MUSEUM DESIGN

(INTERIOR LIGHTING)
AND CASE STUDIES

INTRODUCTION
GOOD MUSEUM LIGHTING MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE VISITORS,
BUT ALSO OF THE CURATORS AND OPERATORS VISUAL COMFORT,
OPTIMUM PERCEPTION OF THE EXHIBITS, CLEAR AND SAFE ORIENTATION IN
THE BUILDING, AND A HIGH QUALITY EXPERIENCE, BUT ALSO
CONSERVATION OF THE EXHIBITS AS WELL AS ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY AND
SUSTAINABILITY. LIGHTING CONCEPTS WHICH MEET THESE CRITERIA
CONTRIBUTE TO PRESERVING THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY FOR
FUTURE GENERATIONS.
LIGHTING IS VITAL FOR SPATIAL IMPRESSION AND ENJOYMENT OF ART.
DIFFERENT LIGHT COLOURS AND BEAM SPREADS, DIFFERENT DESIGNS
AND ARRANGEMENTS OF
LUMINAIRES AND LAMPS CREATE DIFFERENT LIGHTING SITUATIONS LIGHT
SPACES DESIGNED TO MEET THE RELEVANT NEEDS OF THE EXHIBITION.
SPECIAL ATTENTION NEEDS TO BE PAID TO CONSERVATION
REQUIREMENTS. LIGHT PROTECTION PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN ANY
MUSEUMS EXHIBITION ROOM.

EXHIBIT LIGHTING ELEMENTS

THE ELEMENTS OF EXHIBIT LIGHTING MATCH THE THREE GOALS OF ANY
MUSEUM:
1. PRESENTATION: SHOWING THE TRUE BEAUTY OF ART AND HISTORIC
ARTIFACTS
IT IS SIMPLY THE VISITORS VIEW OF AN EXHIBIT - GOOD OR BAD. YOU CAN
EXHIBIT THE MOST WONDERFUL MASTERPIECES OR YOU CAN HAVE THE
MOST BEAUTIFUL OBJECTS IN THE WORLD, BUT ONLY LIGHT TRANSMITS
BEAUTY TO A VIEWER.
WHEN YOU WALK INTO A MUSEUM, YOU EXPERIENCE JUST THE LIGHTING.
IT IS THE ONLY COMMUNICATION LINK BETWEEN THE OBJECTS AND THE
PEOPLE. IF COLORS ARE NOT PRESENT IN THE ILLUMINATION, OR IF THEY

ARE TOO STRONG OR OUT OF BALANCE, IT DISTORTS THAT

COMMUNICATION LINK. POOR LIGHTING ALWAYS CREATES POOR EXHIBITS!
2. PRESERVATION: PROTECTING EXHIBITS FROM FADING AND DAMAGE
IT IS SIMPLY THE PROTECTION OF THE COLLECTION FROM THE DAMAGE. BY
THE WAY, PROTECTION CAN EXTEND TO CASE LININGS, CARPETS,
GRAPHICS AND EVEN THE MERCHANDISE IN MUSEUM STORES.
AS WEVE SEEN ABOVE, LIGHT IS EITHER REFLECTED BY AN OBJECT,
HELPING YOU SEE, OR IT IS ABSORBED BY THE OBJECT, CAUSING
PHOTOCHEMICAL AND/OR PHOTOMECHANICAL DAMAGE. ULTRAVIOLET AND
INFRARED DONT HELP YOU SEE. THEY CAN ONLY CAUSE DAMAGE, SO THE
FIRST TASK IS TO REMOVE ALL LIGHT ENERGY THAT DOESNT HELP TO SEE.
3. CONSERVATION: CONSERVING ENERGY, RESOURCES, MANPOWER
AND FUNDS
CONSERVATION IS SIMPLY STEWARDSHIP OF A MUSEUMS MATERIALS,
PERSONNEL, AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. THE WHOLE IDEA IS IN THE OLD
SAYING, "WASTE NOT, WANT NOT."
BAD LIGHTING RESULTS IN MORE THAN POOR PRESENTATION AND
DESTRUCTIVE PRESERVATION. IT ALSO MEANS THAT THE LIGHTING IS
INEFFICIENT. IT WASTES POWER. IT GENERATES HEAT.

THE BASICS OF EXHIBIT LIGHTING DESIGN

MUSEUM LIGHTING DESIGN MUST FOLLOW BASIC LIGHTING PRINCIPLES:
A LIGHT ARTIFACTS, NOT AREAS
PEOPLE COME TO A MUSEUM TO SEE THE ART AND ARTIFACTS. EXCEPT
FOR HISTORIC SITES, PEOPLE DONT VISIT MUSEUMS TO SEE WALLS AND
CEILINGS. GOOD LIGHTING DESIGN WILL MAKE EACH ARTIFACT A CENTER
OF INTEREST.
B BACKGROUNDS MUST BE SUBDUED
EXHIBITS SHOULD ALWAYS BE BRIGHTER THAN THE BACKGROUND AND
GRAPHICS AROUND THEM. EXHIBITS SHOULD BE ON STAGE, THE CENTER
OF ATTENTION.
C CONTROL GLARE AND CASE REFLECTIONS
A MUSEUM MUST PROTECT EXHIBITS FROM THINGS LIKE DUST,
CONTAMINATION, VISITORS HANDS, BREATH, SNEEZES, ETC. USUALLY THAT
MEANS A CASE OR WINDOW BETWEEN THE ARTIFACT AND THE VISITOR.
BUT WINDOWS REFLECT.

IF THERE ARE NO LIGHTS IN THE GALLERY, THE VIEWERS SEE THE

ARTIFACTS VERY CLEARLY. BUT IF THE LIGHTS ARE BRIGHT IN THE
VIEWERS GALLERY; THE VIEWERS WILL SEE THE LIGHTS, THE WALLS,
THEIR OWN IMAGES, AND EVERY ILLUMINATED ITEM IN THE ROOM
REFLECTED IN THE WINDOW.

THE IMPORTANT LIGHTING SYSTEMS

THE MOST IMPORTANT LIGHTING SYSTEMS USED IN EXHIBITION ROOMS
ARE:
LUMINOUS CEILINGS WITH OPAL GLASS ENCLOSURE
(DIFFUSE LIGHT) OR SATINISED AND TEXTURED GLASS (DIFFUSE/
DIRECTIONAL) THE IDEA OF LUMINOUS CEILINGS IS STEMS FROM A DESIRE TO IMITATE
DAYLIGHT. LUMINOUS CEILINGS DELIVER LIGHT, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY
SUITABLE FOR PAINTING GALLERIES PREDOMINANTLY DIFFUSE WITH AN
OPAL ENCLOSURE, PARTLY DIRECTIONAL WITH ENCLOSURES OF
SATINISED/TEXTURED GLASS. THE HEAT THAT IS GENERATED IN ANY
LUMINOUS CEILING NEEDS TO BE DISSIPATED OR EXTRACTED.
INDIRECT LUMINAIRES (DIFFUSE)
AN IMPACT SIMILAR TO THAT OF A LUMINOUS CEILING IS ACHIEVED WITH
INDIRECT LIGHT BOUNCED OFF THE CEILING AND UPPER WALL SURFACES
INTO THE ROOM. THIS DIFFUSE, UNIFORM LIGHT IS PREDOMINANTLY USED
IN ROOMS WHERE NO DAYLIGHT ENTERS. IT IS PRODUCED BY SUSPENDED
LUMINAIRES RADIATING LIGHT UPWARDS.
COVE LUMINAIRES (DIFFUSE)
THE DIFFUSE LIGHT OF LUMINARIES INSTALLED IN THE CURVING
TRANSITION BETWEEN WALL AND CEILING THE COVE OR COVING IS
ANOTHER INDIRECT LIGHTING SOLUTION.
WALLWASHERS (DIRECTIONAL OR DIFFUSE/DIRECTIONAL)
SPOT LAMPS

USING LIGHT TO GUIDE THROUGH THE MUSEUM

A MUSEUM GALLERY SHOULD HAVE THE LOWEST AMBIENT LIGHT LEVELS
POSSIBLE. LOW AMBIENT LIGHTING MINIMIZES DAMAGE TO BOTH
ARTIFACTS AND FURNISHINGS.
CONCEAL LIGHTING.
USE DRAPERIES OVER HISTORIC WINDOWS.
USE REVERSED GRAPHICS TO AVOID LARGE WHITE AREAS.
LIGHT ARTIFACTS TO CONSERVATION LEVELS AND THEN CONTROL AMBIENT
LIGHT TO ABOUT HALF OF THAT LEVEL.

EFFECTIVELY ILLUMINATING PAINTINGS

LIGHT DOES NOT ONLY MAKE ART VISIBLE IT ALSO ALLOWS ART TO SHINE
OUT.
USING LIGHT TO MODEL SCULPTURES
THE HIGH-CONTRAST CHANGE OF LIGHT AND SHADOW EMPHASISES THE
SHAPES
OF THE SCULPTURES AND HIGHLIGHTS FINE TEXTURES.
ARTFULLY GUIDING THE WAY TO THE MUSEUM
CLEAR PATHWAY LIGHTING GUIDES THE STREAMS OF VISITORS AND
FACILITATES
ORIENTATION.

SELECTING PROPER LUMINARIES

THE PROCESS OF SELECTING SOLID STATE LIGHTING PRODUCTS FOR
MUSEUMS CAN BE AN INTIMIDATING EXPERIENCE.
AN LED LUMINAIRES LUMINOUS EFFICACY, IS AROUND FOUR TIMES HIGHER
THAN THAT OF LOW-VOLTAGE HALOGEN LAMPS, COMBINED WITH A
SERVICE LIFE OF 50,000H ARE TWO MAJOR BENEFITS. IN THIS WAY, BOTH
CAPITAL AND OPERATIONAL EXPENDITURE CAN BE REDUCED WHILE
PROFITING FROM THE ABSENCE OF UV RADIATION.
THE RELATIVE DAMAGE FACTOR IS USED TO ASSESS SUITABLE LIGHT
SOURCES FOR CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS IN MUSEUMS. IT
SPECIFIES THE RATIO OF THE DAMAGING RADIATION INTENSITY AND THE
ILLUMINANCE. WARM WHITE LED LIGHTING IS EVEN BETTER SUITED FOR
DELICATE OBJECTS THAN LOW-VOLTAGE HALOGEN LAMPS WITH OR
WITHOUT UV FILTER.
LED LIGHTING CONTAINS NO ULTRAVIOLET AND LITTLE INFRARED. THEY
ARE WARM TO THE TOUCH IN SPITE OF SOME INDUSTRY CLAIMS THAT THEY
PRODUCE NO HEAT SO CONSIDER CAREFULLY HOW THEY MIGHT BE USED
INSIDE ENCLOSURES.
LIFESPAN AND LUMEN MAINTENANCE OF LED PRODUCTS IS A SECOND
DRAMATIC FEATURE. LEDS SELDOM BURN OUT THEY SIMPLY LOSE LIGHT
OUTPUT OVER TIME.
REFERENCES:-

1. MUSEUM LIGHTING PURE AND SIMPLE - Jack V. Miller and Ruth Ellen Miller

2. GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING SOLID STATE LIGHTING FOR MUSEUMS James R.

Druzik and Stefan W. Michalski
3. LIGHTING FOR MUSEUMS Jelena Armas

CASE STUDY
LIGHTING DESIGN:
CEDAR HILL MUSEUM OF HISTORY
607 Cedar Street
Cedar Hill, Texas 75104

Concept
The lighting design concept of the Cedar Hill Museum of History is like a
geode. A geode is a type of rock with a rough exterior that gives no indication of
the beauty held within its core. Each rock is unique in composition and cannot be
truly discovered until cracked open. Once a guest enters the museum, the
geodeinspired lighting design is revealed. This 3,000-square-foot museum is a Ushaped building with a centralized courtyard within the museum. The designed
space explains where a community meets heritage and nature. Each layer of
light
symbolizes a layer in the geode. The indirect, direct, downlight, uplight, spots,
floods, track systems and pendants are all luminaries that contribute to the
layering
effect of light in the museum. The combination of metal halide, compact
fluorescents, fiber optics, Gobo projectors, and linear fluorescents produce the
optimal quality of light and illuminate the creative designed exhibits: Natural
History,
Tornado in Penn House, Railroad Depot, Commerce, Farming and Ranching,
Television Towers, Oral History, and Temporary exhibit.

Entry
The entry of the museum is the wow space that invites guests to experience
the museum. The unique, lowered ceiling with compact fluorescent downlights
emits an even pool of light. The custom glass geode inspired topography
sculpture is highlighted with metal halide PAR 20 floods and punched with metal
halide PAR 20 narrow spots lights. Behind the reception
desk, the Cedar Hill Museum of Historys logo is back light
with downlights to welcome the guests to enter the
museum.

Natural History
The Natural History exhibit is a photographic
mural of Cedar Hill landscapes. Within the mural,
niches display artifacts and historical information
of the Cedar Hill natural history. The mural is
washed by metal halide PAR 20 Floods on a track
system .On the same track system, metal halide
PAR 20 spots direct the guests to particular points of interest in this exhibit. The
niches are illuminated by fiber optics with five to seven footcandles to
accentuate the detail of the artifacts of the natural history.

Tornado in Penn House

The Penn family is a prominent family in Cedar Hill. In 1856, Cedar Hill was hit
by two tornados at the same time that destroyed a large part of the architectural
history of the town. This exhibit depicts the feeling of being in a tornado in the
Penn
familys home. The exterior of the house is highlighted with metal halide PAR 20
floods . The interior has compact fluorescent downlights to allow visitors to enter
the house easily. The GOBO projector creates the lighting and series of color
changes through a tornado. There are flat LCD panels in each window
illustrating the effects of a tornado as a person would see from a window.

Railroad Depot and Commerce

After experiencing the 1956 tornado, guests are surprised with a lowered
railroad track ceiling and a Railroad depot in the center of exhibit. The railroad
ties
are direct/indirect linear fluorescent pendants that are used as a feature through
this exhibit to help visitors find their way. The indirect portion of light illuminates
a
gravel ceiling with direct light emitting on the entire area. Commerce aligns the
walls with 2-D cutouts with murals of the Cedar Hill Fire Station, Straus Hotel and
Mr.
Paynes general store. The metal halide
PAR 20 narrow spots highlight the 2-D
cutouts with layering metal halide PAR 20
floods on the murals in figure 12. The
highest light levels measure. The north wall
is a glass curtain to emit natural light into
the space. The use of daylight adds a
calming component to the experience.
Punches of metal halide PAR 20 narrow
spots are used on the information plaques
as well.

Farming and Ranching

The Farming and Ranching exhibit

focuses on the full day in Cedar Hill.
The east and south wall have
photographic murals of a ranching and
farming scene. A track system of metal
halide PAR 20 floods washes the
murals .The ceiling has several layers to
represent clouds that light effect change
to emulate weather and time of day
changes. A GOBO projector is used in the
ceiling to create the lighting effects. The
west wall is a glass curtain that allows
daylight to pour into the space. Compact fluorescent downlights provide light for
evening in the space. The display cases have linear fluorescents with special
angular lens to distribute the light in the case for viewing and no glare.

Television Towers History

Cedar Hill is the highest point from the Red River to Houston, Texas. Over
time, television towers have become an icon of the landscape of Cedar Hill. This
west wall illustrates a timeline with mural photographs to the history of the
towers.
Similar to the farming and ranching exhibit, the metal halide PAR 20 floods
emphasize the information on the wall in figure 13.

Oral History
The Oral History is a nook space within the natural history area. The ceilings are
12 feet with cove lighting. The space is functional with tables and a
computer with which to conduct research. The lighting is even pool of indirect
light for guests to research family history, learn more about Cedar Hill History, or
listen to testimonials of oral history. The light levels can be adjusted for different
guests and
uses of the space.

Temporary Exhibit Area

The temporary exhibit area is a flexible space for different traveling exhibits.
The tracking system is three feet off the walls with different light sources. Metal
halide PAR 20 floods, PAR 20 narrow spots, and downlights are luminaries for the
track system. In general, the walls are washed.

Lighting Design Considerations

In the Cedar Hill Museum of History, the lighting design has several
considerations that affect the lighting and spatial concepts. Color rendered index,
color temperature, texture, form, viewing angles, layered light, and maintenance
are all factors that contribute to the whole. The specified lamps have high color
render index and 3,500 Kelvin. The lighting maintenance is convenient because a
limited number of lamp types are selected for the museum and location of
luminaries are away from the exhibits. Each of exhibit area uses layers of light to

attract the guests to read and learn from each historical time period. These
considerations allow the lighting design to fuse lighting elements with an
architectural designed space to create an effective and functional design for
humans to enjoy the experiential interaction.