Yale Peabody Museum renovation lighting
Join us for an insightful presentation on the recent museum renovations at Yale Peabody Museum. The presentation will delve into the lighting solutions implemented to enhance the visual experience of the exhibits in the newly renovated areas of the museum.
Speakers:
Andrew Santaniello, AIAAssociate Principal at Centerbrook Architects & Planners
Michael Hennes, MIES, Leed AP BD+C, Associate Principal at CBB
Bios:
Andrew Santaniello
There was a picnic table in the backyard of the Santaniello home in Springfield, Massachusetts, and when Andrew was a youngster his dad would tell him to go out back and pound nails into it. It kept him busy for a spell. Before very long, the composition of the table had changed from wood to metal. The notion of doing a job right started there.
Andrew’s parents came to America from Italy as adults, learned the language, worked hard, and were sustainable well before the term came into vogue. They started their own businesses, tended a big garden, made homemade wine, and sewed his sisters’ dresses. Andrew liked to sketch early on and was into understanding how things went together in metal shop and drafting classes in high school. He took to the digital world right away, in particular the graphic programs.
He pursued his bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture at Norwich University in Vermont, and after working for another Connecticut firm, he joined Centerbrook in 1996. He was named an associate principal in 2019.
Andrew has been project manager for a number of high profile jobs, including the Sullivan Museum and History Center at his alma mater, the national headquarters for Welltower in Ohio, and the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut. This last complex project encompassed 173,000-square-feet and cutting edge research laboratories; it also entailed coordinating design and construction management with a large team of architects, consultants, contractors, and state and local officials. He's now undertaking a very similar design coordination effort as project manager of the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History's extensive renewal project.
Andrew approaches such challenges with positive thinking: “I have learned that the most important thing about getting a project done right is the relationships you foster with team members. I enjoy getting to know people, all kinds of people, and sharing a laugh down in the trenches. And these relationships are important when you are solving problems in the home stretch during construction. You have to be firm, you can’t avoid difficult issues, but you can also be respectful and polite while not taking yourself too seriously.”
Gave a presentation on design at the opening of an architectural exhibit at Norwich University, in the building he helped to design
Played varsity basketball in college
Michael Hennes
Michael, an Associate Principal and Project Director at CBB, brings over 35 years of experience in architectural lighting design to his projects. He joined the firm in 1987, directly after graduating with high honors in Architecture from the University of Florida. His educational background gives him insight into the many ways in which light can reinforce architecture.
He has held leading design roles in over 90 award-winning projects at CBB, including Torre Iberdrola (Bilbao, Spain) and the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, New York City – the world’s first commercial towers to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
As a LEED Accredited Professional, Michael is committed to the goal of sustainable, energy-efficient lighting design solutions. He was a member of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CALiPER guidance committee, which supported testing of solid-state lighting equipment and distribution of the results in the public interest.
He has lectured at LEDucation and has presented at events for the Designers Lighting Forum of New York (DLFNY), the IES New York Section (IESNYC), The Center for Architecture in New York City, and Light Congress 2006. He has given tours of CBB’s projects for Open House New York, DLFNY, IESNYC, AIA Archtober, NYCxDesign, and Central Park Conservancy. He has written for LD&A Magazine.
Michael has served on lighting design juries for Parsons, New York School of Interior Design, IESNYC Lumen Awards and the IES Illumination Awards. In 2023, he won an IESNYC Brilliance Award for service to the lighting community.
