(New York, June 18, 2026) – The global integrated design firm DLR Group announces the launch of Museum Liminal Spaces: A Multi-Stakeholder Perception Study, a new research initiative examining how visitors engage with transitional spaces in museums – areas like thresholds, lobbies, corridors, and gathering spaces – and how their design affects the overall museum experience.

The study asks a deceptively simple question: what do these spaces feel like, and how does their design shape the way people move through and connect to a museum?

Background and Approach

The study builds on 18 months of strategic workshops and collaborative inquiry with cultural strategist Jill Snyder of Snyder Consultancy and select art museum partners. This work helped identify the social determinants, including loneliness, stress, and disconnection, that museums are increasingly called upon to address. An initial pilot study engaged eight institutions in a round-table format to confirm the research gap. A second phase gathered existing data and literature, refined the research question, and established an interview protocol. In the current phase, the team is gathering perspectives from both visitors and staff at six geographically diverse art museums, building a body of evidence that connects design decisions to real human outcomes.

A major part of this research involves a deeper investigation into atmosphere, specifically how light, sound, and spatial qualities come together to create moments that resonate and influence the space’s psychological engagement.

What the Research Will Deliver

The study examines how liminal spaces support emotional continuity and belonging, translating findings into design strategies. DLR Group will submit the findings for peer review and publication in academic journals, bringing scholarly rigor to a design challenge with direct implications for how museums engage broader audiences.

The work connects to broader questions about the role of museums in public life: what these spaces communicate, how they support community wellbeing, and how design can make cultural institutions more welcoming.

For more information about DLR Group’s Cultural+Performing Arts sector and its research initiatives, visit Cultural+Performing Arts on dlrgroup.com.