Swipe card technology has been introduced to the museum and they have what she describes as ‘top of the range security.’įire safety systems are again top of the range there’s an alarm and detection system as well as controlled mist in the collection areas. No surprise then, that this was what Maria describes as ‘the biggest challenge of making this building operational’.Įmbedding 21st century technology to meet the needs of security, fire and safety into the building, parts of which date from the 1850s, is another challenge Maria highlights. What’s more, contractors would sometimes prop open doors where they shouldn’t, which added to the security complications. She explains that it was not as simple as just moving in “there were spaces that were unfinished, so we had to control contractors and operational end-users at the same time.”ĭoors needed to be left open for the workers on the site and at the same time, members of the public had to be prevented from gaining access. Staff moved in over a two month period, at which time some spaces were still being worked on by contractors.

When asked if any incidents had particularly tested her, the first thing Maria mentions is the staged handover of this new centre.

Maria says the building took years in the planning stage as it needed to fit in with each department’s needs. This took three and a half years to construct and, as an extension to the existing building, created a lot of security challenges.

In 2010 the museum undertook one of the largest building redevelopments onsite: the creation of the World Conservation and Exhibition Centre. While representing safety, Maria works hand-in-hand with security and she met the Protecting London team to share the unique requirements of the iconic landmark she’s responsible for.ĭescribing the museum as ‘very strict on high level security’ Maria tells us all about her ‘legal and moral duty to protect staff and the public’ as well as her equally important ‘responsibility to protect the collection.’ Constructing a brand new exhibition centre

Museum security systems