WOLAITA SODO

UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE

The Architect
[COMPANY NAME]
WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

CONTENTS
Introduction ……………………………………………………………...….2

Background History of Museum ………………………………………………………...……….2

Design Objectives ………………………………………………………...……....2

Scope of Museum ……...………………………………………………………….2

Types of Museum ……………..…………………………………………...……...3

Problems of Museum …………………………………………………………………3

Functions of Museum ..……………………………………………………………......3

Design Requirements ..……………………………………………………….…….....4

Design Considerations ..…………………………………………………………….….6

Standards ………………………………………………………………...8

Material Specifications …………………………………………………………………9

Conclusion ………………………………………………………………12

Reference ..………………………………………………………..…….18

 INTRODUCTION

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

A museum  is an institution that cares for (conserves) a collection of artifacts and other

objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make
these items available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary.
The largest museums are located in major cities throughout the world, while thousands of local
museums exist in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas. Museums have varying aims, ranging
from serving researchers and specialists to serving the general public. The goal of serving
researchers is increasingly shifting to serving the general public.
Museums today are complex buildings housing different activities for people with diverse
interests, containing collections and accommodating general and specialist staff dedicated to
providing a service to the public as well as caring for their collections. They have to be designed
for both client and local community, and to connect people of all types with museum objects.

 BACKGROUND HISTORY OF MUSEUM

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. An examination of the evolution of the museums from their early years leading up to the
present will be used to reveal their impact on society and to explore how museums can and do play a role in
cultural diplomacy, most notably through art exhibitions.
The concept of museums in India may be traced back to the historic times, in which references to the
Chitrasala (picture gallery) do occur. However, in India the museum movement post-dates the similar
developments that occurred in Europe. The earliest necessity to house objects of antiquarian remains dates
back to late 1796 AD when the Asiatic Society of Bengal felt the need to house the enormous collection of
archaeological, ethnological, geological, zoological pursuits. However, the first museum by them was started
in 1814. The nucleus of this Asiatic Society Museum later provided to the Indian Museum, Calcutta. In
Archaeological Survey of India also, due to the various explorative investigations that was initiated since the
times of its first Director General, Alexander Cunningham, vast quantity of antiquarian remains were
collected. (1)

The term ‘museum’ first used during the Renaissance, was a different experience from
what we now know. In a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ natural and art objects were jumbled together
on the walls and ceilings, cupboards and drawers of one or two rooms. Their purpose was to
surprise and delight; viewers had to find what attracted them and then make their own
connections.

After the opening of the Uffizi in Florence to a select public in 1591, other museums followed
later in the 17th century. In 1753 Parliament established the British Museum to house the
private collection of the monarch, perhaps the first art museum supported by public revenues.

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

The opening of the Louvre in 1793 was a thoroughly republican event; the revolutionaries
commonly referred to the Louvre as an institution dedicated to the glory of the nation.

The 19th-century museum was designed as a piece of ceremonial architecture in which the idea
of the sacred was translated into secular or national or civic terms.

Aspects of style and technique of the 1951 Festival of Britain were to be absorbed into museum
development of layouts exhibitions of science, archaeology and decorative art.

During the 1950s and 1960s, exhibition design developed along two distinct lines: the Italian-
influenced style, where a minimum number of objects were carefully displayed in beautifully
detailed settings, with the intent of enjoyment rather than instruction, and that which presented
the exhibition as theatre, in the ‘evocative’ style.

 DESIGN OBJECTIVES

 SCOPE OF MUSEUM
A Scope is a stand-alone planning document of a museum that succinctly defines the
purpose of its collection holdings at the present and for the future. It derives from the mission of
the respective museum, as well as laws and regulations mandating the preservation of
collections. A museum must have a Scope of Collection Statement. It guides a museum in the
acquisition and management of those objects that contribute directly to the museums’ mission,
as well as those additional collections that the museum service is legally mandated to preserve.
It is the critical basis for managing museum collections. Scope is referenced in museums’
management planning, resource planning, long-range interpretive plan, and other planning
documents that may affect the collection of museum objects or their use.

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 TYPOLOGY OF MUSEUM

Museums can vary based on size, from large institutions covering many of the categories below,
to very small institutions focusing on a specific subject, such as a specific location, a notable
person, or a given period of time. Museums can also be categorized into major groups by the
type of collections they display, to 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.
Another type of museum is an encyclopedic museum. Commonly referred to as a universal
museum, encyclopedic museums have collections representative of the world and typically
include art, science, history, and cultural history. The size of a museum's collection typically
determines the museum's size, whereas its collection reflects the type of museum it is. Many
museums normally display a "permanent collection" of important selected objects in its area of
specialization, and may periodically display "special collections" on a temporary basis.

 Types
o 1. Agricultural museums
o 2. Architecture museums
o 3. Archaeology museums
o 4. Art museums
o 5. Biographical museums
o 6. Automobile museums
o 7. Children's museums
o 8. Community Museums
o 9. Design museums
o 10. Encyclopedic museums
o 11. Ethnology or ethnographic museums
o 12. Historic house museums
o 13. History museums
o 14. Living history museums
o 15. Maritime museums
o 16. Medical museums
o 17. Memorial museums
o 18. Military and war museums
o 19. Mobile museums
o 20. Natural history museums
o 21. Open-air museums
o 22. Pop-up museums
o 23. Science museums
o 24. Specialized museums
o 25. Virtual museums
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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

26. Zoological parks and botanic gardens

EXAMPLES

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

Architecture museum Archaeology museum

Art museum ethnographic museum

History museum Memorial museum

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 PROBLEMS OF MUSEUM

LIGHT
Too much light speeds up deterioration of photographs, textiles and printed or handwritten
paper, furniture, etc. Historic objects should be protected from excessive light levels, and
especially from sunlight and florescent light, which contain high amounts of ultraviolet
radiation--which is the most harmful form of light. Place furniture, antique quilts and other
memorabilia out of direct sunlight and/or florescent light.

TEMPERATURE
Too high or too low a temperature (or rapid temperature swings) can damage rubber, wood,
metal, etc. Store or display historic memorabilia in spaces that have climate-control systems
(heating and air conditioning). Do not store in sheds, attics and basements.

HUMIDITY
Humidity that is too high encourages pests and mold growth on paper, textiles and
parchment, and promotes rust on metal. Humidity that is too low can cause objects to become
brittle. Organic objects in particular absorb and release moisture depending on the relative
humidity of their environment and need a stable humidity. Store historic memorabilia in an
area that has a steady, constant humidity (45%–55%), and store or display historic materials
away from heating and air conditioning vents.

PESTS
Different types of historic materials attract different types of pests. Roaches and silverfish
are attracted to paper and books. Moths are attracted to protein fibers such as silk and wool.
Termites are attracted to wood. Conduct regular inspections of historic objects that attract
pests.

HUMAN BEINGS
Human beings are one of the greatest threats to historic objects, not only due to surface
compounds, such as oil, sweat and make-up that they carry on their skin, but also because we
continue to use historic objects. These oils and other surface substances are transferred to the
object during handling. Wear cotton or nylon gloves when handling historic paper, textiles,
photographs, and wooden and metal objects. Many objects are damaged because people
handle them in inappropriate ways, such as trying on clothing, taking items to show-and-tell
at school or even using them for their original purposes. All of these uses put undue strain on
the objects and put them at risk for loss or damage.

CHEMICAL REACTION & AIR POLLUTANTS

Certain types of materials, such as metal and marble, react to chemicals present in the air.
This is a particular concern for outdoor objects such as marble statuary, iron architectural
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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

elements, etc. Chemicals such as formaldehyde and acidic gases from wooden compounds
can also harm historic objects.

 FUNCTINS OF MUSEUM
 Collection:
Most important function of a museum is to collect objects of heritage since it is a
custodian of the heritage of society or country.
 Storage
Whatever a museum collects, need to store scientifically in a well planned and
secured area. It is an important function of all museums because only one-third of
collection usually displayed, rest two-third remains within the stores.
 Preservation and Conservation
Objects need regular care because every object is subject to deterioration due to
spontaneous change in environment and subsequent physio-chemical factors. So,
regular care is required in both display and storage following the preventive
conservation or curative conservation wherever needed.
 Documentation
Documentation is the process of preparing record of collected objects by formal
entry in the Entry Register, accessioning, cataloguing and indexing with photo-
images.
 Research
Museum is the custodian of the evidences of country’s heritage. For keeping and
dissemination of information regarding each object, every museum needs to research
on those particular objects.
 Exhibition
Museum is established for exhibition of objects too, apart from collection and
preservation. It is an important function of any museum and every museum exhibits
objects by forming permanent galleries or organizing temporary exhibitions.
 Education and Knowledge dissemination
Museum at the time of its inception in 3rd BC in Alexandria was a place for
philosophic discussion. Since then it remains the place for knowledge dissemination
on the subjects it is established for.
 Publication
Museum publishes many popular literatures for visitors like leaflets, folders, posters,
guide books etc. Catalogues on specific museum collection, journals, art albums,
monographs etc.

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 Outreach Activities or Community Service

Now, museums are more concerned about serving its community through its
outreach initiatives in many innovative ways and taking it as one of its priority of
work.
 Lecture, Seminar And Workshops
Museums also organize lectures, seminars and workshops where they invite eminent
experts to share his/her opinion in the field of heritage and culture or on a specific
subject area concerned with the museum.

 DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

In order to accomplish the mission, a museum must pay enough attention to such work as
storage, preservation as well as guarding against theft and fire.

 The warehouse should be located in a place that can ensure the safety of not only
itself but also its passages. If its location makes it lack safety, especially with its doors
in improper places, even directly leading to the outside, it is at risk. Thus, its best
location should be in the central part or underground of a museum. Besides, the
number of its doors ought to be as small as possible and their places ought to be easy
to inspect, instead of abiding by the normal fire protection requirements.

 The warehouse should be waterproof and moisture-proof. There are various factors
affecting the preservation of relics, among which moisture may rank the first.
Therefore, the floor of the warehouse should be paved with a multilayer combination
of rigid waterproofing and flexible waterproofing materials and its walls made of
waterproof concrete.

 Avoiding water leaks

Any water leak can cause humid condition in different parts of the museum. The
humid condition is likely to attract insects and mice. This problem may cast shadows
over the experiences of visitors in the museum and thus affect the reputation of the
museum. Therefore, this problem should be on top of the agenda before and during
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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

the construction of a museum so as to keep balance between the architectural beauty

and the safety of exhibits.

(1) It is advisable to reduce the types of roofing materials as much as possible and the
seams on the roof so as to achieve the integrity of the waterproofing system.
(2) Design the drainage system on the roof carefully. The designer should have the
overall roof structure in his/her mind and try to know more about the local trend of
rainfall as well as predict the rate and direction of rain runoff on the roof so as to
avoid water pooling.
(3) It is essential to make a multilayer waterproofing system on the roof and protect
its surface well.

 Designing the firefighting control system according to the materials of exhibit.

Museums are open to the public and often attract lots of visitors. Many of them
collect considerable precious relics, which entail a high standard of firefighting
control systems.

 Design the mechanical smoke evacuation vents in light of the property of different
exhibits. Different sorts of exhibits are sensitive to smoke to
different degrees in case of a fire. If the smoke evacuation vents are rigidly designed
according to the normal requirements, they may not be able to evacuate smoke as
efficiently as possible.

 Designing the safety and protection system properly

A perfect safety and protection system is crucial to the normal operation of museums.
In order to guarantee the safety of both exhibits and visitors, three factors must be
focused on:
the security personnel, technology and devices.

The designers should make efforts to keep balance between the safety of exhibits as
well as visitors and display effects or achieving all-round supervision of exhibition
halls and reducing the negative effect on visiting experiences to the lowest extent.

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 STANDARDS

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

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WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITETURE
LITRATURE REVIEW OF MUSEUM

 CONCLUSION

 REFERENCE

1 http://www.slideshare.net/wakefildBeasely/museum-architecture

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/give/donate- an-artifact/preservation-of- artifacts.html?

referrer=https://www.google.com/

[1]YU C H. The application of intelligent building system in the new museum [J].
Huazhong Architecture, 2003 (4): 38-40.

[2]ZHAI Z S, ZHANG P0 X. Several specific proposals for the function of museum

buildings [J]. Chinese Museum, 2002 (3): 60-64.

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