19 - Light Voices #6 – Grace Gallagher

00:00:03: Welcome to Lichthören, a podcast about light lighting and the people behind it.

00:00:09: Here we explore this fascinating field from education in daily practice To how?

00:00:15: We imagine and shape its future.

00:00:20: Our guest today is Grace Gallagher And she's working at WSP In The United States.

00:00:28: She's based in New York City.

00:00:30: I'm very curious what you're telling us about yourself.

00:00:33: Grace, if you had to introduce yourself and explain what you do... What would you say?

00:00:41: So I would say i'm a transportation lighting designer so I do the lighting designs in layout calculations for a lot of infrastructure projects.

00:00:51: most my work is roadways bridges airports train stations tunnels.

00:00:55: that sounds like a lot.

00:00:57: responsibility

00:00:59: Yeah, there's definitely a lot of conversation about research going into glare and pedestrian safety.

00:01:06: And driver safety...

00:01:07: ...and you are the one who is then taking the research into practice in planning it?

00:01:12: We do a lot roadway committees where they'll write standards that will go to our design based on those standards and make sure we're following criteria everything.

00:01:21: How did your first come into contact with lighting ready for start?

00:01:27: growing up, I always loved math and science.

00:01:30: i love my math-science classes but also loved art in design just being really creative.

00:01:36: so when i was looking into going to college ,i found architectural engineering which i thought maybe a mixture of both the design architecture and the engineering side.

00:01:47: while i took a lighting course we had designed light on this software.

00:01:53: that's kind creative, but also math-heavy pathway for me.

00:02:01: And so once I got an internship in lighting it's kind of... It was game over from there.

00:02:09: Game

00:02:11: Over?

00:02:12: That is

00:02:14: a nice saying!

00:02:15: A lot people say like whenever they started with lighting that they are trapped.

00:02:20: They just stay there.

00:02:21: So you studied architecture originally and then put on top a master's degree in lighting?

00:02:27: I originally studied architectural engineering which is definitely different from architecture, i didn't necessarily know that going into it.

00:02:34: And then...from there..I had studied my concentration undergrad with construction management And I had an internship at the Denver airport and it was a very good experience, but that wasn't...I realized also.

00:02:45: That-that wasn't for me!

00:02:47: ...and i really liked lighting.

00:02:48: so I went in state and stayed on my masters in building systems engineering with a concentration of lighting electrical.

00:02:55: Actually where did you study?

00:02:57: I studied at University of Colorado Boulder For undergrad and then that was also when I got my master's.

00:03:03: When you did your technical career beginning You also did an internship in Denmark.

00:03:10: What was it about?

00:03:11: Yeah so I studied renewable energy systems in Copenhagen over a summer and we learned, i was able to climb a windmill.

00:03:19: We learned about windmills ,we learned about solar panels .We learned about geothermal.

00:03:26: And It was very cool to go to Denmark to the heart of Really one of the first countries to really implement Renewable energy.

00:03:35: they're still passionate about it there.

00:03:37: So it was definitely very cool.

00:03:39: have that experience and just like renewed appreciation for it.

00:03:45: But they didn't keep you in.

00:03:46: the renewable engineering part, was still lighting?

00:03:51: Yeah!

00:03:51: It's still lighting.

00:03:52: I still needed a little bit more creative and design.

00:03:56: Beautiful.

00:03:56: so would you like to walk me through one day of your work?

00:04:01: Just an ordinary day nothing special.

00:04:04: yeah It's a lot of calculations, it is a lot rendering.

00:04:10: So if someone brings us on to project we will work with them and get the layout in everything.

00:04:18: then pull the fixtures or criteria that need follow do base lay out see where we land at that run the calculation put into rendering software because easier for client who ever working.

00:04:35: And then if we get the go ahead, and kind of start with drawing production.

00:04:41: Then there's always comments going back-and forth.

00:04:44: so yeah just a constant conversation that were having constantly running calculations.

00:04:48: So

00:04:48: is this something which is especially interesting or surprising when you tell people what to do?

00:04:56: When they talk about your job?

00:04:59: Definitely!

00:04:59: They're always surprised when I say I'm lighting designer their first question for Broadway And I go, no for transportation infrastructure.

00:05:09: and then they're always like oh i didn't even know.

00:05:12: people do that.

00:05:13: That's not something because our job is to design lighting that isn't noticed.

00:05:24: just make sure everybody can see it.

00:05:27: so we say good lighting or bad lighting.

00:05:35: There's also a lot of detail into, especially transportation lighting or for example tunnel lighting.

00:05:43: like health issues might be affected there.

00:05:47: Yeah so that was something I didn't really know until i got this job which is very interesting to me.

00:05:53: if you're going at certain speed and the lights are spaced out in some distance someone who could have a seizure just being like super cognizant of that and everything has been very eye-opening.

00:06:08: Yeah, I think this might be really eye opening for a lot of people.

00:06:12: so is there something you're particularly proud?

00:06:15: Of...I

00:06:16: really do like the industry that i'm in.

00:06:18: we're not like the loudest Like We're Not The Ones doing like In Your Face design like were kind of the ones like one of the backbones I would say because good lighting does make or break space and it affects so many things, that effects mental health.

00:06:33: It just affects everything!

00:06:36: And I am proud to be in an industry that focuses on that... ...and is trying make well-being better.

00:06:45: we're very focused on environmental impacts.

00:06:49: We take everything into consideration So i'm proud of being part.

00:06:53: So there's the Illuminating Engineering Society.

00:06:56: When I moved to New York City, I joined The New York city chapter and they were putting on a mentor mentee program And since my whole team is based up in Boston... ...I thought that this would be really good opportunity for me To get connected with people from industry here.

00:07:11: so it just resonated With Me.

00:07:13: That's gorgeous!

00:07:14: Thank you.

00:07:15: Is something less glamorous or challenging about what You do every day?

00:07:21: Yeah, there's a couple things.

00:07:23: I think the first thing is sometimes the drawing production and writing specifications.

00:07:29: that really isn't not my most favorite part of the job but it allows me to keep doing The design and everything else that i do love about the job And then also just when A client or someone wants a design That you don't necessarily agree with and trying To work With them to get to a middle ground or just we're finding the most appropriate way to light something.

00:07:56: I think those are probably my two biggest ones.

00:07:59: thank you.

00:08:00: could you tell us a little bit about a project?

00:08:03: You did and it was realized.

00:08:06: since i've only been at this company for three years none of my projects have been finished yet.

00:08:12: Wow, we're redoing a bridge that had gotten shut down for structural reasons and so We're doing the roadway lighting for them.

00:08:19: They were also doing these static lighting.

00:08:21: So we're doing some lighting on the facade of The Bridge And Just to kind of make it It's kind of in a residential area.

00:08:30: So we are trying To just give the residents something and like visitors Kind Of Make it A little more exciting Than just a bridge.

00:08:38: Yeah making a landmark, but at the same time keeping it safe and aligned with environmental restrictions.

00:08:48: If there was somebody around you who would be interested in lighting what would you suggest to do?

00:08:56: I'd say get as much exposure Like for me, when I thought i might be interested in lighting.

00:09:05: I talked to a few people In the industry and was able To get an internship with The Lighting Sales Agency out in Colorado And so that's kind of my first intro into it.

00:09:15: Then I got An electrical engineering Internship.

00:09:19: Now Im With A lighting design Company or Lighting Design role within a company So I kinda Was able Get the whole picture and kind of decide from there what exactly I wanted to do within the industry.

00:09:34: And if you were like, If you could talk to your eighteen-year old self What would you tell that person?

00:09:42: i Would Tell her That You're not too cool and you're Not Too Busy To Get Involved With As Much as You Can!

00:09:48: And To Go and Try Things and Join All The Clubs and Just Meet Everybody That You can Me As Many People From As Many Walk Of Life Is Possible Because Thats Where You Learn.

00:10:01: Thank you so much, it was lovely talking to you.

00:10:07: Because I start you too!

00:10:19: Thank

00:10:21: YOU so much!

00:10:23: Bye bye take care!

00:10:27: Bye have a good one!

00:10:30: Check the show notes for details and contacts.

00:10:33: You have been listening to Lichthören, a joint project of The Lighting Society's Germany-Austria in Switzerland.

00:10:40: Thank you for listening!