ARTEX Fine Art Services came to Conner Design as a fine art service provider to museums, galleries, auction houses and private collectors with a unique objective to redevelop an existing telecommunications building and create a multi-tenant storage and inventory management facility that would be accessible, secure and free from indoor-generated pollutants. Given the special nature of their storage needs, the ability to achieve and maintain very specific temperatures and humidity levels in an existing building presented an added challenge as the exterior envelope of the building was not designed with that level of climate control in mind; therefore the program required the design team to develop exterior wall modifications to eliminate existing moisture amassing and heat loss problems.  In addition, all occupied, non-storage interior spaces are separated with specially designed partitions that block the transfer of moisture. A new loading dock enclosure and 20,000 lb freight elevator were also added to facilitate the movement of the artwork. Additionally, numerous iterations for future tenant space configurations and core circulation were studied to allow for flexibility and provide a map for the design of the HVAC and Fire Protection Systems.

Client: Fine Arts Storage Partners
Project Location: Somerville, Massachusetts
Project Sq. Ft.: 200,000
Project Status: Completed
General Contractor: Suffolk Construction
Project Cost: $10,000,000.00