The Loading Bay, or in this case the Unloading Bay, will be the point of entry for Ancestral Remains into a National Resting Place. This area will be situated between the road outside the building and the Receipt Space. If this facility is to serve as the general Loading Bay for the entire building then there would need to be additional access-controlled doors connecting to the other areas it serves. Deliveries, other than Ancestral Remains or equipment/materials required for the care of Ancestral Remains, must not enter other areas of the building through the Receipt Space.
The Loading Bay will not require environmental controls because Ancestral Remains will still be in their travel crates while they move from the delivery truck into the Receipt Space.
The Loading Bay will need to have:
- an insulated, access-controlled, folding or sliding door of sufficient height to allow the entry of a delivery truck
- sufficient space in the dock to allow a delivery truck to come fully inside and have the door close behind it. This will provide both protection from the elements during unloading and privacy. The dimensions of the largest truck used by International Art Services, the company used to bring Ancestral Remains into Australia, is 1224(l) x 250(w) x 428(h) cm with a tail lift 265(l) x 250(w) cm (Button 2020)
- a 6-m space beyond the extended tail lift to allow the free movement of any equipment required for unloading (Button 2020). Space will also be required to store the unopened, incoming crates until they can be moved into the Receipt Space. Ideally this move to the Receipt Space should happen immediately, but sometimes this may not be possible with a large consignment. If the crates have to remain in the Loading Bay for more than a week during periods of temperature extremes, such as mid-summer and mid-winter, it would be desirable to hire an insulated shipping container. This can either sit inside or immediately outside the Loading Bay. The environmental conditions inside the Loading Bay and outside it are unlikely to be significantly different particularly if it serves the entire facility and is in constant use (see Figure 1). The footprint of a standard shipping container would be 2.43(w) x 6.06(l) x 2.59(w) m. If the container is to be held inside the Loading Bay there would need to be space allowed on the short side where the doors are situated for both doors to be opened to at least 90° and for equipment to move the crates in and out [9]
- facilities for parking and charging large, battery-operated equipment, e.g. fork or scissor lifts
- an access controlled, insulated, tight fitting, sliding door leading from the Loading Bay into the Receipt Space. This should be large enough to allow crates to be moved in from the Loading Bay using moving equipment
- a standard, access-controlled door from the Loading Bay into the Receipt Space
- a floor lift, if there is a discrepancy between the floor level in the Loading Bay and the access door to the Receipt Space.
Footnotes
[9] The aesthetics of the Loading Bay are not a Conservation concern, but it may be considered more culturally appropriate to have the Unloading Bay enclosed so that ceremonies for incoming Ancestral Remains can be carried out by a Community at their point of arrival.