Museum Architecture

Museum Architecture

1. Introduction

Museum architecture deals with different purposes of the building in respect to its collection,

administration and public interest. It is based on needs for collection, preservation and

display of museum objects to make it accessible to its visitors. It also depends on the public

access to museum, visitors’ space for amenities and the entire space for administrative

works. Apart from the need of the building space, design of the museum architecture also

depends on the nature and function of museum, conditioned by its social, economical and

political context, available locations, the financial resources and the objectives set by the

individual or organization during the development of museum.

Museum architects develop buildings specially designed to house objects that have been

collected because of their historic, scientific, or artistic importance. The great challenge of

the museum architecture lies in providing for the often conflicting uses of the building. On

one hand, the important objects in the collection must be preserved, and preservation often

requires very specific environments for its safety. On the other hand, museums while

exhibiting objects maintaining control environment need to think on visitors comfort so that

they can understand the objects without any constrain. In addition, museums are often

publicly owned structures, and museum architecture is designed to make a statement about

the community. Today, museum architecture also has to accommodate environmental

concerns as well.

Overall, there are three main considerations for defining museum architecture

 The public using the museum and facilities required

 The collection management including new arrivals, display and in store and its

safekeeping

 The range of services supporting the museum—technical, managerial, administrative

and educational

Museums in all countries are housed in extraordinarily wide range buildings. Museums

buildings fall into two general categories—conversions and purpose-built. The form of a

museum building whether converted or purpose-built must relate to its mission and

objectives. The allocation of space depends on a close understanding of the individual

museum’s aims and objectives and on the priorities which the museum sets itself in the light

of its resources and policies—financial, staffing, collections, services etc.

2. Objectives of Museum Architecture

 The architecture should encourage people in museum visit, discovery of objects,

learning and enjoyment

 It should provide sufficient safe environment for collection both in store and display

as well as in temporary exhibition

 It should be easily accessible by staff and visitors

 It should allow different uses of the spaces like administrative work, conservation and

preservation, public functions and to provide basic required amenities

3. Types of Museum architecture

Museum architecture can be divided into three broad categories:

3.1. Museum housed in specially designed building

As museum objects varies its shape and sizes from the microscopic specimen to gigantic

Dinosaur skeleton or monumental remains, big sculptures etc. Museums are also varies in

terms of its nature of collection, composition of objects, safety requirements, functions,

space required for administration and support functions, aims and objectives as well as

mission and vision. Museum architecture depends upon all these facts and designs the

space accordingly.

For example the new museum building of the Indian Museum in Kolkata was designed by

Walter L. B. Granville constructed in 1875 keeping in mind the need of space that may

accommodate huge archaeological remains, large size animal skeleton, fossils etc. At

present one of the Gateways of the Bharhut stupa along with its railings are displayed in the

Bharhut Gallery; a skeleton of an adult Indian elephant is in zoological section; etc. are

displayed in such a way that visitors can view it properly. Other large objects are also well

accommodated in this building. Similarly, natural history museum, science centre,

ethnographic museum, art and craft museum or art galleries etc., all have definite

specification of space that they need to accommodate objects allowing space for visitors

access and thus architectural pattern differs from one another.

Public Area and celebration in Indian Museum,

Kolkata

Bharhut Gallery of India museum, Kolkata

3.2. Museum housed in any heritage building:

Many important historic or contemporary buildings, palaces, forts etc. originally used for

domestic, public service/state, commercial, industrial, religious or military purposes,

converted wholly or in part for museum use. Many biographic museums, history museums

like period rooms are fall under this category. Here exhibits are displayed as per the

availability of space with little modification of the building or without any modification of the

heritage building to maintain the historic essence of the building intact. For example, Indira

Gandhi Memorial Museum in New Delhi was the official residence of then Prime Minister

Indira Gandhi, where she was assassinated and later the building including all her used

objects are converted into a Personalia Museum and opened to public for their visit. Most of

the Indian palaces are now partly opened as museum to common people, where the objects

once used in royal purposes are kept as exhibits. For example, City Palace Museum and

Sawai Man Singh II Museum in Jaipur, City Palace Museum in Udaipur in Rajasthan and

Mysore Palace in Mysore etc. Here spaces are modified as per the need of display and for

the unidirectional or guided visitors’ circulation.

3.3. Open air Museum

Unlike in-house museums there are so many open-air museums or museum in-situ and ecomuseums

that vary greatly in terms of nature and objectives from each other. Architectural

requirement is thus different in those museums. In case of open air museums the

architectural needs are to create a natural environment to place exhibits arranging an easy

access to visitors so that they can feel exhibits in terms of its natural habitat or environment.

The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, earlier known as Museum of Man, is

established in 1977 in Bhopal exhibits life-size habitats of different ethnic groups of India.

These habitats are recreated depicting the livelihood of respective ethnic group. Visitors here

can feel their natural habitat and daily life.

Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, New Delhi City Palace Museum, Jaipur

Planning of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal

In case of archaeological sites visitors get chance to know the history and architectural

beauty viewing at the exhibits in-situ. For example, the Open Air Museum at Badami,

Karnataka, is the place where the artisans mined rocks and sculpted the complete statues.

Here visitors can also view the steps cut out of rocks leading to caves, where the incomplete

statues still lay waiting for the craftsmen to complete them. In this case, keeping the entire

site intact, supporting structures are required to develop to facilitate visitors’ access so that

they can reach at the point, see and know the architectural wonders and the history.

Shekhavati, is on the other hand is a village, where every home are beautifully decorated

with age-old mural paintings of Rajasthani style that attracts lot of national and international

visitors every year. Here arrangement is made in such a way that facilitates visitors to enjoy

the ethnic art.

4. Elements of Museum Architecture

Buildings that to be constructed for the purpose of establishing a specific museum must

incorporate following architectural elements while planning and designing the entire set-up in

an ideal condition:

4.1. Museum Building

Most successful museums are those which match their needs to the space available. A

rough thumb rule for space allocation is reception/visitor facilities-25 percent; collection

storage-25 percent, display/exhibition-25 percent and support service 25 percent. Museums

are to be constructed in accordance with this basic thumb rule. In small-medium sized

museum, it is more effective to use limited display space for regularly changing exhibitions

making use of the collections resource in a variety of different ways than to take up space

needed for other functions with display. Building space can be divided as follows:

4.1.1. Public space / services

The space is generally the free movement area of visitors other than museum

galleries where they can participate in various museum activities and also enjoy its

various services.

 Visitors entrance:

 In should be wide enough for visitors circulation

 In should be accessible for specially challenged people

 It should be well directed so that people can identify easily

Badami Caves, Karnataka

Shekhavati: Open-air museum in Rajasthan

 Reception and Information Kiosk

 It should be located near the entrance

 It should be identified easily

 Space in front of it should be enough for visitors to wait

 Orientation space

 It should be spacious enough for visitors circulation and to view objects with

comfort

 It should be enough for the circulation of wheel chairs

 Cloakrooms

 It should be located near the entrance or Ticket Counter

 It should be spacious enough for keeping the personal belongings of visitors

 Assembly area

 Museum should have a spacious assembly area for visitors where museum

guides can introduce and explain about the museum

 The area should be well ventilated for the comfort of visitors

 Lavatories or Toilets

 It should be placed in every floor in adequate number separately for men and

women

 The direction should be proper to identify its location

 There should be separate toilets for physically challenged people and that

should be easily accessible for them.

 Refreshment facilities

 Museum should have space for canteen

 This should be spacious to accommodate large number of visitors

 Direction should be given properly so that visitors can find its location easily

 Audio-Visual Room

 Audio-visual room is required to disseminate information audio-visually, which

cannot be given through static display

 The room should have latest technological support

 It should be well accommodated for a considerable number of visitors

 Activity room

 Modern museums should have discovery room and activity room for children

 Space should be enough to conduct any workshop

 Participant must get comfort in this room while performing any activity

 Meeting room

Museums are used by researchers and many professional who needs

different information from the concerned experts thus one or more meeting

rooms for discussions are always advisable in a museum.

 Exhibition space

Exhibition is an important activity for any museum and thus an exhibition area

should be there in a museum where temporary exhibitions can be conducted

 Auditorium

For seminar, lectures, performing arts, celebration of special day’s etc.

museum needs an auditorium with all modern facilities. These activities are

the integral part of any live museum and it attracts lot of people into the

museum even after the museum hours.

 Sales Counter

 It should be located near the reception or assembly point

 The room should be specially structured to keep museum souvenir items for

sale.

 Security office

 It should be located in a convenient place so that both visitors and staff can

access it easily

 The room should be designed in such a way that it can place all the modern

equipment like Close Circuit Cameras to monitor every corner of the museum

building

4.1.2. Public Space / Collections

The important areas of any museums are its different galleries where part of the collections

is displayed forming permanent galleries for common people. In addition to the permanent

galleries museum must have specific area for temporary exhibition. Apart from these two

areas museum needs a good library where interested visitors, researchers can refer books

and journals related to the exhibits. For these museums need some specification.

General Architectural Plan of a museum

 Galleries

 The space design for each gallery should be in such a way where displayed

objects can be viewed by visitors comfortably.

 All the galleries should be accessible easily with adequate orientation space for

all visitors including physically challenged visitors.

 The galleries should be constructed in such a way keeping the provision for

sufficient natural light wherever applicable.

 The galleries must be well protected from pests, direct effect of moisture and heat

as well as theft and burglary

 Library

Museum needs a spacious library with the control environment facility to house large

number of books and journals with the adequate arrangement of reference area for

users including specially challenged people.

4.1.3. Storage

Museum keeps 2/3rd of its collection in store. Apart from the collections, museums

need a separate storage for the safekeeping of archival materials and materials used

in designing galleries and exhibition space. These spaces need to be constructed in

such a way that the items should not be damaged due to the effect of humidity, heat,

temperature and pollutants as well as from the micro-organisms like fungus, pests

etc. The space should be selected in the area where visitors’ movement is restricted.

 Collection Storage

 Adequate and appropriate space is required to store 2/3rd of museum

collection

 It should be built in such a way that the store cannot be viewed by common

people but it must be near the respective gallery for the access of staff to

facilitate transport of objects whenever required.

 It should be constructed in such a way that fulfills the basic safety needs.

 Stores must be constructed in such a way that there should be enough

orientation and circulation space for special visitors or researchers who want

to see and work with the objects in store.

 Archive

 Museums need space to store their archival documents

 The space must be well protected from any environmental factors that may

harm archival objects

 Exhibition storage

This storage space is required to keep the exhibition objects, display aids, lights,

equipment and other necessary items require during the installation of a temporary

exhibition or renovating permanent galleries.

4.1.4. Supporting services

Apart from display and providing services to visitors every museum has many

departments those altogether responsible for the effective functioning of the

museum. 25 percent of the total museum spaces are required to dedicate for these

back office departments. This area is restricted to visitors and accessible only for the

staff. These are :

 Administration & Management

It includes following sub units :

 Curatorial Offices

 Finance

 Database Management

 Marketing

 Human Resource

 Cleaning and Maintenance

 Modeling Unit

 A workshop kind of space is required to make fabricated objects for different

exhibition purpose and for sale as souvenir items

 To develop different models, display items for permanent and temporary

exhibition a spacious workable modeling Unite is required within or outside

the museum building but in close vicinity of the museum building.

 Photography Room

For documentation of museum objects museum needs to develop images of objects

and for that a space for photography room is required.

 Conservation Laboratory

Except few museums where no original or antique objects are in collections, all

museums need a good conservation laboratory for the preventive and curative

conservation of the museum objects.

 In Indian museums this is not a visitors’ area and thus the laboratory should

be developed in a space restricted to visitors.

 Museums those have huge collection of varied art objects need separate

conservation units for textile, paintings, metal, archival materials etc.

 Publication office

Museum produces large number of publications like leaflets, brochures, gallery map,

posterns, folders, guide book, monographs, journals, bulletins etc. for that they need

separate office space to work on it.

 Air-conditioner plant

This is now a day an important device to maintain homogeneous museum

environment. Museums those are financially affluent to install air-conditioning

system, can place an air-conditioning plant outside the main museum building but

within the museum premises. The space should be in an isolated corner where

movement of people is restricted.

4.2. Museum Surroundings

Museum’s surroundings is as important as the museum itself but due to limited space

in majority cases museum architecture mainly concentrated to the building itself. But

wherever possible free space of a museum’s surrounding add value in terms of

aesthetic beauty, visitors’ free movement and enjoyment. Designing a museum with

adequate free surrounding space, thus consider on some following aspects:

 Garden for aesthetic value

 Garden increases the beauty of the museum building and attract

visitors

 In today’s modern urban life lushes of green gives additional pleasure

to city people and they love to stay more in museum to enjoy fullest.

 Exhibition of outdoor objects in open air

 Out of many museum exhibits some objects specially made of stone,

terracotta and steel in its garden area that creates an artistic

ambience

 For example a plant made of steel in the National Gallery of Modern

Art, New Delhi; Inscriptions on stone in the National Museum, New

Delhi; Terracotta objects in the Indira Gandhi Manav Sangrahalaya,

Mysore.

 Visitors waiting space

 Many people like to wait and sit outside at the museum garden in a

group and enjoy their feeling about the visit

 Special sitting arrangement always enhance the value of museum

 Open-air activity space

 During winter many museums in India conduct sit and draw, clay

modeling etc. and sometimes organize summer camps and other

activities for children at outdoor

 Open-air space in museum garden always useful for conducting

participatory activities

 Parking facility

 Now parking facility in any public place is very important for visitors,

where they can park their vehicle and can enjoy the museum freely for

a day

 It should be well directed and easily accessible for visitors

 Garage space for mobile units

Some museums in India like Birla Industrial and Technological Museum,

Kolkata, India Museum, Kolkata have their mobile unit for exhibition in remote

areas. They need a space to park their mobile unit

A plant made of Steel at the garden of the National Gallery of

Modern Art, New Delhi—a permanent exhibit

5. Summary

A museum is a public building where peoples come in their leisure time. This means the

architecture of the museum should be designed or pre-existed heritage building should be

modified in such a way where all the objects should be accommodated perfectly and must

give people comfort with satisfaction. For museum personnel it should be such a space

where they can display and store all kinds of objects appropriately, work satisfactorily and

can enhance their creative ideas. It is a skill of the architects to balance the needs utilizing

fullest the available space. The space should be such where museum can perform all its

regular functions and services maintaining necessary administrative and management

procedure not in some small room in the dark, but in the blood and veins of the specially

designed museum architecture.