Senior Lighting
Name: Kiruthika Iyer
Career stage: Early career - less than 5 years' experience
Working: Office
High School Subjects: Computer Science, Maths, English, Chemistry and Physics
Favourite: English, I loved reading and writing and the language provided opportunities and challenges to explore the literary world
Further study: University
where and what: I did my Bachelors in Architecture in India and my Masters in Lighting Design in Sydney
"I loved interior design and IKEA was my fascination in high school. That was my ‘ah ha’ moment, that this is what I wanted to do as a profession."
the inside scoop…
What does a Senior Lighting Designer actually do? We design lighting for each space. We work with interior designers and architects who design spaces with specific colours and themes. We coordinate with them and provide a lighting design that will enhance the space better. Without good lighting any space will look bad. For example instead of adding downlights in a space to light the room, you can add multiple lights like floor lamps, pendants, lighting under shelves to give flexibility. So you can switch between different lights and set the mood of the space. We do this for indoors, outdoors, landscaping, car parks, stadiums, clubs, restaurants, etc.
What does a day in your life at work look like? Mostly it is an office desk job, as you create designs using softwares once you have been given a brief from the architect. We do meet the architect and client to understand how they look at the space and we provide feedback as to how lighting can add value to the design. We then document the lighting design, coordinate with the architects/interior designers and other consultants to make sure everyone is on the same page, and the builder has all the latest documentation to build on site. We specify the light fittings to match with the interior themes. Once the lighting is installed on site, we inspect the lighting on site and change the brightness or group different light fittings to turn on/off at the same time. This helps the client to switch on groups of fittings together depending on the time of the day and for special events, eg., day setting, night setting, public holiday setting etc.
What's the best part of your job? To see the lighting design being installed on site as visualised in our documents. Special part of lighting is, during the night, buildings have to have lighting turned on, and your design will illuminate the spaces every night. Basically I show off to people as we pass by my projects!
What made you realise construction could be for you? I loved interior design and IKEA was my fascination in high school. That was my ‘ah ha’ moment, that this is what I wanted to do as a profession. In India, interior design was still a small industry. So I ended up studying Architecture which covered all sectors of Construction which gives you the fundamentals. I worked for 3/4 years after doing my Bachelors (undergrad) and I found lighting to be very interesting and under designed on a lot of projects. So I wanted to pursue that as my Masters to specialise. It still comes under the interior design sector, as we work with interior designers and architects to set the mood boards for different spaces as they select the themes. My favourite subject is lighting and colour and each colour and texture projects differently under different lighting effects.
What would you tell your high school self about working in construction? That I should be proud of myself to pursue a career in construction and not follow the herd doing engineering or IT. I was very stubborn to follow this career when everyone said it is hard for a women to enter this field as it didn’t pay much when I started and my friends were already earning well. But you grow, the experience teaches you a lot, you build networks and work in interesting projects and people recognise you for your hard work, overlooking the fact that you are women in this male dominated industry. Merit speaks a lot in this industry and your work speaks as well.
Do you have any advice for young women picking a career? Be adamant, in a good way and believe in yourself. There will be a lot of noises, advising you on your career options. But you know what inspires you and what you are passionate about. It never fails to reward you. I was laughed at, in high school when I told my friends I wanted to study Architecture/Interior design while my friends were planning to pursue mainstream professions like IT, engineering etc. the secondary professions do take time to earn you money but it is worth the experience and time you put into it.
Tell us about a favourite project you're working on. I am working on a car showroom in the States, where we used lighting to animate the facade in a such a way that , when you look from the road, the lights pulse in groups together to show moving effects, like patterns or a car moving including million colour effects.
Kiruthika is open to engaging further via: Taking a student for work experience, Speaking at a high school, Mentoring a student
If you'd like to enquire further, please email hello@tomorrowswomeninconstruction.com.au with the subject: "Kiruthika Iyer engagement enquiry" and we'll pass your message on.