ABSTRACT
This essay documents an ongoing research project into the design, inhabitation, funding, education trends, and spatial opportunities influencing the future of world-class museums. Through extensive interviews with 20 museum directors, curators, and specialists William Smart proposes a new conceptual framework for the design of future museums based on expanded understanding of openness and transparency. The essay asks how open could a museum become? What are some of the political, economic and societal challenges facing museums today, and what design strategies could overcome these challenges? In this chapter William questions the arrangement of current museum buildings and suggests how an integrated attitude towards educational and commercial activities could actively help these institutions as they transition towards vibrant community hubs.
