Dear Robb, As a veteran of a museum construction project (designed and built by firms with no museum experience - like you, we had no say in the matter), I can tell you to trust your instincts. Museum staff know what makes a good or bad museum facility. If you can find a good consultant or planning document, so much the better, but don't give away your right to approval. There are plenty of award-winning buildings that are lousy museums - which raises the point, did the architect want acclaim for his design or did he want to meet the client's needs? I visited an award-winner last week that had some big accessibility flaws (IMHO). The museum I was involved with ended up with a floor-to-ceiling window in the women's bathroom because the architect said he needed it for symmetry - yes, the window faced a street and you could see in!! (The museum did a window treatment after the fact.) And if you're going to display light-sensitive artifacts, don't let the architect talk you into huge skylights (which will eventually leak - the people who say they won't aren't the people who have to clean up the mess). These are just a few issues - Liz pointed out some excellent ones as well. Talk to folks who have been through museum construction - we all have long lists of mistakes not to repeat :) - better yet, have the architect along with you as you visit new museums and talk with people. Unfortunately, shouting seems to come with the territory, but take your time and come up with a vision before you start. Good luck! John Marks ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).