Three strategies for artificial lighting design on contemporary museum façades

Abstract

Contemporary museums compete with other forms of entertainment for the attention of visitors. The need for spectacularity in these spaces has transcended the walls and expanded to the exterior, turning these buildings into both container and content. As a result, we can identify three general strategies associated with the evolution of museum façades, which are directly related to these new needs and technological advances: The first is the façade as an element of mediation between the exhibition and the exterior through projection (Bregenz Art Museum, Xu Wei Art Museum); the second is the use of the façade as a communication device with the exterior (Graz Art Museum, C3A, and Basel Art Museum); and the third is the integration of screens into the façade (Medialab-Prado and Shimao Shenzhen Exhibition Centre).