ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights features that appear to have a strong influence on the museum visitor experience. These include the haptic and visual experiences of different architectural elements such as handrails, floor finishes, and ceilings in art galleries and circulation areas, daylighting and electrical lighting throughout the museum. In the Phoenix Art Museum, different floor finishes appear to be provided in different curatorial sections, but light wood is dominant. Daylight forms a significant part of the museum narrative, but it is especially dominant in the Bloch building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Daylight in the art galleries of the Bloch building appears to have been introduced cautiously and only at selected locations. The Levine Court on the mezzanine, on the other hand, is a completely different space. Large museums such as the Met and the Art Institute provide visitors with a variety of options for dining or snacks.
