If a National Resting Place is designed to hold the required environment in its Storage Room by passive means, then little ongoing mechanical maintenance is likely to be required. The exceptions are the need for maintenance of the fans for air circulation and the air intake system. As previously stated, this air intake system should be designed to be activated manually when the external conditions match those set for the Storage Room. This would ensure that air changes only take place when staff are planning to spend more than 30 minutes working in the room.
With this arrangement, there is little likelihood that Ancestral Remains will be put at risk due to funding cuts or power restrictions.
Once Ancestral Remains enter the Storage Room their requirements for ongoing care are largely those of housekeeping. It is essential for their long-term wellbeing that the following programs be developed and scheduled for implementation:
- Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program
- Vulnerable Remains Check Program
- Three-Monthly Cleaning Program
- Occupational Health and Safety Policy specifically for working with human remains (e.g. Pickering 2019).
The Conservation requirements given in this paper ensure that these programs and procedures are able to be carried out. However, their implementation is a management concern rather than a design issue.