04/01/2026
Architect, designer and Alcon Lighting Insights and Language of Lighting contributor Murrye Bernard sat down with , principal of Cline Bettridge Bernstein Lighting Design and one of the early female pioneers to shape the profession, for a conversation about the craft and evolution of lighting design. The interview transcript and story are now available on Alcon Lighting’s Insights. The full video podcast will be released on April 21.
The conversation tracks the craft of lighting design through real project pressure. Bettridge recalls working under California’s Title 24 as LEDs entered the market, a shift that required new approaches to optics, output and compliance. That period led to custom solutions that helped define the balcony fronts at Segerstrom Concert Hall. She also breaks down a core tension in exterior work: skyline visibility versus the pedestrian experience.
The interview covers collaboration in practical terms. Listening, trust and timing determine outcomes as much as photometry. Bettridge explains how LEDs, advanced controls and digital modeling tools have changed workflow and raised expectations for documentation and performance. She also draws a line between a thoughtfully engineered luminaire and a commodity product.
Looking ahead to the 2030s, Bettridge points to cohesive fixture families, higher efficiency, tunable white, tighter color consistency and stronger sustainability goals, including cradle-to-cradle thinking.
WomenInLighting
