Drew recently participated in a remote learning series hosted by the Connecticut Chapter of the AIA and the Women in Architecture Committee. Its Architecture in Our Community Video Series highlights recognizable projects in Connecticut with content geared toward K-12 STEM education. If you’re a budding paleontologist, you know the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale. Drew is leading a team of more than 100 design professionals to renovate and expand its nearly century-old French Gothic home.

In his video, Drew explains how architects researched and planned the project before the actual design process began – the “foundation of ideas and criteria that shape the design.” He describes how we analyzed the Peabody’s site and how people and things enter and move around it. That analysis included how its 13.2 million objects were stored, managed, and displayed.

He went on to describe sophisticated scanning techniques to study the building, sensors that informed how to insulate exterior walls, and visits to other museums to learn how they operated. He closed with a 3-D video that flies around the reimagined Peabody, giving students a glimpse of how it will look when it reopens in 2023.

Kudos to the AIA for inspiring the next generation of design professionals, and thanks to Drew and his colleagues for donating their time and expertise to such a worthy venture.

With thanks to the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History for providing the historical imagery.