Argghhh, architects!  Can I speak bluntly in private among museum people?
Architects are a menace.  They need to be controlled if they are to produce
buildings that are useful as well as beautiful.  But it is specially hard
to control architects because they often get into museum projects before
museum people do - our first correspondent is fortunate if she is in on the
beginnings of a project.  But in my experience, even dealing with
architects before the old building is demolished, they can get away and off
into extravagant showcase-land mighty quick.  Architects are deliberately
trained to be creative monsters, to front the chutzpah of the creator, to
force creativity upon (often unwilling) clients.  Rational, informed, sane
museum people with long professional experience can be driven round the
bend by their wimsey, and worse, their grandiosity.  I regret I have no
solution - just the warning: caveat architect!
Good luck!
Linda Young
Cultural Heritage Management
[log in to unmask]