Touring Museum Stand: Five Venues, No Rigging, One Trailer
A regional museum needs a modular, reusable exhibition stand to tour five small venues. Venue ceiling heights vary from 2.4 m to 4.0 m, door widths from 900 mm to 1,200 mm, and floor surfaces include carpet, concrete, and timber. The stand must display 12 objects (largest 800 × 600 × 400 mm, 15 kg) and include one graphic panel 2,400 mm wide. It must be assembled by two people in under 90 minutes without tools, fit in a 2.4 m × 1.2 m trailer, and cost under NZ$18,000 for the whole system. Venues have no rigging points; some have power, some do not. The tour starts in six months and each venue hosts the exhibition for three weeks.
1. Propose a structural and connection system, and explain the trade-offs.
Read the worked answer
Use a modular aluminium frame: 40 × 40 mm anodised square tube with push-button cam locks and a spring-loaded pin, so two people can assemble without tools. Design maximum component length 2.3 m to fit the 2.4 m trailer; the graphic panel splits into two 1,200 mm panels joined by a concealed aluminium hinge. Uprights are 2.2 m high, which fits the lowest 2.4 m ceiling and keeps the centre of gravity low. Do not try to reach 4.0 m: without rigging points, a tall free-standing frame is a tipping risk. Instead, use the graphic panel as a visual backdrop at 2.2 m and accept that tall venues have more air above.
Stability: use 600 × 600 mm weighted feet (water-fillable, empty for transport) and place the 15 kg object on the lowest shelf. Bracing: two diagonal rear stays, not visible from the front. Connection trade-off: cam locks are fast but can loosen with vibration; add a secondary spring clip. Push-fit only would be faster but less rigid. The 90-minute assembly target is achievable if each of the 12 object mounts is a pre-set hook rather than a bolted shelf. Cost: aluminium and cam locks will use about NZ$11,000; graphics and cases about NZ$5,000, leaving a contingency.
2. Explain how you would design for the range of venue conditions, including lighting.
Read the worked answer
Venue range: ceiling 2.4–4.0 m, doors 900–1,200 mm, floors carpet/concrete/timber. The 900 mm door is the limiting dimension: no component may exceed 850 mm in any two dimensions, so the 2.4 m graphic panel must split and the largest crate must be 850 × 850 mm. For floors, use adjustable levelling feet with rubber pads; on carpet, add 100 mm diameter pads to spread load. Do not rely on wall fixing.
Lighting: because some venues lack power, design a dual system. Primary: battery-powered LED spotlights (rechargeable, 4-hour runtime) clipped to the frame's top rail, aimed at objects. Secondary: a 5 m low-voltage lead for venues with power. Use 3000 K, 95 CRI LEDs so object colours read consistently. Avoid relying on venue fluorescents. Provide blackout cloth for windows if glare is severe. Test the lighting at 1.5 m and 3.0 m mounting heights because the frame height is fixed but venue ambient light changes. Include a lux meter in the touring kit and a one-page lighting plan for each venue.