2. MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
The Government Museum & Art Gallery was designed as a building for the Museum
by Le Corbusier. It came into being on the 6th of May, 1968 with untiring efforts of
Late M.S. Randhawa, the then Chief Commissioner.
Like the City of Chandigarh, the Museum owes its existence to the partition of the
country. The collection of arts objects, paintings, sculpture and decorative arts was
housed in Lahore, the then Capital of Punjab. On 20th April 1948 the division of the
collection took place by which 60% of the objects were retained as were the objects
already re-produced in books and excavated from the sites falling in erstwhile
Punjab. The remaining 40% collection consisting mainly of Gandhara Sculpture and
miniature paintings fell in the East Punjab’s share. Received in 1949, the collection
was first installed in Amritsar and then shifted to Shimla. It was decided in 1960 that
the Museum should have a building of its own in Chandigarh. The plan was
approved in 1962 and the work remained suspended for sometime and finally, the
Museum was constructed and opened to public in May, 1968.
The Museum possesses the largest collection of the world famous Gandhara
Sculptures after Lahore. There is also a well appointed library in the Museum, which
meets the needs of the scholars and students through its stock of 4600 books and
references of arts and allied subjects.
3. THE MISSIONS OF A MUSEUM ARE:
1) Collect and exhibit art and historic artifacts for public education and
enjoyment,
2) Protect the collection from damage, and
3) Do this all as efficiently as possible.
That’s it, Pure and Simple... preserving and presenting our art and heritage.
Anything that detracts from this is artistic or architectural nonsense and a
violation of a museum’s stewardship.
If the "public" (young or old) cannot see, understand and enjoy the exhibits, the
building is not a museum, it is an archive. If items are not preserved, whatever
it may be, the building is not a museum. Without both good presentation and
effective preservation, a museum won’t be able to continue.
4. CASE STUDY TOPICS
1. Electrical
2. Lighting indoor and outdoor
3. Fire Fighting
4. Circulation indoor and outdoor
5. Planning of spaces and form
6. Response to climate, sun and wind, shading devices
7. Water Supply and sewerage disposal
8. Façade design and treatment
9. Furniture and display units
10. Site analysis, blocking , zoning , parking and
landscaping
7. LIGHTING INDOOR AND OUTDOOR
Lighting in museums and art galleries plays a key role in a
visitor's ability to perceive and enjoy both the artefacts in a
museum and the building in total. In order to develop a
successful lighting scheme, a museum lighting designer must
satisfy many conflicting design requirements.
Dramatic variations in light levels from exhibit to exhibit, or
from exterior to interior, can affect a visitor's ability to
appreciate artwork because the human eye requires several
minutes to adjust to large changes in light levels. Sharply
contrasting light levels between a bright entry and a dark
gallery can be very disturbing, and potentially
13. CIRCULATION INDOOR AND OUTDOOR
Circulation space identifies area of a building that is used for
pedestrian travel, such as a hallway, stair way, and areas in a
room that leads to another room. It is generally not good to
have a home with a high percentage of circulation space.
When you visit a building, your main focus should be the
rooms and not the hallway.
14. WHAT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHILE
DESIGNING CIRCULATION SPACE ?
•Widen corridors beyond the typical 8-9 feet currently in use.
•Corridors should be able to easily handle two-way traffic.
•Break up corridor lengths. This will reduce travel time and also
discourage kids from running through the halls.
•Keep corridors a consistent width. Corridors that expand and contract
create bottlenecks.
•Blind corners can be a hazard. People who walk at a fast pace or turn
corners quickly do not see the traffic in the intersecting hallway.
• This can lead to congestion, bumping, collisions, and altercations.
•Consider rounding or angling corners so there is a sight line to the
intersecting corridor.
