General questions about art museums...?

Question:

General questions about art museums...?

1. What are some of the biggest factors one should consider when choosing a type of architecture/architect? (i.e. lighting, design, materials, ect)
2. Why do art museums as buildings tend to concentrate on being so creative in apperance? I know it seems intuative, but can't put it into words.
3. When comming up with a design, how should the museum be related to history, if at all? Should the builder just concentrate on functionality or worry about symbolism too?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

1) The main factor must be the traffic flow. How do people get around the museum from exhibit to exhibit? Are there places where traffic backs up? Is the flow easy to follow so that a visitor sees all of an exhibit and doesnt miss parts of it? Lighting is the second most important consideration - some exhibits require very bright intense lighting and others like the Degas pastels at the Met in NY are exhibited practically in the dark to protect them from damage. Next, I would consider materials. I am a believer in environmentally responsible, sustainable materials, but they also have to be durable to handle large amounts of traffic and hold up well so that there is little down time for repairs. Lastly, I would consider security and safety -- sprinkler systems to protect the art from damage, properly filtered air with proper levels of humidity and state of the art security systems.

2) Because architecture is art, too. The building is also a work of art.

3) I wouldnt be too worried about history. I would be much more concerned with form following function, but it is nice when a building fits in with other buildings in the area. However, the Gehry in Bilbao and the Guggenheim in NYC certainly dont fit into the neighborhoods - their designs are very much ahead of anything around them. Others like the Met fit in more with their surroundings.

Hope that helps. Pax- C