Protective casing for wooden memorial

Brown Christine <christine.brown [at] hullcc__gov__uk> writes

>I am seeking advice please on the best way to protect a wooden
>memorial that has spent many years on display in a street and is to
>be replaced there once it has been conserved.  ...
>...
>The memorial is to be conserved and put back in the street within a
>protective casing, and this is where I am asking for help and
>advice. Does anyone have any experience of cases such as this?  It
>needs to be weatherproof, vandal proof, and transparent on all sides
>except the back. Does it need to have any ventilation at all? I have
>recommended that the memorial does not return to the street and
>should be housed within a civic/public building so that it can be
>better preserved for the future, but the decision is that it should
>go back on the street.

My first suggestion would be to again plead with the decision-makers
to put it somewhere safer than in the street.  You might point out
that it was originally erected when the street was a less dangerous
environment.  Your sponsors may be surprised by the cost of
providing reasonable protection for the newly conserved
memorial--the cost of housing has also changed over the last
century.  I would also present the projected costs of reasonable
protection (capital and operating costs of a protective structure)
as compared to moving the memorial indoors.

That said, if you do decide to replace the memorial in its original
location, be sure to consider the sun and precipitation as your main
challenge.  Providing some sort of roof/shade would be your most
important step, followed by one of the following general approaches:

Option one is providing a well-sealed showcase (truly well sealed,
but that's another story).  Your protective showcase will need to be
outfitted with some sort of microclimate control system.  The
question of ventilation will depend on the kind of microclimate
system you provide, although weather will also be a major factor in
this decision.  As the showcase is to "vandal proof", special
attention will be needed to make it resistant to paints, shattering,
and toppling over.  This option is more vandal proof, as well as
more expensive to install.  For this sort of solution to work,
almost all the components must be of very good quality and well
integrated.  It will not be inexpensive.

Option two is to use appropriate glass and anchoring for protection
from vandalism, ensure that the showcase is well ventilated (vents
must be appropriately designed and located to be effective and
safe), and be prepared for the costs of regular cleaning and from
possible further degradation of the memorial.  A full roof, good
foundations, heavy duty glass and steel enclosure and the time to
properly plan will also not be inexpensive, but will be much less
than option one.

Regardless of the options presented, be sure to budget for the costs
of ongoing monitoring (both environmental monitoring by a
conservator, and security monitoring) and maintenance.

Jerry Shiner
Keepsafe Microclimate Systems
+1 800 683 4696


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:5
                 Distributed: Wednesday, July 10, 2013
                        Message Id: cdl-27-5-002
                                  ***