Gaye One very important concern depending on what type of objects you will be displaying, is climate, especially relative humidity. Most objects and paintings require %50 RH, at 70 degrees F, and upgrading stystems and ductwork etc. can be a very complicated engineering feat in the re-use of an old building. Also if you have a separate facility, and you will be transporting objects back and forth from storage to display, (assuming objects are stored at the original facility), the climates ought to be identical. Another big concern is light, and the ability to block %100 of the natural light from windows when need be, to protect objects from the harmful affects of UV and natural light. your best bet may be to hire a consultant architect who is well versed in the area of museum environments. best of luck Bennett J. Siegel Chief Preparator/Exhibit Designer Delaware Art Museum 800 S. Madison St. Wilmington, DE 19801 -----Original Message----- From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Allyn Lord Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 10:23 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: adaptive reuse questions 1) We have been asked to consider use of a 1920s city hall as a museum building. Has anyone had recent experience in adapting a public building such as a school, courthouse, or city hall for use as a museum? Was the experience positive or negative overall? How much per square foot did the renovation end up costing? What are some pitfalls to be aware of? 2) The ceilings in most of the building under consideration are 12 foot. In doing an adaptive reuse, has anyone run into obstacles to exhibit design from ceiling heights being too low? 3) If we do use the building in question we would have to consider other uses for our current facility, so we are looking for examples of multi-museum systems. How are these organized... do the museums share a board or commission? Do they have shared or separate friends groups? How much are staff, collections, and equipment shared between the museums? What are the themes of the museums in the system? Have the separate museums ended up complementing or competing with each other? Gaye Bland Director Rogers Historical Museum [log in to unmask] 479-621-1154 ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).