Specialist project management, collection relocation and disaster recovery.
Experience & Expertise
Specialist planning, handling and documentation for cultural and scientific collections across Australia.
IAS provides specialist project management, logistics and collection relocation services for museums, galleries, universities, research organisations, government institutions and private collections. Our experience includes complex relocations, disaster recovery, emergency evacuation and the management of highly significant and irreplaceable cultural and scientific collections.
IAS has extensive experience managing complex cultural collection and institutional relocation projects throughout Australia. Our project teams understand that the movement of collection material requires significantly more than conventional transport – it requires detailed planning, specialist handling, appropriate equipment, comprehensive documentation and a clear understanding of the significance and vulnerability of each collection.
Selected projects
Our experience includes some of Australia's most complex collection relocation projects, including:
01
Approximately 22,000 drawers of scientifically significant specimens.
Relocation of approximately 22,000 drawers of pinned insect specimens and associated collection material. The project required highly controlled handling, detailed inventory management, specialist packing and transportation of scientifically significant material.
02
Diverse university collections. One purpose-built museum destination.
Project Management, packing and relocation of the University's collections into the newly constructed Chau Chak Wing Museum. This required the coordination and movement of diverse collection types into a new purpose-built museum environment, with careful planning around access, sequencing, handling and installation.
03
Specialist collection recovery following the Lismore floods.
IAS provided specialist assistance following the devastating Lismore floods, supporting the recovery and movement of affected collection material during an emergency situation.
04
Urgent protection of irreplaceable collections threatened by bushfire.
IAS has assisted with the evacuation of priceless cultural collections when properties were under imminent threat from bushfire. In these circumstances, IAS staff volunteered to enter areas threatened by fire to assist with the urgent removal and protection of irreplaceable cultural material.
These projects demonstrate our ability to operate in environments where normal project conditions no longer apply. Our teams can respond quickly, assess changing risks and adapt logistics and handling procedures to protect collection material while maintaining appropriate safety protocols.
Specialist service · Disaster response
Stabilise, protect, document and relocate collection material while minimising further damage.
IAS understands that disaster recovery involving cultural collections is fundamentally different from conventional commercial recovery. The priority is to stabilise, protect, document and relocate collection material while minimising further damage.
Our experience includes providing disaster recovery assistance to Lismore Regional Gallery following the Lismore floods, where collection material was affected by a major natural disaster. Working in difficult and rapidly changing conditions, IAS provided specialist logistics and handling assistance to support the recovery and relocation of affected collection material.
IAS has also responded to imminent bushfire threats involving priceless cultural collections. On these occasions, staff volunteered to assist with the emergency evacuation of collection material, entering areas subject to an active fire threat to help remove irreplaceable objects before they could be lost.
These experiences have reinforced the importance of having a disaster response capability that can be mobilised quickly and managed by experienced personnel.
The objective is always to protect the collection while ensuring the safety of personnel remains paramount.
Specialist service · Collection protection
Minimise unnecessary handling. Maintain accountability. Document every stage.
IAS recognises that the movement of cultural collections involves significant financial, cultural, historical and reputational risk. Our project management methodology is designed to minimise unnecessary handling, maintain accountability and provide clear documentation throughout each stage of a relocation.
Prior to commencement, we work with the client to understand the collection, establish responsibilities and identify potential risks associated with access, handling, packing, transportation, storage and installation.
Effective risk management begins with reducing the number of times an object is handled, ensuring appropriate equipment and personnel are used, documenting its movement and maintaining clear accountability from collection point through to destination.
For high-value, culturally significant or irreplaceable material, our objective is to minimise both physical risk and uncertainty throughout the project.
How It Works
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understanding the collection, buildings, access and project constraints.
IAS approaches each project as a managed collection movement rather than simply a transport exercise.
Our Project Managers work with the client to establish the scope, collection requirements, access conditions, sequencing, staffing, equipment, packing methodology, transportation requirements and risk controls.
For major relocations, this may include:
For emergency projects, this methodology is adapted to the circumstances. The priority becomes rapid decision-making, risk assessment, stabilisation and removal of collection material while maintaining the highest practicable level of safety and accountability.
Why Partner With Us
IAS brings together specialist cultural logistics expertise with practical experience gained from some of Australia's most challenging collection movements and emergency situations.
This experience matters because complex collection projects are dynamic. Access can change, buildings can present unexpected challenges, environmental conditions can deteriorate and emergency circumstances can require immediate decisions.
IAS's strength is the ability to combine detailed project planning with the experience and flexibility to respond when circumstances change.
More than transport. A specialist project partner for collections that cannot be replaced.
Our clients engage IAS because they require more than a transport provider. They require a specialist project partner that understands the significance of the material, the importance of documentation and chain of custody, the need to manage risk, and the consequences of damage or loss to collections that may be impossible to replace. We bring that understanding to every project, whether it is a planned multi-year institutional relocation or an emergency response where the collection is at immediate risk.
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