Museum

Advancing Fossil Preservation: Custom Museum Storage Solution for a Lower Mainland Natural History Museum

A natural history museum in the Lower Mainland, British Columbia, engaged Hi-Cube Storage Products to design and deliver a purpose-built fossil repository as part of a new museum expansion. The project required highly specialized storage systems to support a diverse collection of sensitive and oversized specimens, while also meeting strict environmental and preservation requirements.

Challenges Faced:

The museum needed a storage system that could address several complex requirements:

  • Maximizing storage capacity while maintaining safe access to collections
  • Preserving highly sensitive specimens, including materials requiring controlled environmental conditions
  • Accommodating chemical storage needs, specifically specimens preserved in formaldehyde
  • Supporting oversized artifacts, which required a flexible solution beyond standard cabinet storage
  • Integrating infrastructure constraints, including building systems and structural floor design
  • Museum high-density mobile storage carriages with mechanical-assist handles on floor tracks in Lower Mainland, BC.
  • Museum preservation cabinets and flat storage drawers on mobile carriages in the Lower Mainland, BC.
  • Recessed floor rail system for high-density mobile museum storage cabinets in British Columbia.
  • Blue widespan racking for oversized museum specimen storage in BC.

Solutions Provided:   

Hi-Cube designed a fully integrated storage system combining multiple specialized solutions:

Mobile high-density cabinet system

Recessed rail infrastructure

  • Rails were inlaid directly into the slab, creating a flush, finished floor surface that supports safe movement and seamless integration into the facility design.

Environmental-controlled static storage

  • Static 920 cabinets were engineered to connect directly to the building’s HVAC system, enabling controlled air circulation for specimens preserved in formaldehyde and ensuring compliance with safety and preservation standards.

Specialized oversized specimen storage

  • Widespan racking with perforated decking, supplied by North American Storage Equipment, was installed to accommodate large fossilized specimens, providing both structural strength and airflow where required.

All solutions were designed and delivered by Hi-Cube Storage Products in collaboration with museum stakeholders and building design teams.

Results:

The completed fossil repository delivers a highly efficient, future-ready storage environment, significantly increasing storage capacity while improving stability for sensitive and chemically preserved specimens. The Lower Mainland museum now benefits from a scalable, well-organized system that supports both current collections and future acquisitions, while ensuring long-term preservation standards are maintained.

 

With extensive experience in museum, archival, and scientific storage environments, Hi-Cube designs solutions that protect, preserve, and optimize access to critical collections across BC and the Yukon.

Ready to plan a custom museum or archival storage solution? Contact our team today to discuss your project.

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