Conservation Storage – Natural History Museum Object Cabinets
The Natural History Museum is a world-class visitor attraction and leading international science research centre. It’s unique collections and unrivalled expertise are used to tackle the biggest challenges facing the world today. NHM cares for more than 80 million specimens, both in the London and Tring museums, spanning billions of years and welcomes more than five million visitors annually.
As a result NHM requires Collections Storage Furniture that includes cabinets to provide a buffer to changes in the local environment and prevent organic and metal contamination as well as allowing access to specimens and minimising the effect of movement. To complement its range of Collections Furniture Rotadex has inherited NHM Object cabinet designs from the original designer and manufacturer Metalico that enables the company to provide product maintenance and supply to meet the ongoing requirements of The Natural History Museum.
Illustrated are examples of the object cabinets originally designed, manufactured and installed by Rotadex Sytems Ltd.
NHM Object storage cabinets are made from galvanised steel with a powder coat finish of not less than 60 microns thickness. Product Dimensions: Height 2360mm x Width 1300mm x Depth 690mm Drawer runners are inserted and fixed into place with bump-stops to the rear of each pair to soften the landing of the internal specimen trays. The cabinets and door are of double-skin manufacture with the inside of the door fully enclosed to prevent any access to the cabinets by bugs from the outside. All joints and doors are sealed with a specific conservation grade inert sealant and silicone free rubber approved by the Natural History Museum, London. This is to prevent pest ingress and also to maintain an inert internal environment.
All cabinets meet the NHM requirements set out below:
- Museum quality, with a non-off gassing coating to BS 3900
- Securely lockable
- Smooth opening/closing drawers with minimal vibration
- Fully removable/flexible drawers and shelves to allow for changing future arrangements
- Cabinets are stable with a long life expectancy (the NHM collection is 250 years old).
The cabinets sit on steel plinths that incorporate levelling feet with up to 35mm of adjustment to ensure the cabinets are sitting perfectly level with all fixing points lining up perfectly. All cabinets are designed so that may also be installed on space saving mobile bases.