneering this of the building walls every 25 years.
threshold). solution and will be seen by the Even if the building began to leak
professional community as cham- more air, fire protection should
17. BL/service provider technical staff pioning this approach; failure could remain possible within the toler-
can be trained to act as first-line damage the BL’s reputation. ances of the proposed system
response for maintenance and (although energy costs would rise
plant repair. 11. The BL needs to ensure that low- as the compressors would need to
oxygen/enriched-nitrogen atmos- work for more than the proposed
Risks pheres do not have a detrimental eight hours per day to maintain the
effect on the longevity of cellulose 15% oxygen level).
1. There is no precedent for the use
collections.
of a reduced-oxygen fire-prevention
4. Low oxygen already protects build-
in a comparable size building; high Mitigations ings containing dangerous and/or
density, automated storage and
1. The Library has seen library materials business-critical material, including
library materials.
in a small vault and a large oil explo- a Shell Oil exploration data store
3. To work efficiently, the system is ration data centre building both and two chemical storage facilities.
dependent upon maintaining ade- protected by a reduced-oxygen A German low-oxygen product is
quate air tightness of the building fire-prevention system. The Library approved by the VdS (independent
over its lifetime. Buildings become has also visited a clothing supplier’s standards authority for the German
“leaky” over time; failure to ensure storage site in Germany: an auto- insurance industry which conducts
air tightness over 25, 50, or 70 years mated high-density warehouse its own tests and validation of
would incur financial costs and protected by a reduced-oxygen those tests).
potentially lessen fire protection. system, and on a similar scale to continued on page 12
11
12. Fire Protection and the British Library
¡
Repository — continued from page 11
IAMFA 2006 IN LOS ANGELES
The Los Angeles Chapter welcomes you!
5. We would not be the first to deploy
low oxygen in a large building with September 17–20, 2006
automation. Prototyping is easier INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUSEUM FACILITY ADMINISTRATORS
with IT projects but often difficult
in building design. A prototype Ⅺ YES! Sign me up to attend the 2006 IAMFA Annual Conference in
could not mimic the scale of the Los Angeles, California, USA
actual project adequately. Name: ___________________________________________________________________________
6. See the mitigation for (3) above. Title: ____________________________________________________________________________
The British Library has requested
Institution:_______________________________________________________________________
further information regarding the
nature of the existing low-oxygen Address: _________________________________________________________________________
installations and their performance
standard. City: _________________________________________ Postal/Zip Code: _________________
State/Province/County: ______________________ Country: _________________________
7. BL staff will ask for improved data
on the statistical likelihood of fires Phone: ________________________________ Fax: ____________________________________
in a similar building vs. actual
events in buildings protected with E-mail: ________________________________ @ ______________________________________
low oxygen. If your address/contact information has changed in the past year, please check box Ⅺ
Special dietary, access, or other requirements: __________________________________
8. Pyrolysis would be detected at a
very early stage by the aspirated __________________________________________________________________________________
system, and the alarm would be ALL FEES ARE PAYABLE IN U.S. DOLLARS
raised.
Please visit http://www.iamfa.org/ on the 2006 conference page to register
for the conference using a credit card.
9. The controlling software is open
Ⅺ Member conference fee: $500 (after Aug 20, add $50)
protocol. The system is relatively
simple in IT terms and contains Ⅺ Non-member conference fee: $600 (after Aug 20, add $50)
routines common in industrial Ⅺ Sign me up as a new member: $150
control applications. All other com- Ⅺ Guest program fee: $300 (after Aug 20, add $50)
ponents are proprietary industry Ⅺ Guest under 12: $150
standard. Maintenance of compres- Ⅺ One-day attendance fee: $200 per day Ⅺ MON Ⅺ TUE Ⅺ WED
sors and other hardware is not tied
to any specific supplier. You may also complete this form, and send a hard copy along with a check to:
International Association of Museum Facility Administrators (IAMFA)
P.O. Box 277
10. The professional reputations of
Groton, MA 01450 USA
both the low-oxygen supplier and
the architects would be at stake. SUGGESTED ACCOMMODATION
A successfully managed innova- We have reserved a limited number of hotel rooms at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel for
tion would be a benefit to the BL. the period of Saturday, September 16 through Wednesday, September 20. The conference
rate is $229 per night per room plus 14.05% tax, single or double occupancy, with an
Oxford University has informed the
additional charge of $25 each for a third or fourth adult per night, with a maximum
Library of plans to build a similar of four people per room. There is no extra charge for children up to, and including,
automated high-density book the age of 18 years who share a room with their parents. Early hotel registration is
repository, also to be protected strongly recommended during this busy season in Los Angeles. The block of rooms will
be held until August 1, 2006. To contact the Fairmont Miramar Hotel directly, please call
by a reduced-oxygen system. 1-800-441-1414 or (310) 576-7777. Ask for Reservations and make sure to mention the
IAMFA conference to get the special rate. Reservations can also be made by Internet at
www.fairmont.com. Internet users must use the promotional code GRMUS1 to submit
11. BL staff investigated the effects
requests. The hotel will extend the program rate (3) days prior and (3) after conference
of low-oxygen/enriched-nitrogen dates, based on availability.
atmospheres on cellulose, and no
effect is anticipated. Please check the IAMFA website for updates at: www.iamfa.org
12
13. Networking in Sunny Spain —
The 2005 IAMFA Conference in Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum, the Ria de Bilbao Maritime Interaction with our colleagues from around the world
Museum, the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Conference provided opportunities to share best practices and lessons
Hall, the Fine Arts Museum, Bilbao, and the entire Basque learned. The organized sessions and tours were excellent,
region of northern Spain were gracious hosts for the Annual but the classic IAMFA model of networking between and
IAMFA Conference in September 2005. Many members and among these planned events formed the unique backbone
guests extended their stays to take in the sites, sounds and of a classic conference.
tastes of the region. Here, then, on the following pages, are a few of the
scenes caught by the Editor.
Delegates assembled for the traditional group photo.
Guests joined delegates to close out a long-awaited, but far too fleeting conference in Bilbao.
13
16. The Guest Perspective on the
IAMFA Annual Conference
If I learned nothing else during my week in Bilbao, I learned a bottle of that home too. The hospitality of our hosts was
these three words: café con leche. My three years of high- exceptional! Muchisimas gracias a Roberto y Rogelio.
school French, years of watching Sesame Street with my two Bilbao is a great city to walk in. From the ancient archi-
children (Spanish language lessons are a regular feature of tecture to the modern to the Guggenheim to the neat little
the show) and a Spanish language CD I purchased after the shops to the street mime made-up to look like a stone statue,
IAMFA conference in Boston were not a whole lot of help. there was so much to see and experience that each walk
In most cases a simple “Hola” and a smile went a long way was an adventure. It is a good thing we were able to do so
to getting you what you needed. (A certain Bilbao linen/fabric much walking, considering all of the food we ate during
shop shall remain nameless!) the week. (I need to remember that little tidbit now that
My first conference was D.C. 2001, delayed from September we are home.)
to December due to 9/11. (Near and dear to my heart, as Now it is on to Los Angeles! I cannot wait to see all my
Dan works for the Smithsonian and was part of the D.C. IAMFA friends, the Getty and the newly reopened Villa, the
planning group. It was fun to be able to see your “home L.A. County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary
town” as a tourist.) London was great. Brought the umbrella, Art, the Santa Monica Pier and Universal Studios (no roller-
no rain. San Francisco was excellent. Brought the umbrella, coasters for me!). I will bring my umbrella, and with any
no rain and a record heat wave. Boston was awesome. I luck at all we will have great weather for our week in
found the tombstone of my thirteenth great-grandfather at sunny southern California.
Kings Chapel, and I took photos of Fenway Park. (Maybe
that is why the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 — Kim Davies
my Dad would have been so happy.) Have IAMFA spouse, will travel!
Then there was Bilbao . . . WOW! The food was great! I
bought a tapas cookbook. The wine was great! We brought
DANIEL H. DAVIES
Scenery in and around Bilbao, and nearby points of interest.
16
17. Regional Chapters
John de Lucy,
VP Regional Affairs
Our regional chapters continue their active networking, The second floor features the exhibition, Made in Africa,
discussing issues important to us all, while also working displaying stone tools made in Africa nearly two million
to raise IAMFA’s profile within their respective regions. years ago. We also experienced permanent interactive
The following two reports detail the recent and upcoming displays on Food and Music, as well as the second floor’s
activities of two of our most active chapters. two theaters. Back-of-house space is minimal, since the
MoAD is a tenant within the St. Regis Hotel tower. Their
Northern California Chapter total space is 20,000 square feet, which has put space for
by Joe Brennan storage and personnel at a great premium.
continued on page 18
Our first meeting of 2006 took place during the afternoon
of February 15, 2006, at the newly opened Museum of
the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco. Ten of us
showed up for the tour, hosted by MoAD Facilities Director
Paula Ramsey, despite my transposing the street number in
the invitation.
We assembled in their Boardroom for introductions and
some discussion of their opening experience, which focused
on events, catering and rentals. We also heard about some
of the challenges of operating within the building as a
tenant, including access and exits, loading dock usage,
alarm logistics etc. We were then taken on a tour of the
facility. This included their traveling exhibition space on
the third floor, where a diverse array of art is displayed.
Dan Dunn of the Blackhawk Museum and John Lewis of the
California Academy of Sciences hold tools made nearly two
million years ago. These stone tools, from the Olduvai Gorge Ascending the main stairway in front of MoAD’s iconic photo
in Tanzania, are on loan from the British Museum, and are collage mural of a girl’s face, made up of 1,200 individual
some of the oldest known manmade objects in the world. photos — see their website for the full effect at www.moadsf.org.
17
18. Regional Chapters — continued from page 17
Chairpersons
The tour gave us all an interesting of Regional Chapters
look at the particular challenges facing
Atlanta, USA
museological institutions which must Kevin Streiter
operate in rented facilities that are not High Museum of Art
purpose-built, and provided us with Australia
food for thought on management of Kim Reason
our own facilities. Museum Victoria
Our next three quarterly meetings Bilbao, Spain
have already been scheduled as follows: Rogelio Diez
Guggenheim Museum
May 17, 2006: Chicago, USA
William Caddick
Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Art Institute of Chicago
Creek
Hawaii, USA
Robert White
September 21, 2006: Honolulu Academy of Arts
Joint meeting of the Northern and Los Angeles, USA
Southern California IAMFA Chapters Joe May
J. Paul Getty Trust
at Hearst Castle in San Simeon
MoAD staff member demonstrating stone New England, USA
hand tools to Jennifer Fragomeni of the Jim Labeck
November 15, 2006: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Exploratorium, Nils Welin of Cypress
Location to be determined . . . Security, and Andy Hirschfield of the New York, USA
forward me your ideas. Exploratorium. Mark Demairo
New Zealand
Patricia Morgan
Auckland Art Gallery
U.K. Chapter
Ottawa-Gatineau, Canada
Our next meeting is scheduled for May 5, 2006 at the National Library of Scotland Christian Page
in Edinburgh. The proposed program for that meeting is as follows: Canadian Museum of Civilization
San Francisco, USA
10:00–10:30: Bill Black — Set the Scene for Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order Joe Brennan
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
10:30–11:45: Colin Todd — Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order: Life after the
United Kingdom
Risk Assessment Jack Plumb
National Library of Scotland
11:45–12:30: Bill Jackson — Another Standard — An Introduction to NFPA 909:
Washington-Baltimore, USA
Code for the protection of Cultural Resources Robert Evans
Freer Gallery of Art/Arthur M. Sackler
12:30–13:30: Lunch Gallery
13:30: Either a visit to the National Gallery of Scotland’s Playfair
extension, or a presentation on IAMFA Benchmarking
Future Chapters
This is a formidable line-up of speakers, and I am sure we will all benefit Cleveland, USA
Tom Catalioti
greatly, not only from what they have to say, but also through the opportunity Cleveland Museum of Art
to join in the discussions that will follow.
The Netherlands
The lasting effects of the conference in Bilbao, as well as our tours of its many Jan Abrahamse
wonderful galleries and museums, have undoubtedly kept many of us from think- Rijksmuseum
ing about organizing regional activities and tours of our own local facilities. By the Pennsylvania, USA
time you read this, however, I hope you will all have heard from me, encouraging Victor T. Razze
you to host events in your respective regions — and of course reporting on them Brandywine River Museum and
Conservatory
in Papyrus!
Seattle, USA
Patrick Dowling
John de Lucy Whatcom Museum of History and Art
Vice President, Regional Affairs
18