User Manual

Siemens Switzerland Ltd

Building Technologies Division

1.2. Buildings in focus

Within the scope of this document, we are concerned with the protection of a wide range of buildings. In some

cases the buildings themselves are the focus of our attentions, while in other cases it is the contents of the

buildings that demand our full attention.

1.2.1. Historical buildings

Figure 1 Historical building

In this case the primary focus is preserving the structure and fabric of the buildings themselves, with the content

of the buildings generally being of secondary importance. We are more interested in how the buildings were

constructed, how the artisans of the day used the materials available to them and the artistry employed in the

decoration of the buildings. This gives us a detailed insight into how society was structured in the different ages,

the skill and techniques employed by the artists and the value put on such objects by the ruling society of the age.

In this document we are focusing on large houses owned by the nobility and middle classes throughout the ages,

which are now frequently opened to the public. However, from a historian’s point of view, a simple dwelling that

was occupied by farm workers or factory workers may be of equal interest.

1.2.2. Museums and art galleries

Figure 2 Museum

Here it is the content of the buildings which generally needs to be protected at all costs as many objects on show

in museums are irreplaceable and consequently a monetary value cannot easily be placed on their loss: they are

priceless.

From a fire insurance point of view displaying priceless artifacts to the public demands the highest levels of

security and fire protection. In other words we need to be prepared to make more compromises regarding the

introduction of both passive and active measures to provide maximum fire protection. The less sensitive the

building is to the introduction of physical protective measures, the more effective the protection can be made.

Storing and exhibiting priceless objects in a priceless building is an extremely high-risk strategy.