Author(s)

JORGE T. RIBEIRO, SUSANA ROSADO, RUTE GOMES

Abstract

Museums face the challenge of balancing their mission to preserve, exhibit and educate with the imperative of contributing to a sustainable society. Despite the significant efforts of some museums (e.g., Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, MoMA, Louvre, etc.) to reduce waste and reuse elements of their exhibitions, especially temporary ones, the proliferation of exhibits has led to increased waste generation. This study presents a novel, mathematically-driven approach to sustainable exhibition design, inspired by modular construction systems such as plastic LEGO^® bricks. A set of standardized, reusable pieces designed for assembling diverse support structures for museum objects is introduced. The system demonstrates remarkable versatility through its many possible configurations and its potential for waste reduction is evidenced by the fact that pieces are reused, especially in temporary exhibitions. The proposed modular system, manufactured from local, sustainable materials, not only facilitates easy transport and assembly but also significantly extends the life cycle of exhibition components. Quantitative examples of support structure configurations are presented, with a focus on temporary exhibitions. This research contributes to sustainable exhibit design by offering a reconfigurable, mathematically optimized solution for reducing waste in cultural institutions, especially for temporary museum exhibitions worldwide.

Keywords

sustainable exhibition design, waste reduction, modular systems, waste management, circular economy in museums