Interesting proposal by your architect. Where are the cold air returns placed in this scheme? As a designer, it would raise the following flags for me: a) if the gallery is anything larger than a shoebox, there will be a substantial airflow pumping out and up from these floor vents to maintain temp. and RH. Given that most visitors in my experience tend to stand from 2-5 feet from most works of art (depending on the scale of the work, and they tend to move forward and back to examine works they are really interested in), this duct will be right in the middle of the "comfort zone" for viewing, potentially pumping either cold or hot air up their skirts/shorts-- quite literally. Not an enjoyable experience for anyone. b) as you mention, these may act as a visual barrier of a sorts. Do you really want/need this barrier, which subconsciously implies to the visitor that they should not get too close to a work they may want to get right up and examine? On the flip side, these vents aren't really a true barrier- if your works do indeed need protection, then a rail, rope, or plinth would all be better solutions. c) perhaps of most concern to me as a designer would be the limitations these vents would put on future displays. You could not, for example, place a pedestal/vitrine over these vents without first sealing them off both under and near the pedestal. Under so that dirty air isn't being pumped up into a display case, and around so you don't end up with "smoke marks" (as they are called), the dark lines around vents from dirty airflow. They also impose a visual rigor on the galleries that will impact what styles of designs one can do in the future, as well as make any future changes in gallery layout (temporary walls, new carpeting or flooring, etc.) both difficult and potentially expensive. d) I'm not an HVAC engineer, but there must be some reason that 99% of new construction for the past 50 years put the vents near the ceiling and the returns on the floor. I'd get an opinion from an HVAC professional on the potential inefficiencies of the architects proposal. In general, we try and follow the rule that with built-in systems we place all hardware in the location that will have the least future impact on what we can do in a gallery. Regards Dennis Kois Design Department The Metropolitan Museum of Art ___________________________ ========================================================= 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).