A design museum is a museum with a focus on product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design. Many design museums were founded as museums for applied arts or decorative arts and started only in the late 20th century to collect design. The first museum of this kind was the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. In Germany the first museum of decorative arts was the Deutsches-Gewerbe-Museum zu Berlin (now Kunstgewerbemuseum), founded in 1868 in Berlin.[1] Also some museums of contemporary or modern art have important design collections, like the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris. A special concept has been realised in the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, in which four independent museums cooperate, one of them being Die Neue Sammlung – the largest design museum in the world. Today corporate museums like the Vitra Design Museum, Museo Alessi or Museo Kartell play an important role.

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PLANNING, ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF MUSEUM BUILDING
M. SENTHIL 1
M.Arch [General], Department of Architecture, Hindustan University, Chennai
e-mail: ar.senthilmani@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Architecture is the art of spaces. The human feelings were influenced by architectural
space from time to time. For centuries, museums have played an important role in
societies around the world. They are cultural institutions in which people are able to
come, learn, and enjoy art. Some museums have gained a reputation for their collection
of art. This paper focuses on the influence of architectural space over period of times. A
theoretical as well as practical key issue in the design of museum and galleries is how
the layout of space interacts with displays to create a specific effect, express the
intended message to visitors. This Paper comprises of all the spatial and functional
requirements of a museum planning. The design component of this project is located in
Chennai, a metropolitan city. It intends to impress visitors with a vivid history of its
development through architectural expressions.
KEYWORDS: Architectural Space, Museum planning, Design components, Circulation, Displays, Services
INTRODUCTION
Museum is a temple, where art and knowledge are most important. It has a balance between
devotion to art. Three primary task of a museum: Education, Presentation, Forming of a
collection. Nowadays, the public would not go to a museum in the first instance to acquire
knowledge or information Instead, visitors of a museum expects to go through a unique
experience. This paper aims to explore how people make meaning in and from museums,
through the spaces from time to time. This Dissertation seeks to explore various
representations of contemporary and historical spatial conceptions, using architecture as the
medium for representation.

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From this research, it is hoped that the reader will gain an understanding of space and the
impact it has on museums. Museum space follows function and its interior space should
respond to and go well with its exhibitions. In addition, the exhibitions, presentations and
displays should be interesting and interactive. The purpose of this dissertation is to find
interpretation guidelines for a historic museum planning.
MUSEUM CLASSIFICATIONS
Categories include: fine arts, applied arts, craft, archaeology, anthropology and ethnology,
biography, history, cultural history, science, technology, children's museums, natural history,
botanical and zoological gardens. Within these categories many museums specialize further,
e.g. museums of modern art, folk art, local history, military history, aviation history, philately,
agriculture or geology. There are museums of different categories such as:
• Museums owned by the state government
• Museums owned by the central government
• Museums owned by the universities / semi-govt organizations
• Museums owned by the Non-govt organizations [ trust, society,etc.,]
• Museums owned by the private individuals
MUSEUM PLANNING FACTORS
The planning Process of a museum should be using the storyboard as a guide, the designer
should then proceed to evaluate and allocate exhibition space according to storyboard themes
and other visual and communication needs. The following were the important factors to be
considered in Museum planning.
a. Site selection
b. Site Zoning
c. Indoor & Outdoor Circulation
d. Exhibit of display
e. Natural & Artificial Lighting
f. Services

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a. Site Selection
Site selection involves measuring the needs of a new project against the merits of potential
location. Lists of factors affecting the decision are: Availability, Access, Cost of acquisition
and development, Security considerations, Visibility, Compatibility of neighboring facilities.
Each factor should be weighted before it is evaluated. The weighting of site selection factors
should be done in relation to fundamental issues of the museums mission, its policies and its
institutional character.
b. Site Zoning
Zoning the areas is a can be arranged as follows,
• Public Collection Areas: Zone with
environmental controls and security designed
for the preservation of collections.
• Non Public Areas: Zone which is meant for
the staff alone with environment controls and
security.
• Public Non-collection Areas: Zone in which
the finish and durability and environment
created for human comforts.
• Non Public-Collection Areas: Zone in
which the finish and durability and
environment created for the staffs alone.
c. Circulation
Circulation space identifies area of a building that is used
for pedestrian travel, such as a hallway, stair way, and
areas in a room that leads to another room. Develop
exhibitions with these visitor circulation patterns in mind.
Design so that visitors do not have to take extra steps.
Designing circulation spaces should be:
• Widen corridors beyond the typical 8-9 feet currently
in use. Also able to easily handle two-way traffic.
• Break up corridor lengths. This will reduce travel time
and also discourage kids from running through the
halls.
Fig. : 2 Circulation Diagram
Fig. : 1 Zoning Diagram

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• Keep corridors a consistent width. Corridors that expand and contract create
bottlenecks. Consider rounding or angling corners so there is a sight line to the
intersecting corridor.
• Blind corners can be a hazard. People who walk at a fast pace or turn corners quickly do
not see the traffic in the intersecting hallway. This can lead to congestion, bumping,
collisions, and altercations.
d. Exhibit of Display
Spaces should reinforce and promote the
audience’s engagement with the collection
Concluding accessory uses. While walking
through a museum, we’ll often encounter
stunning and displays that are meant to show a
certain artifact or piece of artwork in the most
attractive way possible. These visually
stimulating displays often invoke awe and
wonder in children and adults alike.
Fig. : 3 Gallery Circulation
Fig. : 4 Exhibit of Display

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(Ref.Fig:5) Often the arrangements can be
staggered (Ref.Fig:4) which produces a certain
mystery and a desire on the part of the visitor to
peek around corners to see what is next. Cases that
area arranged to narrow the entrance a bit, so that
the hall inside then opens out, provide a certain
amount of interest
e. Lighting
Lighting in museums and art galleries
plays a key role in a visitor's ability to
perceive and enjoy both the artefacts in a
museum and the building in total. In
order to develop a successful lighting
scheme, a museum lighting designer must
satisfy many conflicting design
requirements. Dramatic variations in light
levels from exhibit to exhibit, or from
exterior to interior, can affect a visitor's
ability to appreciate artwork because the
human eye requires several minutes to
adjust to large changes in light levels.
Fig. : 6 Natural lighting
Fig. : 7 Artificial lighting
Fig. : 5 Exhibit of Display

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f. Services
In the operation of collection
services, not every operation
necessarily requires a separate
space, some services may be
provided by outside agencies. As far
as possible, collection movement
and public circulation should be
kept separate.
CONCLUSION
Through the analysis of these cases, it is easy to find spaces that not only satisfy the function
but also satisfy the spirit. The architecture is not the product but the artwork, which is the art
of the space. Some of the examples are the artworks themselves, particularly the museums.
They not only provide the spaces for display but also are a part of the exhibition. From the
quality of space point of view, there is no doubt that, through the design of the elements of
space, the expected space effect is achieved. The planning of museum should be in such a way
that the building should be iconic over period of times reflecting the past, present and future
image of the city.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank my dissertation supervisor Professor Dr. Ravi Kumar Bhargava for
his guidance and input during our tutorials and throughout this process.
REFERENCES
1. Ching, Frank, Architecture: Form, Space, & Order, 3rd ed, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley &
Sons, 2007.
2. Hillier, B., Tzortzi, K., 2006, “Space Syntax: The Language of Museum Space”,
Macdonald (Ed), A Companion to Museum Studies, Blackwell Publishing, London, p. 282-
301.
3. ICOM (2006) Code of Ethics for Museums, Paris, International Council of Museums
4. International Council of Museums (ICOM) (homepage). ICOM code of ethics for
museums. URL: http://icom.museum/ethics.html
Fig. : 8 Layout of services