Architects are creative people trained in the art and science of planning and design. They might specialize in homes, office buildings, museums, athletic facilities or exterior spaces. None of that makes them experts in storing their stuff. That’s our niche. Read on to learn more about architectural drawing storage solutions that can improve access and organization.
Architectural drawings are an essential component in communicating the architect’s vision to clients. A painting, collage, illustration, sketch, conceptual design or diagram is a tangible visualization of the ideas the architect wants to express. And even though much has gone digital, there is still the need to deal with physical drawings.
Whether in a large design firm or a one-person studio, there are going to be architectural drawings that need to be stored safely. You need to be able to organize these drawings to access them as needed. That’s where storage, specifically geared to architectural drawing storage can make a real difference to your productivity, efficiency and overall peace of mind.
Popular architectural drawing storage options
Offices, museums, galleries, and archives often collect a massive number of architectural drawings as well as maps and prints. All of it needs to be stowed away in an organized manner that enables people to access what they want when they need it.
A preferred approach to architectural drawing storage? Flat file cabinets. Constructed with sturdy, safe and reliable materials, our flat file cabinets meet the highest standards for conservation while offering durability and longevity.
The Spacesaver flat file cabinets we install come in different heights. For instance, counter-height cabinets can serve as a workspace. You might even stack the cabinets. Or install a glass top and make the top drawer a visible display area.
Additional features include:
- Solid, heavy-gauge welded steel framework
- Cushioned drawer bumpers
- Drawers with safety stops
- Non-reactive, solvent-free, powder coating to provide a quality, smooth finish
- Pull-out work shelf
- Convenient lift-off doors to facilitate item transfer
Of course, you aren’t only storing architectural drawings flat. You may have tubes around too. You’ve carefully rolled and wrapped the drawings. Now, what do you do with them?
Take advantage of custom fit shelving developed to keep tubing secure. There is no need for PVC cement as the tubing will not move or shift when stacked between the shelving uprights.
At North Carolina State, Patterson Pope provided ample, safe protection for architectural drawings with an innovative Spacesaver blueprint storage solution. Twenty-foot PVC tubes were cut down to accommodate the extensive collection. Four-inch diameter tubes are stored snugly within 48″ wide shelving units while 6″ diameter tubes were placed inside 36″ wide units. The final shelving solution stands ten feet tall with shelves available to accommodate future tube additions.
Other types of storage capability
Along with architectural drawing storage, you may have other important items you want to put away. It’s easy to configure cabinets or shelving solutions to accommodate the other types of materials architects or other creatives use.
Take the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum on the campus of The Ohio State University in Columbus. Having the world’s largest collection of cartoon and comic art – all donated from private collections — is a good thing of course. But gadzooks, it requires a lot of creativity to store it all! Our solution combined compact shelving, modular drawers, and plan files. The plan took into consideration the need for book storage for monographs and serials, canvases, portfolio-sized items, boxes full of correspondence and sculptures too.
There was an equally varied collection of items to store at the University of Central Florida. The school’s collection includes paintings, illustrations, African masks, sculptures and statues – large and small. First, it required a mixture of Spacesaver art racks, mechanical-assist mobile shelving, 4-post shelving and cantilever shelving. This was combined with mobile flat files for unframed art and smaller pieces, and EZ rack affixed to the room’s concrete block walls. The end result re-imagined and re-invigorated the gallery storage area.
“I think it’s really valuable to bring somebody in like Patterson Pope – a company that has a thorough understanding of the functionality of storage,” said Shannon Lindsey, Director, UCF Art Gallery.
Advantages offered by architectural drawing storage solutions
Functionality is only one of the focal points when installing architectural drawings or related storage. Experts get to know your space and specific needs and design a storage solution to protect your items, promote efficiency and make the best use of your storage space.
Mobile high-density storage systems can transform your space. Instead of taking up valuable desk and floor space with drawings, you can compact storage. Then, you can finally give that aspiring intern a desk or put in a roundtable for team design meetings.
Mounting your wide-span shelving, flat file cabinets and other storage solutions on carriage-and-rail systems enable high-density storage. You can eliminate wasted aisle space while maintaining high standards of organization, accessibility and preservation. Our compact storage systems — available in electronic, mechanical assist, and manual mobile — are the perfect fit for climate-controlled environments.
If preservation is your priority, you can securely protect drawings and other items conveniently in flat file cabinets. In a county archive in Southern California, ventilation was key in safely storing fragile oversized documents. Spacesaver’s museum-quality perforated flat file cabinets increased circulation to prevent further deterioration of historic diazotypes and other documents.
Custom solutions for your drawing collections
You know design, but storage may not be your specialty. With the right architectural drawing storage solutions, you can enjoy secure storage that improves productivity and enables organized access. Our local planners have the installation expertise needed to create a storage system that transforms your space as well as work processes. Contact us today.
