Museums are architectural trend-setters. Culture sponsoring and their increasing role as tourist attractions are guarantees for an ongoing boom in museum construction. A tradition and typology developed over the centuries, the experience gained in recent decades and cutting-edge technology all contribute to the practice of modern day museum building. History and form, site development, floor plan, air-conditioning and climate technology are just some examples of the subjects treated systematically in the first section of this design manual. Some 70 international museum case-studies exemplify solutions and emphasize specific museum design issues such as spatial organisation and arrangement, and lighting. Paul von Naredi-Rainer is an expert on the subject of museum construction and author of the widely read Architektur und Harmonie (Architecture and Harmony). Herbert Pfeiffer, Helmut F.O. Müller and Hans Jürgen Schmitz teach at Dortmund University, Oliver Hilger and Gerhard Kahlert at RWTH Aachen.
