Introducing a machine learning system for sustainable climate-controlled storage
Crown Workspace has an ongoing contract to store valuable heritage items in an environmentally controlled storage unit for an entity within the UK government. Over 15,000 items have been stored by Crown for this client since 2015, with 20% requiring temperature-controlled facilities to preserve condition and value.
Our experts from our Crown Fine Art team have been developing a machine-learning climate control system within their SmART/Tech suite of fine art and heritage preservation tools which they recommended as beneficial for the client who had expressed interest in more accurate reporting and granular control of the system. In order to continue to provide the highest quality storage to meet the client’s key performance indicators, Crown Workspace invested in a migration plan.
Responding to our client’s needs for ongoing support
SmART/Tech’s API is an open source machine learning interface bespoke programmed to take a deep dive into the requirements and uses of our client’s storage environment, including examining and acting on human movements throughout the space; bringing the existing air handling and humidity machines together to work in harmony rather than competing against one another. The net result being that SmART/Tech reduced the operating periods of these machines by up to 80%, creating a hugely significant reduction in energy and water consumption while maintaining the prerequisite climate. Furthermore, SmART/Tech was able to separate out the functions of existing infrastructure such as turning a standard a/c unit into a fully functioning dehumidifier.
Our client asked for the technology to measure and compare against external ambient temperatures and humidity too which, thanks to SmART/Tech’s Bluetooth capabilities, it could do without the need for additional holes being bored into the skin of the building. All to help capture and compare data to better control and track monthly reporting with SMS alerts if settings look like they may vary beyond maximum and minimum settings.
From a sustainability perspective and thinking particularly of our Scope 3 commitments to Net Zero by 2030, introducing SmART/Tech has not only meant the reduction of power consumption but also seen no new machines procured for normal operation. With embodied carbon in the existing air conditioning system alone calculating in excess of 4000 kgCO2e and a replacement system being over 5000 kgCO2e the value in this saving represents almost a 10,000 kgCO2e saving over and above running costs. How long the lives of these legacy machines will be extended by is yet to be established but the expectation is at least for five years with a good maintenance programme.
Aside from producing live climate readings with high accuracy that can be monitored remotely, the system also allows the client to remotely walk around the sites connecting to the sensor readings via a smart phone so that a personal recording system is hand at any time.
Due to its Bluetooth operating system, SmART/Tech is a ‘Clean works’ system which requires minimal cabling and chasing. In setting a programme of installation, Crown Workspace required limited intervention to secure the safety of the heritage objects and, as per our standard protocols was able to build in a far more limited system of controls for moving and securing our client’s heritage objects from dust protection during the installation process.
The migration process took place over the course of three weeks, and all stakeholders are pleased with the upgraded accuracy of the reports and the smart technology which allows remote access. Ensuring that our clients’ valuable items are protected with a state-of-the-art system is of great importance to Crown Workspace, and our investment in this system is testimony to our willingness to respond to clients’ needs and invest in appropriate equipment to give the best possible service.
The services provided included:
- Project managed by Paul Beatson, designer of SmART/Tech at Crown Fine Art team
- Crown IT for installation of new system
- Storage team support
- Client liaison and training
“Everyone was invested in this project with the objective of meeting the client’s requirements. It was a great experience to have the support from Crown Workspace’s top management and the experts on our team, which made this project a success.”
Steve Hollyoak, Account Manager, Crown Workspace