CHICAGO, IL – March 17, 2011 – ESD (Environmental Systems Design, Inc.), an international leader in the design of high performance building systems, announced senior management changes that include Raj Gupta (a member of BD+C's editorial advisory board) becoming the firm’s chief executive officer, replacing Hem Gupta, who remains chairman, and Kurt Karnatz being named president.
Since Hem Gupta founded ESD in 1967, the firm has grown to be one of the largest consulting engineering firms in the U.S. ESD has been responsible for designing systems for many of Chicago’s iconic buildings and for high profile projects around the world, including UBS Tower, Citadel Center, Hyatt Center and 111 S. Wacker Drive in Chicago; Masdar Headquarters and Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi; and several buildings for the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Gupta will continue to play an active role as chairman of the board of directors.
As chief executive officer, Raj Gupta oversees all operations and strategic planning for ESD. He joined the firm in 1984 as a mechanical engineer and became vice president of the mechanical engineering department in 1990. In 1993, he was promoted to executive vice president and in 1998 was elected president. Throughout his career Mr. Gupta has led design teams to integrate creative engineering solutions for a wide variety of project types, including governmental, educational, mixed-use, libraries, office buildings, cultural and medical facilities. He is recognized within the industry for his leadership ability and professional and civic contributions. He is a member of the executive committee and a trustee of the Chicago Architecture Foundation, a trustee of the Adler Planetarium, a member of the board of directors of the Advocate Charitable Foundation, a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and a member of the Young President’s Organization. He is also active as a board member of the Roberts Environmental Center at Claremont McKenna College.
Mr. Gupta is a licensed professional engineer in 33 states and a LEED accredited professional. He earned a masters of science degree in communications from Northwestern University, a bachelors of science in mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelors of arts in management engineering from Claremont McKenna College.
Formerly Executive Vice President, Mr. Karnatz has been a driving force within ESD in the development of sustainable, optimized engineering solutions for high performance buildings. He has gained international recognition as a leader within the engineering industry for his ability to bridge a commitment for sustainable design with real world constraints of real estate development. A licensed professional engineer in 21 states, Mr. Karnatz is a registered energy professional in Illinois, a certified energy manager and a LEED accredited professional. He holds a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
ESD is a global consulting-engineering firm that focuses on the delivery of high-performance buildings. They deliver value by making healthy and productive environments and by making facilities more cost effective, flexible, reliable, and sustainable. Utilizing an integrative design process, their engineering and design professionals (200+) apply innovative technologies such as energy modeling and BIM (Building Information Modeling) to address owners’ needs. Founded in 1967, the firm is a valued partner for many public and private clients seeking to enrich collaboration through diversity. ESD’s services include: Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection Engineering; LEED Certification Consulting; Sustainable Design / Energy Modeling; Commissioning; Technology Systems; and BIM. For more information, please visit: www.esdglobal.com.
Related Stories
| Feb 11, 2011
Two projects seek to reinvigorate Los Angeles County medical center
HMC Architects designed two new buildings for the Los Angeles County Martin Luther King, Jr., Medical Center as part of a $360 million plan to reinvigorate the campus. The buildings include a 120-bed hospital, which involves renovation of an existing tower and several support buildings, and the construction of a new multi-service ambulatory care center. The new facilities will have large expanses of glass at all waiting and public areas for unobstructed views of downtown Los Angeles. A curved glass entrance canopy will unite the two buildings. When both projects are completed—the hospital in 2012 and the ambulatory care center in 2013—the campus will have added more than 460,000 sf of space. The hospital will seek LEED certification, while the ambulatory care center is targeting LEED Silver.
| Feb 11, 2011
Sustainable community center to serve Angelinos in need
Harbor Interfaith Services, a nonprofit serving the homeless and working poor in the Harbor Area and South Bay communities of Los Angeles, engaged Withee Malcolm Architects to design a new 15,000-sf family resource center. The architects, who are working pro bono for the initial phase, created a family-centered design that consolidates all programs into a single building. The new three-story space will house a resource center, food pantry, nursery and pre-school, and administrative offices, plus indoor and outdoor play spaces and underground parking. The building’s scale and setbacks will help it blend with its residential neighbors, while its low-flow fixtures, low-VOC and recycled materials, and energy-efficient mechanical equipment and appliances will help it earn LEED certification.
| Feb 11, 2011
Texas megachurch inspired by yesteryear’s materials, today’s design vocabulary
The third phase of The First Baptist Church of Pasadena, Texas, involves construction of a new 115,000-sf worship center addition. Currently in design by Zeigler Cooper, the project will include a 2,500-seat worship center (with circular layout and space for a 50-person orchestra and 200-person choir), a 500-seat chapel (for weddings, funerals, and special events), and a prayer room. The addition will connect to the existing church and create a Christian Commons for education, administration, music, and fellowship. The church asked for a modern design that uses traditional materials, such as stone, brick, and stained glass. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
| Feb 11, 2011
Apartment complex caters to University of Minnesota students
Twin Cities firm Elness Swenson Graham Architects designed the new Stadium Village Flats, in the University of Minnesota’s East Bank Campus, with students in mind. The $30 million, six-story residential/retail complex will include 120 furnished apartments with fitness rooms and lounges on each floor. More than 5,000 sf of first-floor retail space and two levels of below-ground parking will complete the complex. Opus AE Group Inc., based in Minneapolis, will provide structural engineering services.
| Feb 11, 2011
Four-story library at Salem State will hold half a million—get this—books!
Salem State University in Massachusetts broke ground on a new library and learning center in December. The new four-story library will include instructional labs, group study rooms, and a testing center. The modern, 124,000-sf design by Boston-based Shepley Bulfinch includes space for 500,000 books and study space for up to a thousand students. Sustainable features include geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater harvesting, and low-flow plumbing fixtures.
| Feb 11, 2011
Green design, white snow at Egyptian desert retail complex
The Mall of Egypt will be a 135,000-sm retail and entertainment complex in Cairo’s modern 6th of October district. The two-story center is divided into three themed zones—The City, which is arranged as a series of streets lined with retail and public spaces; The Desert Valley, which contains upscale department stores, international retailers, and a central courtyard for music and other cultural events; and The Crystal, which will include leisure and entertainment venues, including a cinema and indoor snow park. RTKL is designing the massive complex to LEED Silver standards.
| Feb 10, 2011
Medical Data Center Sets High Bar for BIM Design Team
The construction of a new data center becomes a test case for BIM’s ability to enhance project delivery across an entire medical campus.
| Feb 10, 2011
Zero Energy Buildings: When Do They Pay Off in a Hot and Humid Climate?
There’s lots of talk about zero energy as the next big milestone in green building. Realistically, how close are we to this ambitious goal? At this point, the strategies required to get to zero energy are relatively expensive. Only a few buildings, most of them 6,000 sf or less, mostly located in California and similar moderate climates, have hit the mark. What about larger buildings, commercial buildings, more problematic climates? Given the constraints of current technology and the comfort demands of building users, is zero energy a worthwhile investment for buildings in, for example, a warm, humid climate?
| Feb 9, 2011
Hospital Construction in the Age of Obamacare
The recession has hurt even the usually vibrant healthcare segment. Nearly three out of four hospital systems have put the brakes on capital projects. We asked five capital expenditure insiders for their advice on how Building Teams can still succeed in this highly competitive sector.
| Feb 9, 2011
Businesses make bigger, bolder sustainability commitments
In 2010, U.S. corporations continued to enhance their sustainable business efforts by making bigger, bolder, longer-term sustainability commitments. GreenBiz issued its 4th annual State of Green Business report, a free downloadable report that measures the progress of U.S. business and the economy from an environmental perspective, and highlights key trends in corporate culture in regard to the environment.
