Project Overview
Xaverian High School was established in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in 1957 to provide college-preparatory education for grades 6-12. With limited campus upgrades since opening, Xaverian began working with Perkins Eastman architects over a decade ago to complete a phased modernization.
Recently, the school’s garden-level cafeteria was identified for an update. Small windows and late 50s finishes made the space feel dark and a bit cave-like for much of the time, offset with periods of harsh, late-day sunlight from the west-facing windows. The Perkins Eastman team worked on a design that would simultaneously manage the sunlight coming into the space and extend the feeling of natural light throughout. Ultimately, Sivoia automated shades and 54 tunable white fixtures with integrated Athena wireless nodes were programmed to respond to changes in natural light over the course of the day. Shades adjust to welcome daylight when indirect, while minimizing glare and heat gain when direct sun streams in, and the color temperature and intensity of the ambient light shifts to complement available daylight.
Fully controlled by Athena, the space is equipped with vacancy sensors and a small override keypad to save energy when the cafeteria is unoccupied. Jesse Mallen of Perkins Eastman explains, “The idea was to design the system to be as hands-off as possible, with no new responsibilities for the school staff, to ensure a seamless transition.”
Now, the space feels completely transformed. “It’s really been a ‘magic wand’ difference. Making a mostly below-grade space feel like every inch is within reach of sunlight is a testament to the impact and value of tunable white lighting,” says Mallen. The reaction from the school’s staff and students has been similarly positive. The new cafeteria is not only used as an eating space, but also for study halls, board meetings, and club get-togethers, and everyone is struck by the improvement in how the space looks and feels.
