Reed Burkett Lighting Design

Usona Institute – IES Award of Merit We love working on spaces that help people heal and truly appreciate it when these projects are recognized! Usona Institute’s 100,000-square-foot headquarters uses light as a therapeutic tool to support mental health treatment with psilocybin. Designed for clients with anxiety, depression, or PTSD, the lighting enhances introspection, comfort, and healing. From home-like hospitality in the atrium to immersive light shows in therapy pods and group spaces, the design blends natural and electric light to create a transformative, adaptable environment centered on emotional well-being. Architect: RAMLOW/STEIN Architecture + Interiors Photographer: Tricia Shay Explore all of our 2025 IES Award of Merit projects: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/evThT7vV

Jahn’s Pritzker Military Museum & Library has been named one of six finalists for the American Beauty Prize, awarded by the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust. This prestigious award celebrates architecture that “raises the spirits,” highlighting projects noted for their elegance, timeless beauty, and cultural significance within their context. In addition, the project is shortlisted in the Culture category, and our team will present it to both international panel of judges at the World Architecture Festival in Miami, taking place November 12–14.

It is a beauty! (At least, we think so, but maybe we are biased.) Congratulations Jahn/

RBLD Spotlighting the Team Series: Emily Schell’s Bold Leap into Design   Meet our BIM Manager, Emily Schell, a small-town Jerseyville, Illinois native with a global perspective. After earning her degree in English and Gender Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Emily took a leap of faith and moved to South Korea to teach English. What began as a temporary adventure turned into a transformative four-year experience that sparked her love for travel, independence, and cultural exploration. Her path back to the U.S. led her through nonprofit work, until a shadow day at Ranken Technical College introduced her to the engineering trades. That moment lit a spark. She enrolled in an electrical design program and soon landed a role at an engineering firm, where she took the Fundamentals of Lighting course and met Lisa J. Reed—a lighting professional who would become a mentor and inspiration. Since joining RBLD in October 2024, Emily has been diving headfirst into lighting design, channeling her curiosity and creativity into a field that excites her on every level. She’s fascinated by the intersection of science and art—particularly circadian lighting, decorative fixtures, and the transformative power of exterior lighting—how a well-lit sculpture or building can become a beacon against the night sky. Her favorite part of the process is working in Revit, where she thrives on solving complex design challenges and bringing creative concepts to life through digital modeling. Emily is also an active participant in IES and WILD events, where she continues to grow her skills and advocate for gender equity in the industry. Outside of work, Emily is a watercolor painter, cat caretaker, and karaoke enthusiast. She’s a proud traveler—Thailand holds a special place in her heart—and a passionate advocate for helping others, which shines through in her role as BIM Manager at RBLD. Her journey to lighting wasn’t linear, but every twist and turn brought her closer to a field where art, science, and purpose converge—and where she’s now making her mark. Spotlighting the Team written by Jaslyn #LightingDesigners #SpotlightingTheTeam #BIM #BIMManager

Great lighting doesn’t just illuminate, it elevates how people work, gather, and experience space. We’re proud to receive an IES Award of Merit for Interior Lighting Design at 215 N Peoria, the Chicago headquarters of a forward-thinking financial services firm. Lighting is seamlessly integrated into a refined palette of materials—drywall, marble, acoustic baffles—balancing comfort, visual clarity, and design integrity, while exceeding energy code by 21%. Architect: Lamar Johnson Collaborative Photographer: Steve Hall, Hall + Merrick + McCaugherty Photographers Explore all of our 2025 IES Award of Merit projects: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/evThT7vV

RBLD - Spotlighting the team series: This is Gloria Paz Arroyo. Raised in the great city of Chicago, Gloria knows how to handle the ever-shifting winds of working in the AEC industry. After graduating, she began working at a small architecture firm, specializing in residential design. From there, she focused on electrical systems design, eventually ending up at dbHMS, a large engineering firm with a dedicated lighting design team. This is where she cut her teeth, learning the ins and outs of illumination under their experienced lighting design team. This is also where she developed her sense of what lighting is – atmospheric, emotional, a feeling, a mood. She loves how lighting can transform and elevate a space. Since “seeing the light”, she has been with Aurora Lighting Design, now an RBLD studio, since 2018. A typical Aries, Gloria brings a sense of self-motivation and a high standard of quality to her designs. You can see evidence of that in her award-winning work, including The Ark, a Jewish community center in Chicago. Ever the team player, Gloria is proud of her growth as a designer and credits all the visionaries she has learned from along the way. At RBLD, she has been able to work on projects in a variety of market sectors, but her favorite designs have been in hospitality. According to Gloria, these are the spaces where you can be the most creative and do work you are proud of. Her dream project is one where budget is not an issue and she can really let her artistic mind go free. She is also interested in working on more retail spaces – maybe one of our wonderful followers can make this a reality! Spotlighting the team: written by Emily #LightingDesigners #SpotlightingTheTeam

We don’t design lighting to win awards. We design lighting for people. We design lighting to create experience, to heighten the emotion of a moment, to contribute energy to a gathering, or for the quiet pause that becomes a core memory. But when the work is recognized? That’s pretty special, too. Congrats to the RBLD team on receiving not one, but two IES Awards of Merit for the Cradle of Aviation Museum. Designed in collaboration with Richard Fisher of ERCO   See all of this year's IES Awards of Merit here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/evThT7vV #LightingDesign #IESAwardOfMerit

RBLD - Spotlighting the team series: Meet Dominick Ehling Dom has been with RBLD since 2018. He brings a truly unique perspective to our projects, starting with his educational background. A California native, he came to Washington University in St. Louis to study Architecture and graduated with a Drama degree and an Architecture minor. I can’t think of a better career for merging those two interests than Lighting Design! At RBLD, he has managed the design for a vast number of commercial projects and a wide variety - from churches to casinos. But most recently, he has found a niche that allows his best strengths to shine: Construction Administration. As our dedicated CA person, Dominick now oversees quality assurance and the construction phase of projects for RBLD, which has taken the quality of our work to new heights, smoothing out the process and minimizing field coordination problems. His work doesn’t start and end there, though! He also applies his strong technical skills to our office technology, creating strategies for implementation of tech-based process improvements from the back office to the design operations. Dominick epitomizes our company value of efficacy! We are so pleased to welcome him back from his recent parental leave. Have you missed him? We certainly have! But we recognize the importance of bonding time for fathers with new babies. Welcome back, Dominick! Congratulations on your adorable new adventure, and thank you for all you do for RBLD! Spotlighting the team: written by Lisa #LightingDesigners #SpotlightingTheTeam

🎂Time to celebrate our June birthdays!🍨 Hoping Lisa J. Reed had a fabulous one yesterday! 🎉 #LighitngDesigners #BirthdayCelebrations

Curious about what drives our Principal and CEO Lisa J. Reed? Discover her insights and inspirations in this fabulous profile by Shirley A Coyle, featured in the June issue of designing lighting magazine! https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gicDKWzF