Renovations and expansions of cultural institutions highly benefit from shared knowledge of best practices and common pitfalls. Over the past several months, ABA has received two requests from members to investigate how other organizations have handled major capital projects. You can find and download both reports below.

Insights on Museum Renovations & Expansions - February 2023

Per a request from an ABA Museum member, we set out to learn about the overall process of planning a museum expansion and renovation project, from building ideation and vision, to architect selection, space design, timeline and budgets. We spoke with 8 cultural institutions across the United States (including a number of university affiliated museums) that are either in-process or have recently completed major renovation and expansion projects to learn from their experiences and insights. 

Click below to read the full report, including our interview stories: 

General lessons learned and trends: 

• Determining your expansions’ “differentiated purpose” to align with larger institutional goals and gain stakeholder support 

• Seeking community input to truly answer community needs and be a space for public congregation and flexible use 

• Taking the time to align your architect selection criteria with your differentiated purpose and vision 

• Planning your design with the next 15 years in mind to ensure the longevity of your project and impact 

• Budgeting and staffing needs require contingency planning and deep collaboration to stay on-track and avoid mission creep 

Interview stories: 

• Understanding their catalysts for change 

• Architect selection process and key criteria 

• Expansion timelines, costs and outcomes 

Insights on Museum Closures - December 2022

In response to an ABA museum member's inquiry in Fall 2022, we set out to learn more about best practices for cultural institutions undertaking capital projects that result in either partial or full building closures. We conducted in-depth interviews with 9 museums and performing arts institutions who had recently undergone construction work (or, in some cases, were in the middle of renovation projects) to learn about their common opportunities and challenges faced in this work.

Click below to read the full report, which outlines:

• Setting the vision for your renovation project, including closure timelines, strategic objectives, and potential partnerships.

• Preparing for renovation, including transparent internal/external communications, development of internal working groups, and collection management.

• Navigating renovations and closure, including workload management, digital investment, changes to auxiliary services, and donor engagement.