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The nine principles of effective place design, derived from Evolutionary Biology, applied to museum and gallery design.
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Grazing through the savannah
Designing for optimal visitor experiences in Australian museums and galleries: what we can learn from Evolutionary Biology
Gillian Savage
2006
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Museums: high expectations, high performance
Custodians of identity, heritage and culture Learning outcomes Important values (Plants=Life) Important knowledge
Living up to expectations and going beyond the basics depends on the foundation of excellent building design
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Visitors are humans
Human capabilities evolved in specific environments
Our health, performance and well-being are optimal when we
are operating in the environment we evolved in
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Performance indicators
Health Studies show that people recover faster from operations in
settings with natural light and nature views
Education Studies show that students perform better on standard tests
and have better attendance rates in classrooms with natural light and external views
Workpace Measurably better productivity in settings with natural light
and nature views
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Savannah learning
Strong links between natural settings and
Cognitive performance – attentional tasks
Mood motivation
social functioning
Browsing :: Curious :: Enquiring :: Choosing :: Grazing
Alice Isen
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Environmental biology
Mountain :: Desert :: Cave :: Forest :: Coast
Savannah
But we thrive in environments that have characteristics of the savannahs that human life evolved in.
We can survive in a wide range of environments
Stephen Boyd
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Savannah
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9 hallmarks of savannah buildings
1. Balance between visual access and visual enclosure
2. Visual perspectives – horizontal rather than vertical
3. Long sight lines
4. Presence of tree-like forms (especially overhead canopy)
5. Multiple retreats
6. Daylight
7. Moderate levels of patterned complexity
8. Movement – flicker, light changes, flying, waving
9. Low background noise
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1. Visual access – balance access and enclosure
Art Gallery of NSW – enclosed spaces and view to places beyond
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2. Horizontal rather than vertical
Art Gallery of NSW foyer – strong horizontal planes
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Guggenheim Bilbao
“The atrium, a jewel of modern architecture, has hosted official events in need of dramatic scenery, such as presentations, catwalk shows, prize-giving events, lunches, dinners and cocktail parties.”
Vertical = challenge
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3. Long sight lines
Art Gallery of NSW
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Long sight lines
Redcliffe Museum
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Limited sight lines
National Museum of Australia
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4. Overhead canopy
Melbourne Museum
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5. Multiple retreats
Melbourne Museum
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Multiple retreats
National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
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6. Natural light
National Museum of Australia
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It’s night time
National Museum of Australia
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7. Patterned complexity
National Museum of Australia
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Patterned complexity
Museum of Tropical Queensland
This open atrium has strongpatterns
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8. Movement
National Library of Australia
People provide movement
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Static
Old Parliament House
Touch screen bringssome activity to this heritage space
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Movement
Old Parliament House
Enactments bring activity to this heritagespace
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9. Not too noisy
Easy to hear normal speech
Old Parliament House
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Not the savannah – ‘toxic’ building checklist
monumental hard surfaces dark enclosed tall and narrow disordered bland, institutional, overly ordered noisy
Burrow, rabbit warren, maze, stark, empty, barren, repetitive, off-key, unpredictable, confusing, cramped, too large
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Not in Kansas
Guggenheim Bilbao
The vertical scale and hard surfaces createa challenging entry
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Where are we going?
National Museum of Australia
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Coloured cave
Melbourne Aquarium
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Kids storytelling cave
National Museum of Australia
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Optimum environments
Building and exhibition design based on available evidence from the biological and social sciences can enhance visitor experience and meet organisational missions more effectively.
Imperative that briefs for new buildings and exhibition spaces are informed by existing scientific evidence about features that underpin effective functioning.
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Savannah
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Contact
Gillian Savage
Environmetrics Pty Limited. Locked Bag 2116 North Sydney 2059 Australia
Tel 61 2 9954 0455www.environmetrics.com.au
