Hi Alyssa,

For storage weight, your really looking at a load capacity per sq foot of floor and the dynamic load of something/someone moving through the space. A structural engineer can help you with this evaluation. 

In general, you need to consider the weight of equipment usually more than art…unless you have objects with a significant weight like stone sculpture or cars or something like that.  If you have these types of objects, you need to consider the object plus people and equipment to move it and the path through first and then think about static load. Most structural engineering evaluations will get to a danger point with equipment and people in the space before you even add in the extra weight of most collections.  Layout the racks, shelving, etc and then write up how you will need to transport the works around. This should give you a quick understanding of how much room in the equation you have for actual art and if your maxing out the possibilities. 

Hope that helps. 
Best,

Kelly Bennett

Founder
Art Pro Net

Head of Collections Management 
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

> On Oct 5, 2022, at 9:00 AM, Alyssa Magnone <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> I’m reaching out to see if there are any calculations to determine a museum’s collection weight. I know there are calculations for determining linear feet, so I thought maybe there would be one for weight. 
> 
> We are in the process of planning for a potential collections and archives storage area. It will be in a historic structure, so weight may end up being an issue. Architects are already involved, but we are trying to determine what we can figure out on our end of things, as far as quantifying the collection further. 
> 
> Thanks, 
> Alyssa
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
> 
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
> 
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).