This document presents a study on the spatial layout of museums, focusing on how exhibit space design affects visitor interaction and narrative delivery. It compares two specific museums in Bhopal, analyzing display strategies and their impact on visitor experience through spatial organization. The findings suggest that the synthesis of spatial and display layout enhances the informational and aesthetic qualities of museum experiences.

1. A SYNTHETIC OVERVIEW OF SPATIAL LAYOUT
OF MUSEUMS OR EXHIBITION SPACES,
[PATTERN OF INTERACTION]
PRITAM ROY
2010BARC017

2. ABSTRACT

3. THE MAJOR ISSUE IN THE DESIGNING OF ANY EXHIBIT
SPACE INVOLVES HOW THE LAYOUT OF THE SPACE INTERACTS
WITH THE LAYOUT OF THE OBJECTS: ‘TO REALISE A SPECIFIC
EFFECT, EXPRESS THE INTENDED MESSAGE OR CREATE A RICH
SPATIAL STRUCTURE’.
BASED ON THE LITERATURE STUDY OF PREVIOUS
RESEARCHES IN THE SAME THE FIELD, THIS STUDY INTENDS TO
VERIFY THEIR OBSERVED SPATIAL STRUCTURE AGAINST A PAIRED
CASE STUDY DONE ON TWO OF BHOPAL’S MUSEUMS. IT WILL BE
SHOWCASED- IF THE MAIN DIMENSIONS OF VARIATIONS OF
SPATIAL LAYOUT AND DISPLAY STRATEGIES DERIVE FROM A SET
OF BASIC PRINCIPLES.

4. AIM

5. A SYNTHETIC OVERVIEW OF SPATIAL
LAYOUT OF MUSEUMS OR EXHIBITION
SPACES.

6. OBJECTIVE

7. • -TO STUDY, DECIPHER AND UNDERSTAND THE
ARRANGEMENT OF SPACES IN PRE-EXISTING
MUSEUM SPACES/ EXHIBITS.
• -TO UNDERSTAND THE WORKABILITY OF
DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE
DIFFERENT CONTEXTS FOR WHICH THEY ARE
BUILT
• -AN ANALYSIS INTO THE IDEA: IF DIFFERENT
MORPHOLOGY OF THE SPATIAL ORDER HELPS IN
THE NARRATIVE A MUSEUM SHOWCASES.

8. SCOPE

9. THIS RESEARCH INCLUDES THE BASIC STUDIES OF
MUSEUM ANATOMY BY TZORTZI, K. AND HILLIER, B.
AND IS COMPARED AGAINST LIVE CASE STUDIES OF
THE MUSEUM FOR TRIBAL HERITAGE, BHOPAL AND
STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF MADHYA
PRADESH, BHOPAL.

10. METHODOLOGY

11. -THE RESEARCHES OF TZORTZI, K. AND HILLIER, B. DICTATE THE BASIC
METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED FOR THIS RESEARCH SINCE THEIR SET OF
DESIGN PRINCIPLES IS USED AS THE BASIS FOR THIS STUDY.
-THE MAIN AXIS OF THE MUSEUM IS DECIPHERED AND THE
ORGANISATION OF THE EXHIBIT SPACES HAS BEEN STUDIED
-THE ARRANGEMENT OF DISPLAYS WITHIN THOSE EXHIBIT SPACES HAVE
BEEN TAKEN NOTE OF AS WELL.
-THE CASE STUDIES HAVE BEEN EQUATED AGAINST THE BASIC
FRAMEWORK AND SET OF PRINCIPLES STUDIED IN LITERATURE TO SEE
HOW AND IF THEY CORRESPOND.
-A CONCLUSION WILL THEN BE DRAWN ON THE BASIS OF THIS
ASSESSMENT TO HELP FORMULATE A PATTERN THAT CAN BE
CONTINUED INTO A THESIS.

12. INTRODUCTION

13. GUIDED BY THE BELIEF THAT
SPACE CAN BE SEEN AS THE
CONTENT OF THE MUSEUM
BUILDING, AS IMPORTANT AS THE
OBJECTS THEMSELVES, THIS PAPER
PRESENTS RESEARCH FINDINGS
REGARDING THE INTERACTION
BETWEEN SPATIAL DESIGN AND
DISPLAY LAYOUT. PRECISELY, THE
PAPER CONFERS THE MAIN
DIMENSIONS OF SPATIAL
VARIABILITY IN THE SELECTED
MUSEUMS, AND DIRECTS
DELIBERATION TO THE
VARIABILITY OF DISPLAY SCHEMES.

14. THE CASES ARE VARYING IN
TYPOLOGY AND DESIGN
STRATEGIES WHILE A VARIABLE
WAS HELD CONSTANT, THE CITY:
MEANING THEY PLAY HOST TO
ALMOST AN IDENTICAL GROUP OF
VISITORS.
THE FIRST IS THE MUSEUM FOR
TRIBAL HERITAGE, BHOPAL
DESIGNED BY REVATHI KAMATH.
THE STATE ARCHAEOLOGICAL
MUSEUM OF MADHYA
PRADESH,COND IS THE EARLIER
KNOWN AS BHOPAL MUSEUM.

15. SPATIAL VARIATIONS

16. IT HAS BEEN CLAIMED THAT WHAT SKETCHES THE MUSEUM AS A SPATIAL
TYPE IS TWO SPATIAL ELEMENTS THAT EXIST OFTEN ENOUGH TO BE
CHARACTERIZED AS GENOTYPIC THEMES: THE ORGANIZATION OF SPACES
IN
A VISITABLE SEQUENCE AND
THE GATHERING SPACE,
THE RECURRENT SPACE IN THE SEQUENCE. THESE KEY SPATIAL ASPECTS
CREATE THE TWO TYPES OF INTERFACE, CHARACTERISTIC OF THE MUSEUM
AS A BUILDING TYPE: ON THE ONE HAND, BETWEEN VISITORS AND
CURATORS, EXPRESSED IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF OBJECTS
(INFORMATIONAL DIMENSION), AND ON THE OTHER HAND, AMONG
VISITORS (SOCIAL DIMENSION).

17. ORDERING OF SPACES
• THE GRID, MAXIMIZES THE RANDOMNESS
• THE SINGLE SEQUENCE, CONTROLS THE
PATTERN OF EXPLORATION

18. STATE MUSEUM
TRIBAL MUSEUM

19. STATE MUSEUM

20. STATE MUSEUM

21. TRIBAL MUSEUM

22. TRIBAL MUSEUM

23. THE GATHERING SPACE
AT THE STATE MUSEUM, IT STRETCHES IN
SPACE AND TAKES THE FORM OF THE AXIS;
AT THE TRIBAL MUSEUM, IT IS
REPRESENTED BY THE FORM OF THE PARK
AND THE MEDIAN THAT ACTS AS AN
ALTERNATE ROUTE PATTERN.

24. STATE MUSEUM

25. STATE MUSEUM

26. TRIBAL MUSEUM

27. ‘THIS TENSION ARISES AS A CONTRASTING REQUIREMENT IN
CASES WHERE THE LAYOUT OF SPACE, DEPENDING ON THE
ORDER IN WHICH INFORMATION IS RECEIVED, OPERATES TO
ENFORCE SPATIAL SEPARATION, RATHER THAN TO CREATE
CONNECTIONS (E.G. TRIBAL MUSEUM).
BUT THE REVERSE CAN ALSO HAPPEN, AND THE INFORMATIONAL
FUNCTION CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ENHANCING THE SOCIAL
FUNCTION, IN THE CASES WHERE THE SPATIAL PROXIMITY
REQUIRED BY THE ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION MAXIMIZES
THE RANDOMNESS OF ENCOUNTER AND CREATES THE
CONDITIONS FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION (E.G. STATE MUSEUM).’
KALI TZORTZI

28. VARIABILITY
OF DISPLAY
STRATEGIES

29. OBJECTS TO CREATE SPACE
THE EXHIBITS ARE SET SO AS TO EMPHASISE
AND BRING OUT THE QUALITIES OF
ARCHITECTURAL SPACE IN WHICH THEY ARE SET
IN AND THE SPACES THAT THE EXHIBITS
THEMSELVES CREATE.

31. EXPLOITING SPACE TO ENHANCE THE IMPACT OF
OBJECTS
THE EXHIBITION LAYOUT EXPLOITS THE QUALITIES
OF THE SETTING IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE THE
IMPACT OF THE OBJECTS.

34. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE DISPLAY STRATEGIES
SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT IN ADDITION TO THE
EXPERIENCE OF OBJECTS (INFORMATIONAL) AND
THAT OF OTHER PEOPLE (SOCIAL), WE BEGIN TO SEE
ANOTHER CRITICAL DIMENSION TO THE WAY WE
EXPERIENCE MUSEUMS AND THAT IS THE
EXPERIENCE OF SPACE ITSELF.

35. CONCLUSION

36. IT CAN BE THUS SUMMARISED THAT THE SPATIAL
AND DISPLAY CONSIDERATIONS IN EXHIBITIONS
AND MUSEUMS RENDERS AN EXPERIENCE OF SPACE
THAT IS COMPLEX AND INFORMATION RICH.
AFTER ALL, ‘MEANING DOES NOT EXIST IN
ADVANCE, BUT IS CREATED AND EXISTS BY VIRTUE
OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE SPECIFIC MUSEUM’ -
HILLIER, B.

37. INSTEAD OF PLACING THE EMPHASIS ON THE
CONCEPTUAL STRUCTURE AND THE FUNCTIONAL
ENDS,
PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO THE SPATIAL STRUCTURE AND
THE ARCHITECTURAL/SPATIAL MEANS.
IT SEEMS THAT, WHEN A RICHER SPATIAL STRUCTURE
IS PRODUCED BY THE EFFECTS OF THE SYNTHESIS OF
SPATIAL AND DISPLAY LAYOUT, THE INFORMATIONAL
FUNCTION OF THE MUSEUM EXTENDS BEYOND THE
INSTRUCTIVE AIMS, AND ACTS THROUGH ITS
AESTHETIC QUALITY.

38. REFERENCES
DUNCAN, C., WALLACH, A., 1978, “THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART AS LATE CAPITALIST
RITUAL: AN ICONOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS”, PP.28-51.
HILLIER, B., TZORTZI, K., 2006, “SPACE SYNTAX: THE LANGUAGE OF MUSEUM SPACE”,
S. MACDONALD (ED), A COMPANION TO MUSEUM STUDIES.
BARRY LORD AND GAIL DEXTER LORD, 2001, “THE MANUAL OF MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS”
STANISZEWSKI, M.A., 1998, “THE POWER OF DISPLAY: A HISTORY OF EXHIBITION
INSTALLATIONS AT THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART”
TZORTZI, K., 2007, “MUSEUM BUILDING AND EXHIBITION LAYOUT”, 6TH
INTERNATIONAL SPACE SYNTAX SYMPOSIUM, İSTANBUL.

39. THANK YOU…