Green building education in the green museum: design strategies in eight case study museums

The choice to create or renovate museum buildings to green building standards is a growing trend for science museums. With access to green facilities comes the potential to extend informal science learning into the three-dimensional architectural environment. To examine how and if museums with green...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of science education. Part B. Communication and public engagement 2020-04, Vol.10 (2), p.149-165
Main Authors: Cole, Laura B., Lindsay, G., Akturk, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Architecture
Building Conversion
Building Design
Conservation (Environment)
Construction Materials
Ecology
Energy Conservation
Exhibits
Experiential Learning
Facility Improvement
Green buildings
Horticulture
Informal Education
informal environmental education
informal science education
LEED
Lighting
Museums
Physical Environment
Recycling
science museum
Sciences
Signs
Teaching Methods
Video Technology
Water
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The choice to create or renovate museum buildings to green building standards is a growing trend for science museums. With access to green facilities comes the potential to extend informal science learning into the three-dimensional architectural environment. To examine how and if museums with green buildings interpret their buildings for the public, this study used photographs systematically taken by researchers in eight science museums across the United States. Results show that recycling, water, energy, green materials, and eco-landscaping were the top five green building themes interpreted by museums. Moreover, all museums use the passive strategy of educational signage to communicate green building themes, though several museums attempted to provide more active, hands-on learning opportunities. The analysis additionally uncovered a series of distinct strategic choices museums made concerning centralized versus decentralized displays, media types, passive versus active engagement, and targeting a range of visitor outcomes from green knowledge to behaviors. The potential for enhancing green building education in museums with certified green buildings is discussed.
ISSN:2154-8455
2154-8463
DOI:10.1080/21548455.2020.1723182