Member of the Month

December 2021

Domingo González
LC, IALD, MIES
Founding Principal
Domingo González Associates

Q: How did you first get started in the lighting industry?
Lighting design was an accidental career for me. I took a summer drafting job at a lighting design studio called Evans and Hillmann (a venerable firm whose practice dated back to the 1950s) between my fourth and fifth years of Architecture School at the City College of New York, and never left. Over the course of seven years, I was fortunate to learn the lighting “ropes” from Carl Hillmann, Seymour Evans, and Don Leithauser, Sr. It’s hard not to look back nostalgically on those days of blueprints and Zipatone, but I appreciate how the profession has grown, and the evolving challenges that keep us sharp year after year.

Q: How did you first get involved in the IESNYC?
I joined the IESNYC in 1983, I think. This was an important step to being taken seriously as a lighting professional, and in 1985, DGA was founded.

Q: How do you see your role as a member of the IESNYC?
The IES is an amazing organization with a rich legacy. The Society and the NYC Section, which were both established in 1906, have been a consistent forum for critical lighting discourse, as well as the universal benchmark of accumulated lighting knowledge. Joining the IES and participating in IESNYC activities is a prerequisite for members of our firm.

Q: In your opinion, what are the best assets of the IESNYC?
New York City is arguably one of the world’s great lighting design capitals with more talent per square foot than almost anywhere else in the world. Over the years, the IESNYC has played a critical role in the in the evolution and advancement of NYC’s lighting design community via its design awards and exceptional educational initiatives. The Lumen Awards program is a marvelous way to celebrate design excellence, and our office has been fortunate to have earned a few. This year’s OHNY @ Night with the IESNYC offered DGA a wonderful way of showcasing our efforts at the Moynihan Train Hall to the public, which received a 2021 IESNYC Lumen Award of Merit.