National Herbarium of NSW

National Herbarium of NSW

Designed by Architectus with Richard Leplastrier and Craig Burton, in conjunction with FDC Construction & Fitout a key feature of the new Herbarium is five protective vaults provided by CSM made of thermal mass materials to shield the collection from bushfires and extreme temperature events. CSM’s Cultural Collections specialists were proud to partner with the architectural and construction team to support the holistic storage solutions strategy for the project. Starting with the cabinetry works required during the construction period to facilitate the move the Botanical Gardens to the new Herbarium, Mt Annon including purpose-built vaults to safely house the precious specimens.

CSM’s bespoke specialist solution included the delivery of 900 cabinets that help to facilitate a stable microclimate control as well being fully sealed so that pests cannot gain entry and that the specimens cannot be wet in the event of fire or floods.

The addition of five protective Rolling Storage (compactus) Units were also utilised in the vaults. With precisely controlled environmental conditions are assisted by the building’s elegant, long span “fly-roof” to shield the precious collection from insects, mould, bushfires and other extreme weather conditions due to climate change.