A new shared storage facility by the name of Fællesmagasinet near Frederikssund is now ready to serve both the National Museum of Denmark and the Royal Library. It will house some of Denmark’s most valuable cultural treasures while keeping energy consumption to a minimum. By utilising existing passive resources, the facility will reduce both the operational costs and the need for technical installations.

Museum objects of exceptional historical importance will be stored alongside significant library materials in Fællesmagasinet. The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces has built the new storage facility, which is the first of its kind in Denmark, together with DS Flexhal, Artelia, Gottlieb Paludan Architects and
Bruynzeel Storage Systems.

The objects in question are particularly sensitive and require a storage facility with dependable climatic stability, robust constructional solutions not to mention a high level of security. To illustrate this, the building design is prepared for extreme external conditions of up to 35 degrees and relative humidity of 100 %.

The objects are made from different materials that depend on different environments. Thus, the storage facility is made up of three different types of units. The so-called basic unit will have approximately 25,000 m2 of shelf space
to store objects from the National Museum of Denmark while the cold and dry units will allow for about 120 shelf kilometres to store materials from the Royal Library.

An almost self-regulating building
The design of the 24,000 m2 large building is based on the premise that the building should require as little regulation as possible and maintain equally low operational costs. The building is almost hermetically sealed and properly insulated. In contrast, the base of the building is not insulated. In combination with the external shielding, the building uses the cooling qualities of the soil to regulate the temperature on the first floor on which both the dry storage unit and basic units are located.

This allows the rooms to maintain a temperature of between 7-16 degrees year-round rendering heating and cooling of the units unnecessary and reducing the operational costs considerably. Similarly, cooling is unnecessary for the adsorption dehumidification device introduced to protect the various objects. As a result, meticulous indoor climate calculations and moisture simulations were conducted to document that the moisture and temperature limit values could be maintained without mechanical cooling.

Cultural treasures in need of cooling
The cold storage units on the second floor will, however, require cooling. Here, the most sensitive items from the Royal Library will be stored including manuscripts and invaluable first editions. The cold storage units must maintain a constant temperature level between 2-6 degrees, and cooling is supplied via a ventilation system. For this purpose, thermology is integral. A ground source heat pump system converts ground energy into heating or cooling with help from heat pumps. The system is based on 6 kilometres of pipes dug down in the
surrounding area. The facility is so well-structured that it does not require heating or cooling from other sources. To guarantee the low temperatures, the storage facility is very well insulated with approximately 300 mm insulation towards the adjoining areas.

Clean environments
Both the cold and dry units have an overpressure of approximately 5 Pa to  prevent contamination. The input of outside air causes the need for special filters in the ventilation system that provides air to both the cold and dry systems. These filters are central elements to the whole project. For the recirculation of air, high-quality filters protect against pollution in terms of corrosive gases, acidifying gases and organic substances thus protecting the irreplaceable objects.