Employee Spotlight: Matt Minard, LC, IES
Matt Minard, Senior Lighting Design Professional, joined KLH Engineers in 2018 and oversees the lighting design studio. As an expert in the art and science of lighting design with over 15 years of experience, Minard’s diverse portfolio includes educational, workplace, industrial, civic, religious and retail projects. He is Lighting Certified (LC) by the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions (NCQLP) and holds Associate Level status with the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD).
What do you enjoy most about lighting design?
I like the challenges that come with every new project and look forward to diving deep into the design process. I also enjoy providing customer service and collaborating with clients as we discuss lighting strategies to enhance the project. It’s very rewarding to see the final product after it’s built and how lighting impacts the user’s experience.
What attracted you to KLH’s lighting design studio?
It is a tremendous opportunity. First, it’s a gift to work with all the great minds at KLH and their pursuit for innovation is infectious. Second, the creative freedom at KLH gives me the chance to serve our clients by delivering projects that make a positive difference in the built environment. Overall, I’m excited for the future of our lighting design studio and all the endeavors ahead of us.
What are the lighting design services that KLH provides?
We are a full-service lighting studio within a traditional MEP firm. We provide all the standard design services like photometric reports and construction documents, but what sets us apart is our in-house technology and creative process that enables us to work through concepts and mock-ups quickly to make sure we keep the client’s vision for the project intact. We provide lighting solutions that are efficient and affordable, but also creative and artistic when it matters most.
Are you currently working on any exciting or challenging projects?
The Dublin Riverside Crossing Park in Columbus is a gift to a lighting designer. The landscape architect understands how critical the visitor experience is at night, so the lighting strategy for this project has been thought through carefully. There are several great features to this park that with the proper lighting design, these features will come to life at night.
We are also developing custom light fixtures and light art installations for some of our key retail clients. There are certain projects that require customization and we take pride in being able to provide that design service.
What are some new trends that you are seeing in lighting design?
Now, there is a lot of noise of what the manufacturers and the industry is telling the design community of what is trendy. Topics like tunable white light and human centric lighting strategies are interesting, but what I think is being overlooked is the quality of the design strategy. There is this overall feeling that LED technology out of the box is perfect and you can “set it and forget it.” We as designers must have a better understanding of how light will react in a space and to ensure that it is the right product for the project.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
When I’m not raising two girls, I’m usually on the Loveland Bike Trail or listening to or playing music. If I had more spare time, I’d love to travel more and see new things. I’ve learned throughout my career that traveling sparks my creativity.