You might think about "comissioning" which is a new and special type of consulting service for museums that are expanding, building new facilities, or renovating current facilities. Yale University's School of Architecture has a summer seminar in museum design and planning. You might want to talk to people in the field such as Ernie Conrad at Landmark Facilities in Norwalk, Connecticut. This firm specializes in museum engineering. You might also be interested in the whole historic preservation field and in the building and facilities issues. The best thing would be to attend some of the national meetings. Check with the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. They should have lots of free information on seminars and conferences in this area. Museum directors look for experts with proven track records. We are currently in the design phase of a new building where I am director. Besides local architects, I am bringing on an experienced consulting firm to work with local engineers so that our mechanical and HVAC systems, as well the building envelope, will be up to snuff. We want to be sure, upfront, that this building is built right and will be (a ) a stable environment for museum artifacts, (b) efficient and cost effective to run (without compromising our environmental standards) and (c) have reasonable maintenance needs. It is much better to spend a little more money and get the right equipment upfront, than to have to replace everything a few years after construction because it was built wrong or corners were cut. I've made an informal survey of colleagues with buildings that have been constructed in the past 5 years, and none of them were happy with the new buildings. Much tinkering and redesign work had to be done, after the buildings were constructed, particularly with HVAC systems. Museum requirements are much different than other types of businesses. Some museums had problems with overkill where HVAC systems too big, too expensive, and too powerful were installed resulting in high maintenance costs -- e.g., motors burning up constantly and huge electric bills. While reheat features and heat pumps may be fine in homes or orffice buildings, they are usually inappropriate for museums. Museums also require better and constant ventillation than do other types of buildings. Not to mention filtration and constant humidity and temperature controls, warning systems, and most importantly, the response time for the system to compensate should something go wrong mechanically or should there be unusual weather. Besides reviewing specs, design plans, and construction drawings, museum building consultants test equipment. With the "comissioning," engineers come onsite periodically during the planning through construction and after completion to test systems and make sure that contractors and subcontractors install everything properly and that the building is built the way that the plans specify. The "comissioning" agents also run tests upon completion so that any "bugs" are worked out before collections and exhibits are moved into the new or reconstructed space. This is a growing field but requires specialized training. It is best to meet with museum conservators since they are usually the people who have the most practical ideas about what the collections will require. They have also seen it all and have had to adapt to less than ideal situations. An experienced conservator knows first hand what a building really needs. Besides museums, there are archives, art centers, and history centers that all have similar needs and requirements as a potential market for your skills. hope this helps pamela sezgin ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ museum-l.html. 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).