For any architect, creating a new museum building is a great professional success and a great professional challenge. After all, well—built museums are new symbols of the city that can enhance and even change its identity
At the end of the conversation about the new museum construction, of course, it is necessary to give the floor to architects who… And how often do they receive orders for the design of museums? And what are the main orders — for the creation of a museum space as part of some kind of multifunctional complex or an independent museum building? As one might expect, each architect has his own concept of “often”, and in general, their assessments of the situation differ.
According to Marina Dimova, the head and partner of UNK design, architectural bureaus receive orders for the design of museums relatively often, especially in large cities and cultural centers, where cultural and tourist aspects play an important role.
“Orders can range from the creation of a new museum space to the reconstruction and modernization of existing buildings. Recently, the trend has shifted towards the integration of museum spaces into larger cultural complexes or multifunctional buildings, although orders for free—standing museum objects are also common,” the interlocutor shares her observations BFM.ru .
But Oleg Shapiro, the founder of the architectural bureau Wowhaus, claims that the museum is rarely ordered. “A free—standing museum is generally a rare case. This is an extraordinary piece of luck not only for the architect, but also for the city. A good museum can put a new point on the world map, we all know the Bilbao experience. [We are talking about the Guggenheim Museum in the Spanish city of Bilbao. — Business FM] There are great museums — the Louvre, the Prado, the Hermitage, such museums will not be able to be rebuilt, but they are a vivid example of how a museum defines the face of a city. Any museum or any theater, especially an opera house, is an exceptional building by definition. How outstanding it is depends on the architect, but it is a unique building for the city. And that’s why the administration is trying to build something non-trivial. An architect always has a wide range of works, but a museum or theater is a separate peak of professional activity, which any of us dreams of. This is a reason to gain a foothold at least in recent history,” the expert says.
The frequency of orders for the design of museums primarily depends on the region and cultural initiatives, says Nikita Vykhodtsev, architect, founder of the Arkanika architectural workshop. He emphasizes that “in developed countries and large cities, orders for new museums or renovation of existing premises are relatively regular and come from government agencies, private collectors, corporate clients and even educational institutions. Of course, museum spaces are more frequent projects, since the timing and cost of implementing such projects are several times lower than the construction of a detached building. It is important to note that not every space with an exhibition can be classified as a museum. In addition to exhibition activities, restoration and educational activities are carried out in museums. This feature narrows down the number of projects that can formally be called museums.”
Of course, everyone understands that museums are different. “Now we see a new wave of interest in museums — large-scale projects are created annually in the world, for example, the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art (Turkey) from the Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano or the new building of the Egyptian Museum. In Russia, this trend is also evident, but more often we are talking about branches of large museums — let’s recall, for example, the recent opening of branches of the Tretyakov Gallery in Samara or Kaliningrad,” Nikita Vykhodtsev believes.
The Tretyakov Gallery — West project is a branch of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Kaliningrad. Photo: tretyakovgallery.ru
And according to Oleg Shapiro’s figurative expression, people have heart failure, and the city may have functional insufficiency, and the museum is a great reason to expand the functions that the city lacks. “The construction of the museum, which in any case is a big waste of money and time, can make up for this urban insufficiency. Professional associations and communities of interest are being formed around the museum. At the same time, well—built museums are new symbols of the city that enhance and even change its identity,” the expert says.
Architects know what they are talking about. In particular, the portfolio of the Arkanika architectural workshop includes the renovation of the Oil Museum in Leninogorsk, for which a new architectural image of the building was developed, an art gallery in Almetyevsk, and of the latest projects — a museum space in the Almetyevsk mosque named after Riza Fakhretdin, telling about the history of Islam in the south-east of Tatarstan. And Wowhaus is, for example, the design of the Far Eastern Art Museum in Khabarovsk: if the project is implemented, the city will receive not only a new point of cultural attraction, but also actually a new regional public and scientific research center.
Well, with all the difference in the scale and internal content of museums, are there any common architectural and design approaches to the construction and arrangement of their buildings? And here there is no unity in the answers. Oleg Shapiro argues that “there are no unified architectural and design approaches. Once, of course, there were great styles, and this was not a bad thing — it is difficult to build an outstanding work in a certain style, but it is also difficult to build a completely bad one. Now every new museum is an architectural statement within a wide stylistic framework, and this obliges the architect to do high—quality work.”
Oleg Shapiro, founder of the Wowhaus architectural bureau, “At the same time, it is always difficult to predict how quickly a building will become outdated. There are two outstanding museums in Paris: the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, a rational, elegant house that was built in the 1980s and is still relevant, and the Louis Wimton Foundation, which was built in the Bois de Boulogne at the end of 2014. The Louis Vuitton Foundation is a pretty vivid statement, but, in my opinion, by the end of construction it looked secondary. As for modern technologies and their presence in museum buildings, any museum is a redundant thing: the city builds it when there is money for it. If the city has decided to build a museum, then modern technologies are used (important and strict, for example, technologies for storing exhibits). However, modern technologies are now connected not so much with construction, but with a look at modern museum work. Universal halls should be able to change their dimensions and geometry, climate systems should work stably, and the light should be flexibly adjusted to each configuration. The next technology is social. First of all, we do not form scientific storage and exposure, but a place of communication. This is also technology, because you need to know exactly why people will come here, why they will go, who will go.”
Marina Dimova and Nikita Vykhodtsev are sure that, plus or minus, the architectural and design approaches common to all museums can be identified. Especially when it comes to the organization of an internal museum space that claims to be defined as “modern”.
Marina Dimova, Head and Partner of UNK design
“Despite the diversity of museums, several common modern trends can be identified. Flexibility of space — this means the creation of multifunctional spaces that can be transformed into various exhibitions and events. Interactivity and visitor engagement — today we need to focus on interactive elements and technologies that make visiting the museum more exciting and educational. Aesthetic integration — it is about matching the architecture of the museum to the surrounding landscape and cultural context. Finally, energy efficiency and sustainability — it is important to use environmentally friendly materials and technologies to reduce the carbon footprint of a building. I would like to note that modern technologies are becoming an integral part of museum projects. Customers often require the integration of interactive displays and touchscreens (for deeper visitor engagement), virtual and augmented reality (to create a unique educational and entertainment experience), climate and lighting control systems (to protect exhibits and create a comfortable environment for visitors), security systems (including video surveillance and automated access systems).”
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Nikita Vykhodtsev, architect, founder of the Arkanika architectural workshop
“There are several common approaches. The first is the focus on the visitor. The museum’s collection is incredibly important, the whole concept is formed around it, but without “human-centricity” and attention to the needs and needs of visitors, the museum will be empty. Our task as architects is to create a space where visitors will want to come, bring colleagues, children, grandmothers, and each of these groups will find something different. The museum becomes the third place and assumes different scenarios, and we must create a space in which any scenarios can be implemented and they complement each other, and will not interfere. The second is flexibility and transformability. Exhibition halls and halls should easily adapt to different types of exhibitions and the specifics of the museum, which means that the interior should, on the one hand, take into account all technical requirements, and on the other hand, be like a designer so that it is easy to zone the space. The third is to attract visitors. Given modern realities, it is important to understand that museums, cinemas, gyms and even social networks are all competing for the attention of users. Therefore, if we are talking about a detached museum building, landscaping of the adjacent territory, urban installations or an active facade can be an excuse to visit the exhibition. Architects can help with this. Modern technologies are an integral part of the museum. Moreover, technologies are being implemented both in the part accessible to visitors and in the part accessible only to employees. If we are talking about architecture and construction, then we can highlight smart building management systems (BMS — building management system), including automation of engineering systems, lighting control, building information model and everything that allows you to effectively use resources, save on building operation and ensure the safety of the facility. Information systems and applications that can be used to navigate the building are also important for visitors.”
It seems that the experts are completely unanimous on only one thing: a museum is expensive. “The cost can vary significantly depending on the scale of the project, the materials and technologies used, as well as the level of complexity and uniqueness of architectural solutions,” Marina Dimova lists.
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“The museum is an expensive initiative both in design and implementation. Of course, the cost and timing directly depend on the area of the object and its typology: the interiors of the museum can be designed and implemented in a year, new construction will take three to five years, and the reconstruction of the cultural heritage site with adaptation to the museum will take even more time due to the strict regulations of work with historical heritage. There is no single recipe and everything is as individual as possible. If we talk about the cost, the implementation of a new museum with an area of 10-15 thousand square meters will cost at least 5 billion rubles. At the same time, there is no upper limit and directly depends on the complexity of the facility and the number of specialized equipment,” Nikita Vykhodtsev adds.
“As an important object for the city, it, the museum, is always done individually. And this is the most expensive story. In addition, a modern museum is always a very flexible system, and the design and construction of a changeable one is always more expensive than a static one,” Oleg Shapiro puts the point.
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