The Development of a Planning Framework for Museum Exhibition Design
Chung-Hung Lin
Abstract
The planning of museum exhibition design working involves large numbers of design personnel making multiple decisions. The successful performance of large multi-disciplinary design working requires enormous co-oridination to ensure all participants are constantly aware of the ever changing of the design working, so that the design errors may be eliminated and reduced. As museum exhibition planning become technically more sophisticated and design work more specialized and fragmented, a framework for inter-disciplinary museum exhibition design is becoming increasingly important. It would be advantage to develop a planning method that can be used to achieve complex museum exhibition design work. Such a method allows designers and curators to demonstrate the viability of a systematic design approach in carrying out both design and planning tasks.
This study provides both theoretical foundation and practical application by proposing a particular form of inter-disciplinary museum exhibition design work. The outcome of this study, therefore, is to create a conceptual design method concerning the following approaches:
(1) The first achievement will be a conceptual framework for the design planning that allows designers to cope with the complexity of co-ordination between all participants involved in carrying out different aspects of museum exhibition design.
(2) The second achievement will be a multi-disciplinary design planning in a structured framework, affording designers and curators an understanding of the planning, design and production information necessary to achieve design aims.
Keywords: museum exhibition, design process, framework and inter-disciplinary.
1. Aims of the study
Exhibition development is a complex activity which is expanding beyond the design discipline (Dean, 1994). Various kinds of specialists have brought a new perspective to museum exhibitions especially in terms of digital technology which has had a major impact on the design process in museum exhibition development. Furthermore, traditional museum exhibition design is being increasingly replaced by multi-disciplinary practices that involve a wide range of museum specialists, such as artists, engineers, architects, designers, curators, museum specialists and educators.
The aim in this research is to develop a systematic planning framework which allows designers and curators to cope with the complexities of multi-disciplinary design working as well as meet curatorial requirements in the museum exhibition context. This is to be achieved by exploratory and detailed study of the design and museum disciplines.
2. Research methodology
In particular, for this study it was decided to undertake a series of surveys and exploratory study about data and a real design process. This research undertakes a series of methods from literature review, design processes examination, and case studies to generate a sophisticated approach to the planning and design of the museum exhibition. Three different approaches were considered: firstly, literature survey about museum exhibition and design process aspects were identified to carry out design criteria. The second approach examined existing museum exhibition design processes to understand the real planning characteristics of museum exhibition design. Thirdly, one case is to be studied and examined (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Research methodology
Such surveys and studies include:
(a) Defining and identifying data from literature review to ascertain the research approach;
(a) Exploring the theory of design processes to ascertain design planning can be drawn in terms of museum exhibitions; and
(b) Examining and analyzing a case to formulate a design method for developing the planning framework.
3. The roles of museum exhibition design
3.1 Multi-disciplinary museum exhibition design
The design and development of museum exhibitions involve large numbers of design personnel making thousands of decisions. Very rarely are these decisions performed in isolation (Austin et al., 1993). Traditional museum exhibition design practices are being increasingly replaced by multi-disciplinary practices, which encourage and ease information transfer between professions. The successful performance of a large multi-disciplinary project requires enormous co-ordination to ensure all parties are constantly aware of the ever changing status of the project, so that design mistakes may be eliminated and design process kept smoothly.
Exhibition design involves all kinds of relevant techniques and interacts with the nature of the relevant information applied. Exhibition designers have to work with curators and management as well as design concepts. Managing them involves monitoring the planning, design, and production phases and coordinating multi-disciplinary decision making. In order to achieve museum exhibition objectives, such design expertise needs to associate with technical and other disciplines (e.g. educators) to carry out its tasks (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Multi-disciplinary museum exhibition design
3.2 The museum exhibition design approach
The theory of museum exhibitions and their practice, unlike many more recent professions, remains a singular design-based development (Thompson, 1986). Designing a museum exhibition is becoming a complex process that requires a multitude of decisions to ensure a smooth progression after establishing the client’s needs. The design planning for museum exhibitions consists of participants and design information flows, which are the key elements producing the design approach. Planning a museum exhibition project should be to balance functional requirements, aesthetics and total cost in museum exhibition design by employing inter-disciplinary such as project management, subject research, cost-benefit, design aspects, and production.
3.3 The task of museum exhibition design
The design tasks range from overall design concepts, visual expression, three-dimensional objects of an exhibition to the detailed specification of particular exhibit requirements and systems (Lord and Lord, 1991). The tasks and functions of museums are currently considered within design development which includes design specifications and museum criteria (Belcher, 1991). Both factors involve important interactions between the professionals concerned: architects, designers, curators and other specialists, and ensure that museum exhibition design fulfills museum objectives (Lord and Lord, 1999).
4. Examining the design process
Examining the design process provides a basic understanding of design process tasks in relation to the planning museum exhibition design. In the section, a number of design processes concerning exhibitions and architecture are briefly explained and analyzed. The critical analysis of the design process will influence the approach taken to form the museum exhibition framework.
4.1 The RIAB, Plan of Work design process
The RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) is an independent institution in the UK, originally published in 1967, has the role of a design guide for architecture. The Plan of Work is a prescriptive process, which provides a methodical framework for clients and building professionals (Newton, 1995). The aims and objectives of the RIBA professional work plan are based on improving specific project development by organizations and building professionals. The design process is a linear sequence of working stages and is described from the viewpoints of design, management, engineering and construction (RIBA, 1973). Each phase is interpreted very differently, as each is formed to the requirements of the given work processes. In particular, this plan of design issues is concerned with the activities associated with design objectives, design feasibility and design priorities (Figure 3).
Figure 3: The RIAB, Plan of Work design process
The Outline Plan of Work can be used as an adaptable framework, subject to the considerations of the method of working and the development of the design. Such a framework subdivides work operations into a 12-stage design and management process which allows the stages to follow one after another. It should be clearly understood that the RIBA Outline Plan of Work presents design and management guidance for process work rather than a method which designers can follow to perform the process of design. In other words, the process only depicts the stages in any design project in which decisions are made; it is not a design process of creative method.
4.2 Velarde’s museum exhibition design process
Giles Velarde has a background in exhibition design in the broad areas of museum, retail and commerce. Velarde’s book ‘Designing Exhibitions’ was first published in 1986 and then reedited in a second edition published in 2001. The book is a practical exhibition design guide which describes a wide range of exhibition objectives in museums, trade fairs, world fairs, market stalls, science centers, heritage centers and commercial displays. Velarde describes his exhibition design process as a detailed brief, which covers inception, feasibility, design principles, techniques, production, completion and maintenance. Although the introduction discusses the wider applications of exhibition design, the majority of examples are taken from museum contexts such as interactive displays, access and operational conditions.
Velarde’s process (Table 1) indicates the contents for the each design stage. The process does not provide a check on prior stages, nor stage planning to check current conditions. However, the detailed consideration of content is likely to act as notice of change for each work stage. It does not identify design information as a communication tool.
Table 1 Velarde’s design process
Although Velarde considers a variety of details, he does not connect each activity within design development. Each design activity it seems, can be done individually without inter-disciplinary collaboration. The process does not describe what documentation is needed although he mentions that ‘the information’ is needed in the earliest stage (Velarde, 2001).
4.3 Lord and Lord’s museum exhibition design process
For Lord and Lord, the museum collection and its preservation and interpretation are essential elements of museum planning strategy and process. This process is summarised for the purposes of establishing a planning manual which consists of 7 stages: Museum planning, Briefing, Design, Construction documentation, Construction, Commissioning and Evaluation (Figure 4).
(a) Strategy in Museum planning (Stage 1);
(b) Development of the museum’s requirements in Briefing (Stage 2) and Design (Stage 3); and
(c) The satisfaction of the museum’s requirements in Construction documentation (Stage 4), Construction (Stage 5), Commissioning (Stage 6), and Evaluation (Stage 7).
Figure 4: Lord and Lord’s museum exhibition design process
The museum planning process that Lord and Lord identify concentrates on a highly structured approach to institutional strategy dealing with funding sponsors, policy and marketing. These factors are often vital to museum growth, however, they assume that the overall museum programme is building (Lord and Lord, 1991) and based upon the architect’s professional work.
4.4 The comparison of the three design process
To compare the nature of these three design processes, the RIBA Outline Plan of Work, however, establishes a workable sequence of stages that can be adopted by architects and designers for conducting any building project. The Velarde and Belcher process can be described as covering design purposes at project level from the designers’ point of view, whereas Lord and Lord’s process presents an overview of museum programme planning rather than designing museum exhibitions. However, none of these three models consider inter-disciplinary co-ordination and there is a lack of inter-relationship between design tasks except in chronology. Although these three design processes are concerned with planning museum programmes, they are not specifically for museum exhibition design.
5. Planning framework proposals
This research sets out to develop a fresh approach to the planning of multi-disciplinary museum exhibition design work. This study has developed into a structured way to enhance inter-disciplinary museum exhibition design work. The view taken by this research is that a design process provides the system necessary for the identification of appropriate user needs and the realization of information necessary to create product concepts (Pugh, 1991). Therefore, a particular design process will be developed to identify the basic properties of roles for museum exhibition design.
The task of project planning is to set up a strategy for verifying that its objectives have been met and identifying the client’s requirements in order to launch the project and appoint an appropriate development team (Figure 5). In museum exhibition design, practical development is through collaboration, involving architecture, engineering, management, museology and product design. The museum exhibition design process should identify, evaluate and specify these roles. In other words, the purpose of museum exhibition design is to incorporate the wide range of disciplines necessary to carry out curatorial and museological tasks.
Figure 5: Museum exhibition development team
The design planning framework has three purposes (Lin, 2003):
• to describe the relationship of design services and activities performed by each member of the development team.
• to demonstrate the relationship of design methods to project development.
• to present design information flowing between all project participants.
The museum exhibition design has been considered to comprise several services which should include the activities associated with establishing the design objectives such as ‘defining the client’s requirements’, ‘feasibility’, and ‘designer’s specifications’. They may comprise a series of design stages through which individual design decisions may be made. At an early stage of planning the project, all the information to be communicated should be prepared, ideally as part of the brief which should consist of all ideas, background data and statistics (Velarde, 2001). The design services forms the basis of the exhibition outline proposal, scheme, criteria, design approach and the specific requirements of the project.
6. Case study
In order to study the design activities in conjunction with planning approach for museum exhibition aspect, a case study was carried out. Thinktank, the Birmingham Museum of Science and Discovery (Discovery Center) is a new science museum, which promotes the public understanding of science, technology and history. The Discovery Centre Work Stage (DCWS) planning process, originally developed in 1998 by MET Studio design consultancy, is a prescriptive process for multidisciplinary conceptual work in interior and exhibition design. The process is an exhibition design framework for a specific science museum. It describes a detailed conceptual framework for the development of ideal circulation, layout and key vistas, rather than a guideline (MET Studio, 1998).
The work guideline is a prescriptive design process presenting a conceptual framework based on the nature of project practice in design, design management and new product development. The DCWS consists of five stages: 1) concept brief, b) concept design, c) detailed design d) implementation and e) completion. Each stage represents a particular set of detailed work and responsibility (Figure 6).