Noelani Brannon

Senior Associate

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11 years in the industry

What initially inspired you to pursue a career in construction, and who or what influenced you most along the way?

I’ve always been a creative person, interested in mediums like animation, but as a teenager, I became interested in the built environment and the ability to creatively transform a space through design. When I got to college, I wasn’t thinking about interior design as a career until I got a job with the campus housing department to design packages for freshmen, which sparked my interest in pursuing design long term.

Can you share a project you’re especially proud of and explain what made it meaningful—either professionally or personally?

Working on a speakeasy has always been on my bucket list, and recently I’ve been able to cross that off. We’re working on an 80s-influenced speakeasy project, and it’s been a fun challenge to play around with different materials and color palettes we don’t get to use very often.

How do you see diversity and inclusion influencing better design outcomes in architecture today?

The more people with varying backgrounds you have involved in a project, the more possibilities you open up. Diversity allows for ideas to be challenged and opens new pathways of thinking to be discovered, which in turn creates a stronger overall design. If you’re in an environment where everyone thinks the same, you’ll develop a design that falls flat; real innovation comes from varying perspectives challenging one another to find the best path forward together.

How do you balance creativity with the technical, regulatory, and business demands of architecture?

I always try to always keep both form and function in mind when I’m navigating design challenges. For me, that means constantly striving to push practical design solutions through a more creative lens to develop unique environments.

What changes have you seen for women in construction over the course of your career, and where do you think progress is still needed?

I think our industry overall still has strides to make when it comes to pay inequities, making sure every design professional is being compensated fairly for the work that goes into projects.

What has been the most fulfilling moment of your career so far, and how did it shape your professional journey?

I feel incredibly fulfilled with where my career is at the moment; I still get the opportunity to tackle creative projects and lead design, but I also have the chance to explore mentorship with our more junior team members. It’s been great to be able to pour into others, using my past experiences to help them learn and grow. There’s a lot of burnout that can happen in this line of work, so being able to help others manage that stress and succeed in their careers has been a great part of my professional journey.

What advice would you give to young women or girls who are considering a career in the broader AEC industry?

Seek out opportunities to explore design through shadowing or interning. It is such an important element in deciding if the career is a right fit. That hands-on experience is an invaluable part of entering the industry on the right foot.

Additionally, I don’t believe there is enough focus on strengthening public speaking skills in school for designers. Being able to clearly articulate design ideas and solutions to both internal teams and external partners is critical in this field. I would strongly suggest seeking out a public speaking course in order to exercise that muscle and strengthen it for future opportunities.

Finally, I would encourage professionals entering the field to try to think more about the big picture and stress less day to day. There’s a lot of burnout in design, so the more you can mitigate that and focus on the path forward, the better.