March 5, 2019

Meet Trailblazer Claudia Kappl Joy

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Kappl Joy.

Claudia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am Austrian with a Master’s degree in Architecture (University of Technology, Graz/Austria) and Architectural Lighting Design (Light & Health from KTH/Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm/Sweden).

My interest in atmosphere and space-making lead me to seek out an additional education in architectural lighting design; to learn more about this crucial and ephemeral medium that animates, transforms and changes space, that manages to move us physically and emotionally.

After gaining another degree, I started working in the field of lighting design to not just scratch the surface of academia and theory but to understand practicing in the field and I have not left it since and for the last 15+ years.

When I followed my heart to live in the desert and chose Tucson as my home and work-base, I continued working in both fields. 5.5 years ago, I co-founded the five people lighting design studio and consultancy firm – CLL Concept Lighting Lab, LLC.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I see myself very fortunate to have had relations and a broader network in place before starting my business and starting small and building consistently, probably helped.

Having your own business has its amazing sides and its challenges.

I feel very fortunate to have met and attracted amazing talent, to join me and our efforts at CLL, both for short term and long term and in striving to establish a great working culture of collaboration, working focused and hard for good outcome and service.

Challenges, yes. Project fluctuation often dependent on market and time can be unpredictable.

People management and expectation management can be really tough, especially for a small firm, where every member of the team counts and has an impact – in the good and not so good.

Advise: never be too proud or shy to ask for advise or help. Be open about questions, concerns, and issues. Foster a transparent culture so that everyone feels comfortable to speak up and out. Share goals, success, and failure. Failure is part of the process and is the one clear denominator to define progress.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about CLL. Concept Lighting Lab – what should we know?
CLL is a design studio with a focus on atmosphere and space-making. We enter the conversation with lighting first, but it rarely stops there. We are specialized in architectural lighting design and provide full service from concept and vision design thru detailed specification all the way to implementation, with aiming and adjusting. We are working as a member of a team and as a collaborator or sometimes work directly with the client. Projects range from retrofit to new construction, from large to small scale, from high-end to tight budget, from indoor to outdoor to specialty lighting or customization.

CLL is known for our holistic approach to lighting design and space making – with considering daylighting first, in balance with electrical lighting, to meet a designers vision and the end-users need. We provide high-quality lighting solutions and service, usually generated thru critical thinking and a deeply collaborative process.

What sets us apart from others? This questions might be better asked to one of our repeat design collaborators, but we were told before that CLL has a unique approach thru – the holistic all-encompassing thinking and response as well as the uncompromising suggestions for unique rather than layered and redundant lighting.

When our work bridges into Interior Design, we seek to follow the same process – trying to think holistically, interested in reduced and refined solutions of high quality that together make for a soothing and calming environment and atmosphere that moves us/comforts us emotionally while being sustainable.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
Find out what you want and learn how to ask for it.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
It is, what YOU make of it.

Contact Info:

Address: CLL. Concept Lighting Lab, LLC
484 South Convent Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85701
Website: www.cll-conceptlightinglab.com
Phone: +1.5206209201
Email: studio@cll-conceptlightinglab.com
Instagram: studio_cll

Image Credits:
RJA – Rick Joy Architects 20 Year Anniversary Celebration. Photo : Bach Tran / Gustavo Ramirez
Dining by Design , RJA/SRJ and CLL with 5 Points Catering . Photo : Trevor Cordivari
484 . Studio CLL . Concept Lighting Lab . Photo : Alexander Basler
KUAT . Studio A Remodel . Photo : Gustavo Ramirez
NY-Loft . RJA Remodel, Photo : Joe Fletcher
NY-Loft . RJA Remodel, Photo : Joe Fletcher

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