Modern heating for the Mary Rose

14 December 2011

Warmafloor has just completed its work at the new £35m Mary Rose Museum; which has been described as “the most ambitious heritage construction project in Europe this decade.”

This landmark museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is scheduled to open late 2012 and will reunite the Mary Rose with the majority of the 19,000 beautifully preserved artefacts recovered with her from the seabed of The Solent near Portsmouth in 1982. The hull, currently in a dry dock, requires highly specialist environmental conditions to enable vital conservation to continue.

Having reviewed different heating options, the project team specified an underfloor heating system. Space is at a premium so the ability to free up entire floor and wall areas was important. Health and safety concerns are also imperative when delivering public buildings so removing hot, sharp objects and anything that might impede access was another advantage of surface heating.

Mike Lamb, Managing Director of Warmafloor explained: “Temperature and relative humidity contribute significantly to the breakdown of materials so the sophisticated controls that our underfloor heating system offers to monitor and adjust temperature are imperative. Underfloor heating also ensures a warm welcome for visitors; offering a comfortable ambience to view King Henry VIII’s flagship. It was also a natural choice to meet the cost demands of this project. It delivers substantial energy savings compared to radiator systems, is low maintenance and enjoy low whole-life costs.”

Lamb added: “We are delighted to be working with some of the best architectural, engineering and construction practises in the world and to play our part in protecting and preserving a historical icon.”