1. EXHIBITING ARCHITECTURE: THE VISITOR‘S PERSPECTIVE Riklef Rambow Chair of Theory of Architecture Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning Brandenburg Institute of Technology Cottbus, Germany

2. PRACTICAL BACKGROUND: ‚BUILDING CULTURE‘ Goal: Fostering knowledge about and interest in architecture among the public Means: Architecture in schools; nationwide „day of architecture“, citywide „architecture festivals“, brochures, exhibitions etc. Common condition for success: Relevance and comprehensibility for experts and non-experts alike

3. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF EXPERT-LAYPERSON-COMMUNICATION Systematic differences in perspective between architects and laypersons (cf. Hershberger, Nasar et al., Gifford et al., Rambow...) Systematic biases/mistakes in experts‘ anticipations of laypersons‘ perspective (cf. Rambow, 2000) Characteristic of architecture: Dominance of visual communication

4. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Architecture exhibitions are an interesting real-life interface between experts and laypersons Practical importance: The number of exhibitions and institutions (architecture centers and museums) is steadily increasing Suitability to investigation: The circumstances of the communication are clearly defined (restricted time, uni-directional, similar interest etc.) Setting: Two exhibitions of comparable scope, comparable content (newest architecture) and comparable structure (project-centered) at the German Architecture Museum, Frankfurt/Main

5. EXHIBITION 1: OVERVIEW

6. EXHIBITION 1: PROJECT DISPLAY

7. EXHIBITION 2: OVERVIEW

8. EXHIBITION 2: PROJECT/OFFICE DISPLAY

9. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Are the exhibitions evaluated differently by experts and laypersons? Are particular media used and evaluated differently by experts and laypersons? If so, then what reasons are given for these differences by experts and laypersons?

10. METHOD Questionnaires (N= 691) and face-to-face-interviews (N = 188), administered directly after the visit Questionnaires: General evaluation on the dimensions ‚interesting‘, ‚comprehensible‘, ‚entertaining‘ Interviews: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of individual media (texts, pictures, videos, models) Post hoc differentiation between experts, intermediates and laypersons

11. GENERAL EVALUATION: „INTERESTING“

12. GENERAL EVALUATION: „COMPREHENSIBLE“

13. GENERAL EVALUATION: „ENTERTAINING“

14. EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDIA: EXHIBITION 1

15. EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDIA: EXHIBITION 2

16. QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF INDIVIDUAL MEDIA Models: Three-dimensionality and high level of control are highly estimated by experts and laypersons alike Videos: Low level of control; lack of orientation and information Texts: Laypersons need more structure and less detail Pictures: Laypersons need accompanying information and clear cross-references

17. CONCLUSIONS Exhibitions can be a powerful tool to communicate architecture to the public Exhibitions can be designed in a way that meets the needs of experts and non-experts alike For this, the selection, the design and the coordination (cross-referencing) of exhibition elements (media) must take psychological criteria into account Of course, these results are preliminary and have to be corroborated and differentiated by further research