Museum Architecture Research Articles

New museum construction in Irkutsk

The article presents an analysis of the city museum policy used as a basis for a proposal for the construction of modern museums in Irkutsk. The article provides the results of the research activity of the working group “Architecture of new museums in the modern city” at INRTU and the conclusions about the expediency of building new museums in the centre of Irkutsk. The following projects made by students of Irkutsk architectural school as final qualifying works are considered: the project of reconstruction and expansion of the museum of regional studies on the basis of the historical building of the VSORGO Museum (Artem Zyubr), the project of the museum building for the geographical and historical collection related to the North American discoveries of travellers and merchants from Irkutsk (Nikita Sobolevsky), and the project of the new building for the Museum of Asian Art (Alisa Valeeva).

Construction of Space and Plasticity in the Project of the Tretiakov Gallery Branch in Kaliningrad

This article is a fragment of a systematic scientific study of the design activity of the "Meganom" bureau, conducted within the framework of the author's approach to contemporary Russian architecture.Purpose: To determine the conceptual fundamentals used in the construction of space and plasticity of the Tretyakov Gallery branch, designed by Meganom" bureau in Kaliningrad.Methodology: Building analytical models of the proposed space and plasticity construction in the project of the Tretyakov Gallery branch in Kaliningrad are used.Research findings: The development of the proposed approach and continuity of conceptual ideas is shown. The space and plasticity construction is carried out in the common architectural style taking into account the most striking trends of the world museum architecture, with the preservation of the author's understanding of the archetype of the exhibition space.

The Role of Museum Design in Enhancing Visitor Learning: A Critical Review

This study examines the impact of museum design on knowledge acquisition through a comprehensive literature review. By analyzing existing research on museum architecture, exhibit layout, and visitor engagement, the study explores how design elements such as spatial organization, lighting, and interactive displays influence learning outcomes. The literature review reveals key insights into the ways museum environments shape cognitive processes and retention of information. Findings suggest that well-designed museums significantly enhance visitor engagement and facilitate deeper understanding. This review highlights existing trends and identifies gaps in the current research, providing a foundation for future empirical studies on the relationship between museum design and knowledge transfer

The Interplay between Spatial Layout and Visitor Paths in Modern Museum Architecture

The Interplay between Spatial Layout and Visitor Paths in Modern Museum Architecture

Is transparent approach suitable for museums?----Take Kroller Muller Museum as an example

This paper embarks on a detailed exploration of the integration of glass as a pivotal architectural element within museum structures, with a specific focus on the renowned Kroller Muller Museum as a prominent case study. The Kroller Muller Museum stands as a beacon of a transformative shift in museum architecture, boldly veering away from conventional reinforced concrete edifices to embrace a contemporary architectural approach predominantly anchored in glass. The deliberate use of glass in its design symbolizes an alignment with the tenets of modernity, reflecting the museums evolution in harmony with societal progress and contemporary architectural trends. In line with the philosophy of renowned architect Le Corbusier, who emphasized the necessity of architectural adaptation to cater to evolving societal needs, this study argues that maintaining synchrony with the contemporary era is vital not just for museums but also for the broader realm of architecture and urban planning. Drawing from these principles, this research critically scrutinizes whether the prevalent shift towards transparency, particularly in the form of glass integration, truly aligns with the specific and nuanced requirements of museums within their contextual milieu. By thoroughly analyzing this aspect, the research is to offer beneficial perspectives on the efficiency and suitability of incorporating glass elements in modern museum architecture.

Study on the Activation Strategy of Historical and Cultural Blocks from the Perspective of Smart Cultural Tourism—A Case Study of the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys in Fuzhou City, China

In recent years, as living standards have improved, there has been an increasing demand for spiritual fulfillment. New leisure activities such as visiting exhibitions and urban exploration, as well as immersive tourism, are replacing traditional sightseeing tours. As lifestyles change, so do people’s consumption habits. Located in Fuzhou City, Three Lanes and Seven Alleys is known as “Manchu Architecture Museum” and “half of modern Chinese history”. In the digital age, Three Lanes and Seven Alleys keeps up with the wave of smart cultural travel. Through “Cuocuo Youyu” Mini Program, media facilities in the museum, it uses scientific and technological means to achieve multi-connectivity and enhance tourists’ sense of experience and interactive participation in visiting historical blocks. This paper starts with an analysis of the current digital development status and existing challenges faced by Three Lanes and Seven Alleys before delving into a study of strategies for activating this historical area.

The history of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Batyushkovo, Dmitrovsky district (XVII-XIX centuries)

This article provides historical information about the architectural monument characteristic of the Moscow patrimonial (Posadsky) architecture – the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the village of Batyushkovo, Dmitrovsky district. The author has studied and systematized data on the owners, construction and repair of the church since the XVII century, collected data on local clergy. The research is based on materials from the archive of the Dmitrov Kremlin State Museum-Reserve, the archive of the Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, the archive of the New Jerusalem State Historical and Art Museum, the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and the Central State Archive of Moscow. The work contains research on the history of the Dmitrov region, studied archival sources: metric books and church records. There is practically no historical information about the state of the church for the period from the XVII to the beginning of the XIX century, and information about the landowners of the village in the second half of the XVIII – early XIX century is sketchy. A valuable contribution to the study is information about the biographies of each of the owners of the village of Batyushkovo: their kind of activity, position in society. The most important aspect is the publication of previously unknown sources: drawings of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the middle of the XIX century by architect Vasily Dregalov.

Questions of scale sensitivity, experience and branding culture in and beyond Hans Christian Andersen's House

With a new museum, Hans Christian Andersen's House, the Danish city of Odense has intensified the relationship between the nineteenth-century author, a son of the city, and the architectural spaces of today. The museum opened in 2021 but has drawn much attention since 2016 when Kengo Kuma and Associates were announced as winners of the competition to design this new house of fairy tales. The combination of Andersen, a cherished author whose works are read worldwide, and Kuma, an esteemed world-famous architect, seemed a perfect match to secure attention from a wider public and attract local and international visitors. The museum's architecture and urban garden form a focal point in the exhibition design but are also central elements in a larger transformation project in Odense. Entangled in all this is Andersen: his fairy tales, his personality, and the places he lived in Odense. The article explores how experiential visions and branding culture are balanced, and argues that the museum was created with a sensitivity towards different scales that form the relations with the museum's contexts. How such scale sensitivity is connected to the materiality, spaces, and bodily experiences of the museum is analysed through theories by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Celia Lury.

Architectural And Design Concept In The Historical Museum National

The National History Museum (MSN), situated beneath the National Monument in Jakarta, is a vital cultural institution displaying 51 dioramas depicting Indonesia's history. This research, utilizing qualitative methods and SWOT analysis, explores the museum's architecture, historical representation, and strategic positioning. The results highlight the integration with the monument, the use of marble, and the significance of the Independence Space. The SWOT analysis identifies strengths (cultural heritage), weaknesses (limited amenities), opportunities (increased interest), and threats (competition and potential damage). The study concludes that developing MSN as a tourist destination is crucial, suggesting comprehensive research, optimized asset utilization, and alternative promotional strategies for increased visitation.

Exclusion through Inclusion?: Museum Architecture and the Institutionalization of Critique

Architecture is not only a social product; the social is also constituted through architecture. This holds particularly true for the museum. Museum architecture is a spatialized expression of social order and an infrastructure through which collective imaginations are generated. I will show how the German Bundeswehr uses its principal museum to apply a post-heroic mode of identity formation. The Bundeswehr has to distance itself from the past while it also has to articulate a minimum of historic continuity to legitimize itself. The Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr (Dresden) achieves this through a twofold spatial tactic. First, through a dramatic architectural intervention, and secondly, through the interpretation of this spatial arrangement. Articulated in and through architecture, the ‘critical engagement with the past’ becomes institutionalized. Providing a sociological explanation of why the critical negation of the past became a prominent narrative within German memorial culture, I argue, that it allows for a coherent self-narration below the horizon of historical fractures and multiple conflicts in the refigured modernity. Although a similar discourse is at work at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, its affirmative architecture, however, contradicts any claims of a ‘critical engagement with the past’.

Архитектура музейных комплексов в историческом контексте времени

This study, which focuses on the architecture of museum buildings, analyzes the methods of shaping facades, with consideration of its regional setting and geographic location. The authors emphasize that in current conditions the design of museum facilities becomes a key economic factor affecting the tourist attraction, which, in turn, facilitates economic development of the region. The article puts special emphasis on the integration of museum facilities into historical urban development, by giving the example of the cities of Rome, Vatican, New York, Bilbao, Marseille, Giza. It covers in detail the typical features of the architecture of museums that affect their space planning. By analyzing different museum sites, the authors identify both similarities and differences in architectural solutions and examine the impact of these solutions on visitors. The study also emphasizes the importance of the research for understanding the role of architecture in creating a unique and attractive environment of the museum space, as well as for developing strategies for further development of museum infrastructure considering current requirements and visitor expectations. The paper highlights the importance of innovative approaches to facade design, which not only gives museums a unique appearance, but also has a strong role in shaping its positive perception.

Popularization of the New Museum Space “Prison Castle” of a Small Town in Western Siberia

The article examines the potential of a small historical city with unique historical and cultural heritage. Based on the results of a scientific expedition that studied the potential of a small cultural space, and the small town of Western Siberia — the city of Tyukalinsk, Omsk region, a new museum space “Prison Castle of the county town of Tyukalinsk” was designed. The main results were based on the local history interviews conducted with local historians and museum workers of Tyukalinsk. In addition to that, the process of designing the future excursion object — the architectural museum complex was carried out based on the archival and museum funds of the small town. The analysis of the conducted research allowed us to conclude that it is necessary to design a new museum space that will attract the interest of a wide audience, local residents, and new potential tourists. The reconstruction of the museum space with an unusual theme allows us to present the historical events of the Civil War era in a new way. By drawing attention to the historical past of Tyukalinsk through the creative museum space, we thereby preserve the values of historical and cultural heritage.

Experience of socio-cultural interaction within the framework of the exhibition project “Feodor Chaliapin — alive and close”

The article deals with aspects of the museum’s socio-cultural interaction with partner organizations within the framework of the exhibition project of Nizhny Novgorod State Historical and Architectural Museum Reserve “Feodor Chaliapin — alive and close”, realized to the 150th anniversary of the singer’s birth. The emphasis is on the preservation and presentation of personal heritage. It is of great importance for the community of memory defining socio-cultural identity both in the individual life and the whole society. The modern museum is presented as a center of information, culture, scientific and artistic life, a meeting place for various age, social, professional and ethnic groups. Within these aspects changes are shown in the social role of the museum, the restructuring of the forms and methods of work aimed at improving the efficiency of the museum interaction with the socio-cultural community and visitors. The museum initiated collaboration with educational and cultural organizations and institutions, private researchers to preserve cultural memory and actualization of the heritage of F. I. Chaliapin. Features and results of this work were analyzed in the article. There were presented examples of searching for partners, points of interaction with them, and nuances of development and realization the exhibition concept. The stages of selection and scientific study of exhibits, their preparation for the exhibition, integration of partner’s items into the exhibition space were represented. The article provides an overview of local events, processes, people’s biography who were in the circle of F. I. Chaliapin. It tells about the exhibits which have memorial and historical value. The article summaries the results of cooperation in the exhibition and media communication activities of the museum. It also considers the effect of prolongation of the interaction, which is expressed in increasing of the number of events and attracting of the public attention to this topic.

Between Architecture, Story, and Place Identity: A Narrative Approach for Creative Placemaking in Museum Design

Museum architecture is required to tell a story more than just the physical building to be able to convey the knowledge and messages it carries. When architecture can be enjoyed physically and psychologically, architecture can be more memorable, easier to understand and appreciated by its users. How people value a place can be influenced by a narrative that gives character or identity to that place. Therefore, stories play a crucial role in making a place and shaping its identity. Placemaking concept has several types of approaches to transform spaces and enhance their significance. In particular, this study explored how to use narratives for creative placemaking in museum design, using a qualitative descriptive method that refers to the design process. Using narratives in architectural design has been well-known as storytelling architecture involving two techniques that are ‘storytelling as a metaphor’ and ‘storytelling through sequencing’. The results indicated that these techniques play a part in creative placemaking application which has three design principles, particularly in museum design. By incorporating storytelling techniques, architects and designers can create spaces that evoke emotions, foster connections, and enhance the overall experience of a place.

From Ruins to the Decorative and Applied Arts Museum

The paper “From Ruins to the Decorative and Applied Arts Museum” reflects the complicated path passed by the outstanding monument, a pseudo-gothic style - mezzanine - “New Cavalry House”- designed by the architect of German origin - Albert Zaltzmann. Based on scientific research, the work presents content and functional loading possibilities for the new Decorative Applied Arts Museum building and its outer space. One of the main goals is to replace the Russian narrative with European content.The European-style architecture Museum, located in the centre of the popular Georgian Spa resort Borjomi, with displayed decorative and applied arts collections belonging to the royal family, will be interesting for all visitors. Accordingly, it will be in demand and profitable. It has been noted that the museum is of an extraordinary, unusual nature, and it stands out from the rest of the similar museum institutions in Georgia thanks to the peculiar architecture, content, and collections displayed here.The paper describes the mission of the future museum, its content, and the vital role it has to play in the context of educational and economic development, promoting the region and the whole country.

«Архитектурная исповедь» Якова Рубанчика. По страницам неизданной рукописи

This article describes in detail the unpublished manuscript by the famous Soviet architect Yakov O. Rubanchik, written in 1939-1940 and entitled “My Architect's Confession”. The author takes a critical view of his creative activity in 1920-1930s, and namely architectural design and architectural engineering, his participation in competitions, town-planning projects to reconstruct the squares in Leningrad and Taganrog, graphic art and printmaking, his teaching at the Academy of Arts, research activities and studies of the history of Russian cities. The original manuscript is in the collection of Shchusev State Museum of Architecture, a copy thereof was provided to the author of this article by the Sverdlovs family.

Торговая крепость «Великого советника»: караван-сараи средневекового Карасу

This article generalizes and systematises the experience of studying mediaeval caravanserais in Karasubazar, with the ruined site of one structure located on the territory of the modern city of Belogorsk (Republic of the Crimea). Various groups of historical sources have been used, with considerable attention to the journals of numerous travellers who visited the Crimean Peninsula (P. S. Pallas, P. I. Sumarokov, F. Dubois de Montpereux, A. N. Demidov, etc.). The earliest travelogue was written by Evliya Celebi. This Ottoman traveller observed the largest khan in the town (hereinafter referred to as the Upper Tash-khan, or Sefer Gazi-aga’s caravanserai) shortly after its significant reconstruction and strengthening, which was probably made with the view of the need to strengthen the defences of the town and its residents in the view of regular devastating raids of the Cossacks in the 1620–1630s. The widely used graphic sources, particularly the works by C. Bossoli made in the early 1840s, indicate that the buildings in question were abandoned and lost their former function. The analysis has been made of the works of K. F. Bogaevskii, whose sketches of Crimean antiquities made under the order from the KrymOKhRIS (Section / Sub-department / Committee for the Protection of the Monuments of Art, Antiquity, and People’s daily Life in the Crimea) reflected the preservation of the monuments in the mid-1920s with photographic accuracy. Pencil sketches by U. A. Bodaninskii have been used as well. A set of photographs from the collections of the Bakhchisarai Historical and Cultural Archaeological Museum Preserve, A. V. Shchusev State Scientific Research Museum of Architecture (Moscow), and Central Museum of Taurida (Simferopol) allowed the ones to reconstruct the appearance of the site in the 1920–1930s. The participation of academic institutions in the study of cultural heritage sites of Karasubazar in the first half of the twentieth century has been analysed, and the activities of the Central State Restoration Workshops which sent the architect B. N. Zasypkin to the Crimea have been considered. The main stages of the creation and functioning of the trading khans in the town under study have been characterized, and the architectural analysis has been done.

Days of Architectural Heritage in Yekaterinburg

On 12-14 October the Museum of Architecture and Design of the Ural State University of Architecture and Art (USUAA) held the regional festival “Days of Architectural Heritage. Yekaterinburg: past, present, future”. The participants discussed the problems of heritage preservation, restoration, reconstruction and popularisation. There was a presentation of a new publishing series and awarding of the winners of three competitions.

ARCHITECT YO MING PEI. THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE OF MUSEUM BUILDINGS

Famous Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei was born in Guangdong, China in 1917.He traveled to the United States in 1935. Initially educated at the University of Pennsylvania, he continued his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Architecture in 1940) and Harvard Graduate School of Design (Master of Architecture in 1946). I.M. Pei is widely praised for his bold design and clear geometric forms in his project. His career spanned 60 years and left many outstanding architectural works. I.M. Pei, revered as "the consummate master of modern architecture," his architectural philosophy was deeply influenced by modern art. During that era, New York City was known as the center of modern art. Among them, abstract expressionism, conceptualism and minimalism were on full display here. Many famous artists held grand exhibitions here and established their own studios. I.M. Pei spent most of his life in this place. When American modern art reached its peak in New York, many architects decided to use primitive forms to convey a concise and powerful artistic language, which also became their iconic design style. I.M. Pei's design philosophy is global. He emphasized: "In the architectural design process, there are three key aspects that require special attention: the first is the integration of the building with its environment; the second is how to handle space and form; and finally, from the user's point of view, to correctly solve functional problems. In this paper, the study analyzes the structural features of 12 architectural spaces of art museums designed by I.M. Pei in the context of the time line. It compares the similarities and differences in the spatial structure of the architecture of art museums built in the same time period as well as between different historical eras. The study focuses on analyzing the form and content of space and draws on the theoretical framework of contemporary architecture, namely the concepts of space within modernism. As a result of the analysis, two key characteristics of Pei's architecture are highlighted: sculptural and geometric.

The Construction and Application of a Cloud Editing Digital Museum Oriented to Virtual Tour

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of museums, and online virtual tours have become an important development direction for the cultural inheritance of museums in the present and future. Therefore, there is an urgent need for appropriate digital museum spaces to attract virtual tours of visitors. Firstly, the paper introduces the current situation of the digital transformation of museums around the world under the background of the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzes the challenges of digital museums in supporting virtual tours. Secondly, aiming at these challenges, we design a cloud editing digital museum architecture and develop a cloud editing digital museum system based on the requirement survey. Finally, the paper introduces the application cases and effects of the cloud editing digital museum system, such as the Zhejiang University History Museum and the China National Silk Museum, and analyzes them with the SWOT method. The SWOT analysis shows that the cloud editing digital museum has advantages in the virtual tour, such as the rapid construction of virtual museums, cost savings, update and maintenance, gamification experience, multiterminal support, immersion and fun, and maintaining visitors’ loyalty. It can provide a reference for museums’ digital transformation research and cultural inheritance applications.