Museum of History (Madrid)

Madrid, Spain. The remodeled San Fernando Hospice, completed in 2014, is the home of the Museum of History.

The architecture style uses gaps that create a feeling of floating planes and lightness.

But In the galleries, the same approach to gaps, between panels and walls, confuses visitor flow. Visitors naturally want to slip through these spaces, but they're not quite wide enough, officially. Irritating barriers are put in as after thoughts.

The gap resonates with a floor edge treatment that creates a buffer between visitors and the art. Wherever there is a slight elevation change, it seems that bannister barriers were intentionally designed into the plan.

Even designed in a more integrated way (before, or after opening) these can feel like a mistake (whether or not they actually are).

It's heart breaking to see a nice garden closed to the public, like this one at the back of the building, visible from the street