Centerbrook has prepared a comprehensive Master Plan for Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History that will improve the entire institution including its collections, exhibitions, visitor and staff amenities and circulation, and spaces for public programs and special events. In tandem Centerbrook also is overseeing a team of consultants for the renovation of the legendary dinosaur and invertebrate exhibitions. The Brontosaurus and other large fossil displays will be remounted in dynamic poses beneath Rudolph Zallinger’s renowned mural, The Age of Dinosaurs, in an extensive redesign.
Centerbrook previously worked with Yale on plans for the Peabody, as it has on numerous other campus projects. This iteration of Museum planning was triggered by new offsite storage capacity at Yale’s new West Campus, which required “rightsizing” collections on and off the main campus to balance available space with student, faculty, and research access to materials in each location.
In addition, Centerbrook’s plan calls for an infill addition with a 250-seat auditorium and a spacious atrium to accommodate visiting school classes, symposia and lectures hosted by Yale’s extended scientific community, as well as expanded facilities for collections management, public amenities, and offices. Centerbrook worked closely with Yale and Museum administrators, while also leading workshops with the entire Peabody staff to inform its recommendations.
Founded in 1866, the Peabody is one of the oldest and most important scientific institutions in the nation. More than 100,000 visitors a year tour the exhibits and attend educational programs at the Peabody, which is Yale’s primary conduit for communicating scientific information to the general public. Cooper Joseph Studio worked with Centerbrook designing the exhibits and renovation plans of the Fossil Halls, and with WeatherstonBruer to assess the collections’ sizes and distribution.