Virtual museums may not be the answer for post-pandemic success

Creating an entirely virtual museum is already one approach for the future, but it’s a slippery slope. Museums might be enticed by the idea of having their entire collections online in order to avoid the possible transmission of disease, but then what happens to the buildings...With everything online, a museum building would morph into something that’s more or less just storage.With self-quarantining, social distancing, and the closure of businesses and public venues, what happens to institutions like museums and their relationship with the public? While exhibitions can be seen online, does that solution defeat the purpose of a museum itself?  According to Smithsonian Magazine writer Jennifer Billock, "how will people experience museums 10 or 20 years down the road, when proactive design changes to curb the spread of disease have been put in place?" Museum closures and online exhibitions have been an answer for some while others plan to reopen in order to revive the museum experience. Archinect's previous coverage on museums as they respond to COVID. Photo: Wikimedia Commons user BRENAC/CC-BY-SA-3.0.Architect Bea Spolidoro, principal of FisherARCHitecture, shares with Billock that new design solutions should not "substitute the true experience." In addition to in-person experiential loss, Spolidoro expresses that maintenance costs are another factor to kee...