BS EN 16893:2018 — Storage of Heritage Collections

What BS EN 16893:2018 is

BS EN 16893:2018 is the British Standard governing the location, construction and modification of buildings and rooms intended for the storage or use of heritage collections. It is the UK implementation of EN 16893:2018 and, together with BS 4971:2017, it superseded PD 5454:2012, which is withdrawn. It remains current.

It is the benchmark archives, museums, galleries and libraries — and the design teams working for them — have to satisfy when creating or upgrading collection spaces. Heritage collections are by definition irreplaceable, and the standard treats water as a hazard of the same order as fire.

One point of grammar that matters more than it sounds. BS EN 16893 is a specification, not a code of practice. Where BS 6229 recommends, using should, BS EN 16893 requires, using shall. Every requirement quoted on this page uses shall in the original.

Leak detection is required, not recommended

Clause 5.7.1 ^5.7.1 BS EN 16893:2018 · Clause 5.7.1 Protection against water - Design and materials Leak detection with an alarm shall be installed. Rooms where moisture is penetrating through the walls, floor, ceiling or openings shall not be used for collections at all. Where an assessment indicates a high risk of external water ingress, such as below-ground accommodation, forms of protection such as waterproof coatings or a bund shall be used, and equipment for removing ingress such as sump pumps shall be installed and checked frequently. The quoted sentence follows. This is a specification, not a code of practice: on a high-risk space, leak detection is a requirement. Extract quoted from BS EN 16893:2018, © BSI. Summary is Vector’s own wording. Checked against the published standard on 2026-09-11. begins with a prohibition: rooms where moisture is penetrating through the walls, floor, ceiling or openings shall not be used for collections at all.

It then addresses spaces at risk. Where an assessment indicates a high risk of external water ingress — below-ground accommodation is the example the standard gives — forms of protection such as waterproof coatings or the construction of a bund shall be used, equipment for removing ingress such as sump pumps shall be installed and checked frequently, and leak detection with an alarm shall be installed.

For a basement archive store or a below-ground collection space, that is not an enhancement to be value engineered. It is a requirement of the standard the building is being designed to.

Flood sensors on every source of water

Clause 5.7.3 ^5.7.3 BS EN 16893:2018 · Clause 5.7.3 Protection against water - Drainage and piping work shall be regularly monitored and fitted with flood sensors and alarms that are audible outside the building Storage, display and collection spaces shall not be constructed with water supply or drainage running through them, though provision shall be made for the rapid controlled removal of water accumulating during firefighting or sprinkler operation. The lowest level of a storage compartment shall be at least 150 mm above the floor, and drains in non-collection spaces shall be fitted with one-way valves to prevent backflow. The quoted requirement applies to drainage access points, pipework and other sources of water. Extract quoted from BS EN 16893:2018, © BSI. Summary is Vector’s own wording. Checked against the published standard on 2026-09-11. turns to the building’s own water infrastructure. Storage, display and collection spaces shall not be constructed with water supply or drainage running through them; the lowest level of a storage compartment shall be at least 150 mm above the floor; and drains in non-collection spaces shall be fitted with one-way valves to prevent water backing up into the building.

Then the requirement that matters most for monitoring: drainage access points, pipework and other sources of water shall be regularly monitored and fitted with flood sensors and alarms that are audible outside the building. Audible outside, because a store nobody is standing in is exactly where an alarm goes unheard.

Rainwater discharge

A separate clause ^5.7.2 BS EN 16893:2018 · Clause 5.7.2 Protection against water - Rainwater discharge systems sufficient weir overflows to prevent water entering a building when an outlet is blocked Rainwater discharge systems shall conform to design rainfall rates in accordance with EN 12056-3, and the design shall include the quoted provision. Discharge systems shall be located outside the building, floor drainage shall discharge away from walls, and gutters and pipework shall be designed for regular and easy access for clearance. Extract quoted from BS EN 16893:2018, © BSI. Summary is Vector’s own wording. Checked against the published standard on 2026-09-11. covers rainwater. Discharge systems shall conform to design rainfall rates in accordance with EN 12056-3, and the design shall include sufficient weir overflows to prevent water entering the building when an outlet is blocked. Discharge systems shall be located outside the building, floor drainage shall discharge away from walls, and gutters and pipework shall be designed for regular and easy access for clearance.

Where the building sits

The flood-plain requirement is not in the water protection clause at all — it sits under natural hazards in the building location clause ^5.1.2 BS EN 16893:2018 · Clause 5.1.2 Building location - Natural hazards Selection of a new site that is below the 1 % (‘100 year’) flood level shall be avoided. Sits in the building location clause, not the water protection clause. It adds that where a history of springs and underground watercourses exists, these shall be taken into account, as heavy and prolonged rainfall may reactivate them. Extract quoted from BS EN 16893:2018, © BSI. Summary is Vector’s own wording. Checked against the published standard on 2026-09-11. . Selection of a new site below the 1% (‘100 year’) flood level shall be avoided, and where a history of springs and underground watercourses exists, these shall be taken into account, since heavy and prolonged rainfall may reactivate them.

Continuous monitoring, and the response to it

The environmental monitoring strategy clause ^4.4.1 BS EN 16893:2018 · Clause 4.4.1 Environmental monitoring strategy - General Monitoring alone does nothing to improve preservation conditions Requires continuous monitoring of the environment in which material is held, and requires spaces intended for future installation of collections to be monitored before installation so that their behaviour is understood. Monitoring data must be reviewed regularly, with trends in RH, temperature, light and where necessary pollutants interpreted by a conservator or other specialist. The quoted line is the clause’s own caution: it is the response to the evidence that protects the collection. Extract quoted from BS EN 16893:2018, © BSI. Summary is Vector’s own wording. Checked against the published standard on 2026-09-11. requires continuous monitoring of the environment in which material is held, and requires spaces intended for future installation of collections to be monitored before installation so that the design team understands how they behave. Data shall be reviewed regularly, with trends interpreted by a conservator or other specialist who knows the collection, the building and its infrastructure.

The methodology clause ^4.4.2 BS EN 16893:2018 · Clause 4.4.2 Environmental monitoring strategy - Methodology independent monitoring devices shall be used to verify its correct operation Monitoring devices shall be provided within collection space whatever the method of environmental control, and the quoted requirement applies even where a building management system is in use. Temperature and RH should typically be monitored continuously, at a minimum of one datum per hour. Data inspection cadence is conditional: at least once a week where the data are relied upon to establish how an uncertain environment is behaving, or at least once every three months for known environments and longer-term analysis. Extract quoted from BS EN 16893:2018, © BSI. Summary is Vector’s own wording. Checked against the published standard on 2026-09-11. adds two provisions worth knowing precisely. Even where a building management system is in use, independent monitoring devices shall be used to verify its correct operation. And the inspection cadence is conditional rather than flat: at least once a week where the data are relied upon to establish how an uncertain environment is behaving, or at least once every three months for known environments and longer-term analysis.

Underneath all of it is the standard’s own warning, and it is the sentence we would put at the top of any monitoring proposal: monitoring alone does nothing to improve preservation conditions. The data only protects the collection if somebody acts on it.

How Vector applies BS EN 16893 on live projects

We design, install and monitor the systems this standard requires: point-of-risk flood sensors on pipework and drainage, leak detection with alarms for below-ground and high-risk collection spaces, and permanent monitoring of buried waterproofing — with independent, continuously reviewed data rather than periodic inspection alone.

On a new or refurbished store, the design-stage conversation is the cheap one. See how to specify a smart, integrated leak detection system in a roof build-up and our waterproofing design review.

Publication: BS EN 16893:2018 — Conservation of cultural heritage — Specifications for location, construction and modification of buildings or rooms intended for the storage or use of heritage collections  ·  Publisher: BSI  ·  Published: 28 February 2018  ·  Status: Current