Museums are cultural institutions with
the ability to shape the visitor’s understanding of the world and gain communal
knowledge capital from the experience. It could promote learning of history, awareness
of different demographics, community engagement, and challenge perceptions. The
architecture of a museum is a key factor in creating that academic atmosphere.
It needs to be engaging, globally positioned, and universally usable.
A few strategies in the modern age:
Research base that speaks to the user
community – we can develop a portfolio of knowledge transfer activities by
launching research projects. Beyond the site analysis, the designer can involve
different organizations in the conversation to identify
the importance of social, political and economic systems, all of which help
predict behavior and outcome. All partners contribute expertise and share decision making and
ownership. It is an iterative process, incorporating research,
reflection, and action in a cyclical process.
Digital
technologies create new terrain for user-generated interactions – new
innovations create interactive exchanges between the museum material and the
user. These tools go beyond promoting the online presence of the museum,
digital implementations like touch screen devices integrated within the built environment
can strengthen the identity of the museum and invite the visitor to use the space.
Each corridor, window, or crevice can be activated through these strategic
placements. In addition, augmented reality unlocks a range of options through
phone applications that can be actuated by being in the space. It enhances the
physical experience and appeal to mobile users, connecting them to games,
real-time Q&A, and a lasting imprint of the museum that the user can take
away.
Pathway
narration for the global citizen -- people from different cultures have a
different comprehension and approach to the visual and physical. As the
designer starts developing a dialogue with artifact placement and pathways,
more research can be conducted by inviting a variety of international guests
for an onsite survey and community meeting. Without words, does the proposed
design still make sense to someone in Europe, Africa, or Asia? Does the space
present the user with another set of dialogue? Perhaps a skylight that heightens
the space of the outside views’ cultural surroundings or purposefully-placed
sculpture acting as a partition captures an emotional, historical element could
be the conversation starter/thought-instigator.