Archive

This archive building houses an extensive collection of music manuscripts, letters, photographs and recordings. Designed by architects Stanton Williams, and engineering consultancy Max Fordham, this high-tech sustainable building features a KNXperts building management system.

The building provides optimum environmental conditions for the preservation of the collection through low-energy means. The main archive store is monitored and controlled by the KNX building management system ensuring the collections are maintained at optimum conditions throughout the year, while minimising energy consumption. The conditions within the store are graphically displayed on a touch screen in the entrance lobby, and graphs of temperature, relative humidity and the control systems responses help the archivists ensure that these important collections are maintained in optimum conditions for generations to come.

The building management system automatically and passively ventilates the staff rooms and circulation areas during the night, helping to ensure that the building maintains a consistent temperature throughout the year, without the use of energy-intensive air conditioning. DALI-controlled lighting and underfloor heating within the staff and public areas are automatically controlled by the KNX system, further mimimising the building’s energy footprint.