Maintaining stable environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, is a fundamental premise for the proper operation of storage facilities dedicated to safeguarding works of art, rare objects and products that require rigorous climate control, such as wine. For this reason, such spaces demand significant investment in climate-control systems with high energy consumption.
Given the current scenario, in which the global climate crisis imposes the need to rethink the use of natural resources, it becomes essential to prioritize energy efficiency, that is, to maintain ideal conditions with the lowest possible energy consumption.
The challenge of running your own storage facility
Besides contributing to environmental sustainability, adopting energy-efficient solutions delivers a direct reduction in operating costs, above all in electricity. Achieving this balance, however, requires proper technical planning and physical infrastructure. Although it remains the most common solution, the use of private storage facilities by collectors and museums presents challenges that are difficult to overcome.
After all, it is not enough to simply install an air conditioner in the room where the collection will be kept. Unlike residential climate control, which is mostly about temperature, preserving cultural collections of excellence requires a focus on controlling the relative humidity of the air, the key variable for preventing the deterioration of collections caused by the proliferation of fungi and pests.
"Humidity control requires robust systems, similar to those used in data centers. Naturally, this only makes sense when climate-controlling large spaces, which makes the investment unviable for areas smaller than one thousand square meters," explains Diogo Losito Mantovani, CEO of Clé Chenue do Brasil.
Why shared storage is growing worldwide
In this context, it makes more sense to use shared facilities, capable of housing advanced climate-control systems and the thermal insulation that ensures energy efficiency. "This is why collective art storage facilities are growing at a dizzying pace worldwide. When you consider that conservation is a permanent need, there is no other possible path than collective use that makes conservation sustainable," Mantovani adds.
Clé Chenue do Brasil has a complete infrastructure with climate-control and humidity-control systems across its 5,500 square meters of storage area, as well as fire prevention and asset security systems. The scale of the operation allows maximum use of energy and technical resources, which translates into lower operating costs for clients compared with implementing systems of their own.
"This format of a collective storage facility with private, segregated spaces for each client allows us to have the best of both worlds: a state-of-the-art climate-control system, efficient and sustainable, without giving up privacy and confidentiality, an essential condition for serving our clients," he concludes.
The new conservation centre
All of these differentials will be incorporated into the new warehouse currently being adapted to expand the available storage area. In the new conservation center, clients will be able to choose private spaces starting at 25 m² (and multiples of that area), or more flexible solutions, with shared storage of small collections or individual pieces, always with a guarantee of ideal climate conditions and energy efficiency.
For more information, contact our specialized team.
