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Museum design stories

Museum design

Museum design refers to the choices that operators, planners, architects, and exhibit designers make when creating a new museum or renovating an existing museum space. There are several factors to consider, for instance, the way the building looks and feels, the way the space functions, and the kind of artworks or objects that will be on display. Other key considerations are things like light, layout, and location.

Plus, new and refurbished buildings should ensure that they are designed to be as sustainable as possible. There are many standards that museums can aim to meet in the design and build stage, such as LEED certification.

Many impressive new museums have opened or been refurbished in recent years, from the sleek and contemporary M+ in Hong Kong to the renovated Burrell Collection in Glasgow, housed in an iconic 1980s building.

One key project is the Grand Egyptian Museum, which was originally scheduled to open in 2011 but ended up being delayed for over 10 years. With a striking and complex design that echoes the neighbouring pyramids, it houses 100,000 artefacts including all 5,600 objects retrieved from Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Elsewhere, the Museum of the Future in Dubai has won awards for its design, a stainless-steel structure, topped by a giant torus ‘eye’. In South Korea, at the first Robot Science Museum, robots have been involved in all stages of the project from design to manufacturing and construction.

The new Australian Underwater Discovery Centre at Busselton Jetty in Western Australia features a unique design, by Baca Architects, which represents a whale’s head breaking through the water. This design was chosen by the local community.

When it comes to sustainable museum design, some excellent examples are The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, The Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro, and The Museum of Liverpool in the UK.

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