🏡 Collections get a fresh start!
After several years of preparation, the collections of the Musée des Maisons Comtoises are about to move into a new storage building designed entirely for their conservation, study... and future. Here's a look back at a major heritage project involving technical challenges, tailor-made logistics and a commitment to sustainability.
📅 A long-term project
This structuring project for the museum saw the light of day at the end of 2018 with the launch of the architectural program, entrusted to a multidisciplinary team.
Since then, several stages have marked out this ambitious project:
2019: preliminary studies and drafting of the program
Early 2020: architectural competition launched for the 4 phases of work
September 2020: appointment of the winning team (Charles-Henri Tachon, Guillaume & François Haton)
2020 to 2022: technical study phases, finalization of plans, submission of permits
November 2022: temporary transfer of collections to premises in Bouclans
May 2023: destruction of old storerooms and start of work
March 2025: delivery of new building
May 2025: insecticide treatment of collections
June 2025: start of reintegration of collections into their new spaces
🏗️ A building designed for conservation
With a surface area of over 1,300 m², the new storage building combines technical performance with heritage requirements. It comprises several specialized areas: reception dock, storage, restoration zones, inventory room, study area, etc.
The entire building has been designed to ensure optimum thermal inertia:
Constant temperature between 16 and 24°C
Regulated humidity between 40 and 60%
Gentle air diffusion, controlled by climate control cabinets and perforated metal ducts
These conditions guarantee stable, long-lasting conservation for all the museum's collections.
🔥 A new treatment against insects
Before being installed in the new storerooms, the collections were disinfected by a chemical-free heat treatment carried out by the Austrian company Thermolignum:
1,000 m³ of objects treated in 4 weeks
Temperature raised to 55°C for 3 hours
Constant control of hygrometry
Total cost: €70,000
Items that cannot be treated immediately are isolated in hermetically sealed bags, pending collection.
📦 Meticulous logistics for out-of-the-ordinary objects
The move was meticulously coordinated by the museum's conservation department, made up of Florence, Sandrine and Margaux. The first phase, entrusted to the Bovis company, concerned the heaviest and most cumbersome objects: 260 pieces were transferred in 3 weeks, some weighing up to 3 tons!
Custom-made rolling trays were built to ensure their safe handling. The second phase of the move, involving the remaining 19,000 objects housed in various parts of the museum, will be handled in-house.
💶 An investment for future generations
The total cost of the operation amounts to €3,229,312 inc. VAT, financed thanks to the support of several partners:
Europe (FEDER): €708,740
State (DRAC): €595,000
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region: €650,366
Syndicat mixte (Département du Doubs, GBM, loan): €1,275,206
👀 And now?
Completion of the building, scheduled for March 2025, marks a new era for the museum. This new facility will enable:
Improved conservation of the collections
Greater accessibility for the study, restoration and enhancement of objects
Increased rotation of exhibits in the permanent tour
Enhanced promotion of the museum's heritage to the general public
👏 Thank you to all the people and institutions supporting this ambitious project, essential to the museum's mission of preservation and transmission.