Up Close With Lee Brandt

By Shirley Coyle

During year three of a five-year architectural engineering program at Penn State, someone passed Lee Brandt an issue of LD+A, the IES’s monthly magazine on lighting, design and application. “I thought, wow, this is perfect – this is what I wanted! I had wanted to be an architect, but this is where I could use my nerdy math/engineering brain and combine it with the art side!” Coming from just outside Philadelphia, Lee had two amazing summer internships with a small lighting design firm in Philadelphia, but she knew, even before becoming a lighting designer, that she wanted to move to New York City – “kismet for lighting design!”

After interviewing in NYC with almost every lighting design firm possible, Lee decided that HLB was the right fit and joined in 2000. “I kind of go by gut a bit – it felt right, and it definitely worked out!” Lee is now a Principal of HLB’s New York Office, these days combining her architectural lighting design work with a strategic role that focuses on employee growth across HLB’s eight locations. Active in both IES and IALD, Lee makes the time to contribute to the broader lighting community, serving on committees related to light pollution, sustainable design and energy codes.

And how did the move to New York City go? “That was ones of the best part early on – it was so exciting to be in the city, the commuting – kind of Mary-Tyler-Moore type stuff!” Lee found it great coming into HLB and working with people with backgrounds in interiors and theatre, people having so much more experience than she had been exposed to in the more controlled university environment.

Soon after joining HLB, Lee was tapped to use the thennew lighting design modelling software, Lightscape, for a Disney project – “It was pretty great, I felt useful early.” Lee’s technical skills brought a lot of work her way in computer modelling, especially sports facilities, and she remembers a fun challenge with a pool having issues with light levels impacted by obstructions. “The site was in Pennsylvania, near my parents’ home, so I went home, got my brother and Mom to come with me to help, and there I was in the water with a kickboard and my light meter in a plastic bag to keep it dry, taking measurements and calling out light levels for them to write down!” Lee also remarks on HLB being generous with opportunities; when someone left the firm, Lee was given the chance to take over a large resort hotel project. “It was kind of a rite of passage project” over 4 years, finishing just as she gave birth to her first son.

Asked about her concerns over the current state of our lighting community, Lee says, “For me, it’s about feeding the machine - we need to get students exposed to lighting design and to find diverse educators to teach lighting design. So many of our amazing educators are going to retire soon, and I don’t know if we have a pipeline. We have to get the lighting industry known among a broader audience.”

Reflecting on what has made her successful in her lighting career, Lee offers a few things: “Staying curious and engaged, taking opportunities when they come. HLB was an amazingly supportive. When I became a Principal, HLB pushed me toward recruiting. They saw a natural talent there – I want people to be happy. I’m grateful that I had a firm and people with me that supported me, saw some natural talents and helped me fill in the rest. Keeping up is important – you can’t rest in this world. It’s changing so much; you have to stay on top of things.”

Lee’s advice to those coming into the lighting community: Stay curious, ask questions. “I don’t think we’re an industry of wallflowers, but you have to find, within yourself, how to stay engaged and get yourself out there, find ways to connect and express yourself. There’s a definite professionalism needed: look people in the eye, communicate properly, both verbally and in writing. You don’t have to be a Type A or natural extrovert, but be authentic – and you need to advocate for yourself. It can be done quietly.” During Lee’s most recent couple of recruiting trips to schools, she found that many of the students wanted to be able to collaborate in person and were looking for roles where they would have the opportunity to work in-person with others.

When Lee is not working on the many aspects of building HLB and the lighting community, you many find her at one of many sports events involving her teenaged sons. During rare downtime, perhaps she will be taking in some reality TV for a well-earned mental break, or digging into pop culture, especially movies. Lee’s family loves to travel – the most recent big trip to Ireland and London was a hit. Now, the planning starts for the next trip, with Paris heading the list of options!