N.B.Paffett Associates, Inc.

Paffett

 

Mütter Museum: The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

nick@nickpaffett.com                                                 p: 781-556-5340                                               m: 781-385-9050

The Mütter Museum is one of the most interesting museums of medical history and human pathology in the world.  Rich with a collection of remarkable specimens and artifacts, the museum was an unfortunate timeworn and sallow display that most Philadelphians knew nothing about.  Paffett recommended a total overhaul of the museum’s displays which included a creative redesign of the visitor pathways within the architectural space.  The new design approach captured the character of the original museum and the 1880’s Victorian period.  Exhibit cases were created with fine woodwork, nickel-plated hardware and beveled glass.  More importantly, the case system design incorporated hidden low-voltage lighting and a filtered, positive-pressure case ventilation system to minimize dust accumulation to reduce maintenance requirements.  The results were a dramatic presentation rendered in appropriate period fashion that breathed new life into a formerly design-insalubrious institution.