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That is a big decision; its not at all as simple as it may seem.
In general , this is the same decision that Aloys made for Ahra Pahts. It may seem a strange comparison, but they are of the same type. As a contrary example, the German city plan of Karlsruhe, by the Margrave, Karl Wilhelm, was set up to be a structure which controls everything that is put into it:
- Karlsruhe-2 central area.png (244.85 KiB) Viewed 9024 times
He used the concept of a wheel, with his palace (the Schloss) at its hub. The purpose of the hub was to control all the parts, but you can see what has happened over time: The way of the world has been eating away at the wheel (from the South), so that only half a wheel is left.
Ahura Pahts is really a pie shape cut out of the wheel too, yet it is set up to allow considerable freedom of individuals on the interior. And while Aloys wisely allows no hub, i suspect he feels that his design is still too constricting because it effectively prohibits orthographic projects.
Unhappily, that is the great problem with all round shapes: They want to dominate. A collection of square shapes is much more friendly to individual additions. Typologically, it is like stacking building blocks versus stacking bowling balls.
The nature of the sphere is inward looking – focused upon itself. It cannot change that. Pure egotism. But while the block MAY be only inward looking (the courthouse in the middle of the city square) it may just as easily be outgoing (a variable collection of blocks surrounding the city square). The latter condition depends upon the intentions of the designers. The cube has the choice of being isolative, or additive.
So, my feeling is that you designers of ERC could not do better than to make two decisions now:
Recognizing Jennifer's description above:
1) Choose an orthographic (not organic) shape to enclose the First Phase of your museum (her suggestion already);
and
2) Allow this container to be the pot for making a stew – that is, to be the receptacle for a considerable variety of smaller shapes within its confines.
The First Phase must be decided now, but within limits, the additions inside it may be individually done. This way, many people could have their own preferences; they could exercise their talents and their imaginations; they could explore and tear down; they may rebuild as their ideas grow.
But this also leaves room for unhappy neighbors. It is possible for one designer to put up the awful banana which tries to eat the museum. Perhaps, you deal with this if it happens. I point this out now to show how this type of planning requires everyone to exercise a great deal of responsibility.
Rather than simply plopping down 'what I feel like doing', each person's personal area would best be designed with great concern for what is surrounding them. Rather than trying to be different, this type of design requires that each person try to be conciliatory and responsive to their neighbors within the museum.
This is a special type of design. It is called Contextualism. And i promise, that rather than being restrictive, in the end it still allows all sorts of great freedoms to emerge. In fact, i have found that the more restrictions a Contextual designer recognizes, the better their design becomes.
Truly.
Enough. I see i have fallen into another sermon. But ah me. The situation does seem to call for it. Those who care to read through this, carefully, will be the ones who may benefit by these notions.
PS: No Ruvinka: Don't retire your pencil.
So you like the awe-inspiring stuff, eh? I do too; I'm wondering where we could provide a feeling of awe now...Maybe at the edge of the cliff below the museum, where the waterfall goes down? It might work if the view was expansive and the waterfall was adequately large; we'd need to hide the downward view from the players, and then reveal it all at once in one big vista. Another spot we might try for awe with could be the entranceway into the museum. Things to think about. 
and create an overall harmory between the many compositions. If 3D modelers want to give making their own gallery a shot though, they certainly could...it would have to fit in with the rest of the museum's design philosophy, of course. 
