Where are they now? 40 Under 40 alumni make their mark in D.C.

Every month we’ll be touching base with past 40 Under 40 honorees to see what’s been happening in their professional and personal lives since winning the award. This month, we feature two outstanding professionals: HKS's Shannon Kraus and Roger Chang from Westlake Reed Leskosky.

ROGER CHANG
PE, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, ASHRAE BEMP

Principal, Director of Mechanical Engineering and Sustainability

Westlake Reed Leskosky,

Washington, D.C.

Class of 2011

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Sustainable engineering for cultural, historic preservation, higher ed, and healthcare clients. Recently led mechanical design for the modernization of the Smithsonian Institution’s Renwick Gallery.

Lead developer for recool.com, a new WRL-sponsored Internet platform for the discussion of high-performance building systems to address climate change. “While we see a plethora of resources available for consumers to evaluate products, such as Consumer Reports, Yelp, Angie’s List, or Amazon.com reviews, there wasn’t a good resource to find information on systems tied to specific projects. We are now looking to integrate the thinking behind recool with other commercial building transparency platforms over the next year.”

EXTRACURRICULAR

Helped get the International Green Construction Code adopted in D.C.

Developed a one-day summit on sustainability standards for museums as part of the American Alliance of Museums’ 2013 Annual Meeting.

Adjunct professor at Catholic University of America; collaborated on development of new Facilities Management program.

OFF THE CLOCK

An accomplished cellist, Chang still plays, “although not as much as I used to.” A two-year-old son keeps him busy. Favorite hobbies: weekend gardening and biking around D.C. with his family.

SHANNON KRAUS
FAIA, ACHA, MBA

Principal, Managing Director D.C.

HKS, Washington, D.C.

Class of 2009

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

A specialist in healthcare design, Kraus has been promoted to Senior VP and Principal of the firm since his U40 recognition.

Promoted to Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Director, then to Managing Director of the D.C. office.

Named a Fellow of the AIA this year at age 40; currently the Institute’s youngest fellow.

EXTRACURRICULAR

Authored and published a chapter for the AIA’s “Handbook to Professional Practice.”

Elected to the National Architectural Accrediting Board of Directors.

Faculty member, American Hospital Association.

OFF THE CLOCK

Ran three marathons in the past two years, including Boston 2013. Had run 25.86 miles and was fighting a calf cramp, which had slowed his pace, when the bombs exploded. “I think I am not alone in believing most runners would re-race Boston tomorrow if we could, simply to send a message that America won’t be stopped or intimidated. That we are strong as a group, that we rally round each other. Completing the race has more value than it ever did before, for unity and determination. I now run for those who can’t.”

ALSO CATCH UP WITH: NATALIE PETZOLDT, Principal and Central Region Health Leader, Cannon Design, and LARRY LONGMAN, Senior Vice President, Preconstruction, Lauth Property Group. READ

DON’T MISS THIS YEAR’S U40 LEADERSHIP SUMMIT

Join our 40 Under 40 alumni and other outstanding young AEC professionals nominated by their firms at the 3rd Annual Under 40 Leadership Summit (Hyatt Regency San Francisco, October 9-11). For information about this inspiring, AIA-accredited opportunity for learning and networking, visit: http://www.bdcnetwork.com/Under40Summit/index.html.

Rider Levett Bucknall’s (RLB’s) latest Crane Index and Quarterly Cost Report shows continued decreasing cost inflation and crane counts increasing or holding steady in 10 of the 14 major markets it surveyed. The national average increase in construction costs was 1.07%, the lowest it’s been in the last three years.

AEC Tech | Oct 16, 2024

How AI can augment the design visualization process

Blog author Tim Beecken, AIA, uses the design of an airport as a case-study for AI’s potential in design visualizations.

A hammock grove is one of many wellness amenities within the Student Recreation & Wellness Center at Michigan State University, whose costs are being partly defrayed by a dedicated $340 per year student fee.

University Buildings | Oct 15, 2024

Recreation and wellness are bedfellows in new campus student centers

Student demands for amenities and services that address their emotional and mental wellbeing are impacting new development on college campuses that has led to recreation centers with wellness portfolios.

Higher Education | Oct 14, 2024

Higher education design for the first-gen college student

In this Design Collaborative blog, Yogen Solanki, Assoc. AIA, shares how architecture and design can help higher education institutions address some of the challenges faced by first-generation students.

Performing Arts Centers | Oct 10, 2024

Studio Gang's performing arts center for Hudson Valley Shakespeare breaks ground

A new permanent home for Hudson Valley Shakespeare, a professional non-profit theater company, recently broke ground in Garrison, N.Y. The Samuel H. Scripps Theater Center includes a 14,850 sf performance venue that will serve as a permanent home for the theater company known for its sweeping open-air productions of classics and new works.

Sustainable Design and Construction | Oct 10, 2024

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.

El Cosmico campground hotel, Marfa, Texas. Rendering courtesy ICON and Bjarke Ingels Group

3D Printing | Oct 9, 2024

3D-printed construction milestones take shape in Tennessee and Texas

Two notable 3D-printed projects mark milestones in the new construction technique of “printing” structures with specialized concrete. In Athens, Tennessee, Walmart hired Alquist 3D to build a 20-foot-high store expansion, one of the largest freestanding 3D-printed commercial concrete structures in the U.S. In Marfa, Texas, the world’s first 3D-printed hotel is under construction at an existing hotel and campground site.

University Buildings | Oct 9, 2024

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences opens a new 88-acre campus

Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences has opened a new campus spanning 88 acres, over three times larger than its previous location. Designed by RDG Planning & Design and built by Turner Construction, the $260 million campus features technology-rich, flexible educational spaces that promote innovative teaching methods, expand research activity, and enhance clinical services. The campus includes four buildings connected with elevated pathways and totaling 382,000 sf.

Student Housing | Oct 9, 2024

University of Maryland begins work on $148 million graduate student housing development

The University of Maryland, in partnership with Campus Apartments and Mosaic Development Partners, has broken ground on a $148.75 million graduate student housing project on the university’s flagship College Park campus. The project will add 741 beds in 465 fully furnished apartments.

Healthcare Facilities | Oct 9, 2024

How healthcare operations inform design

Amanda Fisher, Communications Specialist, shares how BWBR's personalized approach and specialized experience can make a meaningful impact to healthcare facilities.

Currently Reading

Where are they now? 40 Under 40 alumni make their mark in D.C.

ROGER CHANG PE, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, ASHRAE BEMP

SHANNON KRAUS FAIA, ACHA, MBA

Tags

Construction Costs | Oct 16, 2024