Museum – functional studies

A museum is an institution which collects, documents, preserves, exhibits and interprets material evidence and associated information for the public
benefit. The primary mission of a museum is to safeguard its collection.

Museums have a unique role in the society. The architectural design for a museum is often expressive of its role in our culture. It can reflect the museum’s
mission. As a result, museums tend to be “design statements”.

Museums operate best with a simple and clear floor plan. The layout of public areas in a museum may be based on a simple concept of free circulation
around a single open-plan exhibition space (a). The storyline of an exhibition may be translated into:

 A linear arrangement of spaces with beginning, middle and end,

 A loop where the essentially linear storyline leads naturally back to the beginning,
 An arrangement of core and satellites where each theme or detailed treatment of a subject leads
back to a central introductory or orientation area
 A more complex scheme combining linear, loop and core satellite arrangement of spaces which is
specifically structured to account for more or less stable relationships between collections and
interpretive themes,
 A labyrinthine arrangement, where the relationships between areas can be varied from exhibition to
exhibition by managing the public circulation.

Fig. 1 Genetic plans for exhibit and open-access storage

areas: a) Open plan; b) Core & satellites; c) Linear
procession; d )Loop; e) Complex; f) Labyrinthine
Designs that make the main entrance highly visible, welcoming and convenient to the public are best. The Museum visitors most often arrive as individuals
and small groups, or as large groups such as a bus of school children or tourists. The intended sequence of entrance, welcome and orientation are different
for these two situations and must be coordinated with the external location of visitor and bus drop-off areas.

A single entrance and exit for all visitors is ideal. This will allow the museum to provide security efficiently. The clarity of this entrance is of the utmost
concern. The entrance should face the direction of approach.A separate museum staff entrance may be used and is often located near the collections
loading dock, if possible. This entrance should also be used for mail, courier, office supply, and similar deliveries.

 Display room
The design of the display spaces should reinforce and promote the
audience’s engagement with the collection.

Exhibition needs vary substantially by the type of the museum. For

instance, an art museum is very concerned with display surfaces on walls,
while a natural history museum may have casework that completely
covers walls. Natural history museums tend to have installations that do
no change often, as compared with an art museum that may change a
gallery several times a year.

Exhibition spaces within a museum can have distinct architectural

typologies. Light quality, room proportion, finishes and materials can be
tailored for each to suit the nature and scale of works being presented.
With variation, several types of exhibition can be well shown at any given time.

Some museums should not have any natural light in exhibition areas. Most will accept low levels of natural light if it is filtered to remove
harmful wavelengths. If natural light is desired, it must be controlled depending on the contents of the exhibition. Skylights or clerestories are
typically preferred over windows (as windows take up much needed wall display surface area).
 Gallery and exhibition spaces should be visually pure environments, without visual clutter
(thermostats, temperature/humidity recorders, fire extinguishers, access panels, signage, etc.)

A minimum display wall height of 3.66m (12ft) is required for most new art museum
galleries; however, those dedicated to contemporary art should have considerably higher ceilings.
6.10m (20ft) is a reasonably flexible height.
A minimum width for subdividing by temporary walls is about 12.20m to 15.24m (40-50ft),
dimensions less than this should not be considered sub-dividable. Care should be taken to ensure
that there is space in the gallery width for viewing on opposite sides, with circulation in the middle.

Arranging objects and labels above and below these limits places a strain on seldom-used
muscles and produces aching backs, tired feet, burning eyes, and stiff neck. Some quite large
objects, such as totem poles or dinosaurs, will inevitably soar above these viewing limits, and, in
this event, the visitor must be permitted space to back far enough away from the object to
comprehend it without becoming a case for an orthopedic specialist.

Fig.3: Each of exhibit types may have any combination of the

following elements: a Item or items from the collection; b
Fixing mount, support or plinth; c Preservation: protection of
vulnerable or removeable parts, lock, alarm, barrier, glazing,
thermo-hydrometer (contained exhibits may have buffering
material against changes in relative humidity); d Lighting; e
Interpretive material: label, graphic information, sound, audio-
visual, kinetic device, interactive device

Fig. 2 Exhibits may be of four basic types: a,b,c Hanging

or wall mounted; d,e Free-standing and open exhibits;
f,g,h Contained exhibits and display cases
 Collection storage
The function of this department is to preserve in
good condition the collections material, especially the
permanent collection in long-term storage. This area should
be located in the core of the building, ideally with no
exposure to an outside wall or roof. Stored works are to be
inspected on a regular basis.
This area needs to have generously sized hallways to
move collections safely. Oversized doors are necessary. An
opening 2.44m (8ft) wide by 3.66m (12ft) high is a typical
minimum. Plumbing is not to be located in these spaces.
Collections storage should have the greatest control
and most stable environment. To minimize light damage to
collections, lighting should be automatically turned off if the
space is not in use. Task lighting should be provided at worktables.
Walls should not be easily removable due to security concerns. Metal shelving and cabinets should be used. Open floor area is used for
large sculptures and similar objects. Finishes must be sealed at all joints to be completely airtight, vapor tight and secure. Finishes should be non-
dusting.

 Workshop
For some museums, this area is called “conservation department”. It
includes staffs that are specialists in restoring and re-conditioning collection
materials. This would be a much secured area, with laboratory-like work areas
and ventilation.
 Mechanical/ Electrical equipment
Design considerations for a mechanical room include appropriate
equipment layout and effective drainage. Equipment must be laid out so that there
is sufficient room for regularly scheduled maintenance and repair. The floor of the
room should be properly pitched toward drains and be free of depressions where
condensation or hazardous chemicals could collect. The room should be secured to
prevent unauthorized tampering with the equipment inside. Physical isolation of
the room can prevent or slow propagation of a fire or an explosion to other areas of
the building. A manually operated shutdown switch or other shutoff device may be
located outside the mechanical room for emergency situations.

 Pantry
This refers to a designated space within or outside the organization which is specially
furnished and equipped with games, food, etc. for use by staff. The objective in having an
“informal” space within the office or easily accessible outside the office is to allow staff to relax
and unwind amidst the stress, or at the end, of the work day.

 Public toilet
Architectural location of toilet must be considered to avoid damage to collections caused
by leaks and condensation. Public toilets should be accessed from the lobby. These may also
need to serve other facilities like auditorium, theater, retail and the food service operations. For
convenience, other restroom facilities may be located on upper floors, but piping for these can
be a water-damage risk to collections on exhibit or in storage.
LOADING

There is substantial movement of materials into and out of most museums. Collections loading operations must be separated from other loading or
delivery areas by the greatest distance possible. Collections loading can receive materials for exhibit preparation and installation operations.

Service, delivery and loading dock driveways should be grouped away from public entrance, outdoor space and visitor and bus drop-off zones.

LIGHTING

Windows and skylights should have filtering to eliminate all ultraviolet and infrared light
wavelengths. There must also be blocking layers or mechanisms to allow the museum to
prevent natural light from entering any space. Operable windows should not be used. Areas
without collections may have abundant light. Lighting can cause fading, darkening, and
accelerated aging of collections.

Exhibition lighting needs will vary by exhibit, type and size of works and layout of each
exhibition. The goal may be to light individual objects, not whole rooms. The location of the
lighting devices relative to the exhibition material is critical, requiring multiple track
locations as well as various types of fixtures, lamping, filters, doors and grilles.

SECURITY

The museum operation must be made entirely secure, not just by an active system of guards and electronics, but also by appropriate layout and design. All
aspects of the museum must be designed to maintain security of the collection. The collections must be protected from harm, theft and abuse.