Research on the welcoming experience of the museum's arrival space

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many public places, including museums, which have experienced unprecedented situations, such as lockdowns and reopening with physical distancing requirements. Therefore, physical museums' welcoming experience for visitors warrants greater research attention today. The entrance gate, foyer, and surroundings are areas that people must touch and pass through to enter the museum. To increase museums' popularity and attract people from the very start of their visit, museum authorities must consider the appearance and the environment of the space where people first arrive when entering the museum. Therefore, this study proposes the arrival space as a new concept to examine how to create a welcoming arrival space in museums. By analyzing the Hintze and Earth Halls in London's Natural History Museum, the design principles of a museum's welcoming experience are described from a space design perspective as a reference for future museum development.