The University of Brighton Design Archives have been granted further funding by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
The funding has been awarded to provide training opportunities to the members of the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Shutdown Group, established and co-led by Design Archives’ Sirpa Kutilainen, consisting of professionals from the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector around the United Kingdom and Ireland. The network was founded to address the challenges of sustainability within the archives sector by focusing on a specific, practical way to reduce an institution’s carbon footprint by experimenting with, or fully shutting down, HVAC systems in archive and museum stores.
The funding enables Kutilainen and co-lead Amy Sampson (Preventive Conservation Manager, The National Archives) to deliver two strands of training for the group. The first is a tailor-made Negotiation & Advocacy training programme in partnership with, and delivered by, Julie Hutchison from Think Be Do Leadership Training and Coaching. The programme will provide delegates with the tools to understand people; better manage confident communication; deal with difficult conversations; and build relationships, specifically to support communication between different departments involved with HVAC shutdowns.
The second strand is an in-person workshop, led by freelance building and energy consultant Nick Grant from Elemental Solutions, facilitated by Gloucestershire Heritage Hub and their National Lottery funded Green Pledge project. The workshop will explore the mechanics of HVAC systems and practical issues surrounding their day-to-day use, potential malfunction and shutting down in a workshop environment.
The funding application built on developments from the Design Archives’ successful bid through the University’s Impact Acceleration Account’s Sandpit Funding, received in 2024, which enabled the inaugural in-person meeting for the delegates in the group. Through this ongoing work, the Design Archives is leading the sectoral development of policy and best practice in this field.
