Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (BRBML) at Yale, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in 1960 is one of modern architecture’s iconic buildings.

Newman Architects and FMS collaborated in the building renovation where the lighting scope centered on replacing the mostly original incandescent light fixtures with LEDs while preserving the vision of Gordon Bunshaft and Edison Price, the original designers.

Numerous mockups and fixture sample reviews enabled the team to sensitively address both aesthetic and engineering issues. An important consideration was maintaining the visual appearance of the original light fixtures while preserving the optical distribution. In addition, the new lighting system involved considerable coordination with the added mechanical equipment and updated code requirements.