flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

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

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. 


By Julie Higginbotham, Senior Editor | July 9, 2013
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.

Related Stories

| Apr 5, 2011

Top 10 Buildings: Women in Architecture

Making selections of top buildings this week led to a surprising discovery about the representation of women in architecture, writes Tom Mallory, COO and co-founder, OpenBuildings.com. He discovered that finding female-created architecture, when excluding husband/wife teams, is extremely difficult and often the only work he came across was akin to interior design.

| Apr 5, 2011

What do Chengdu, Lagos, and Chicago have in common?

They’re all “world middleweight cities” that are likely to become regional megacities (10 million people) by 2025—along with Dongguan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Wuhan (China); Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo); Jakarta (Indonesia); Lahore (Pakistan); and Chennai (India), according to a new report from McKinsey Global Institute: “Urban World: Mapping the economic power of cities”.

| Mar 30, 2011

China's low-carbon future city

In 2005, the Chinese government announced its target to reduce energy consumption per GDP unit by 20% by the year 2010. After a multi-billion investment, that target has been reached. The Chinese Climate Protection Program’s goal to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energies, and promote energy savings while reducing pollutant emissions and strengthening environmental protection is reflected in the “Future City” by SBA Design.

| Mar 30, 2011

Is the AEC industry at risk of losing its next generation leaders without better mentoring?

After two or three horrifying years for the AEC industry, we are finally seeing the makings of a turnaround. However, data developed by Kermit Baker as part of the AIA Work-on-the-Boards survey program indicates that between 17% and 22% of design firms are eliminating positions for interns and staff with less than six years of experience. This data suggests the industry is at risk of losing a large segment of its next generation of leaders if something isn't done to improve mentoring across the profession.

| Mar 29, 2011

City's design, transit system can ease gas costs

Some cities in the U.S. are better positioned to deal with rising gas prices than others because of their design and transit systems, according to CEOs for Cities, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to build stronger cities. The key factor: whether residents have to drive everywhere, or have other options.

| Mar 29, 2011

Chicago’s Willis Tower to become a vertical solar farm

Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower) is set to become a massive solar electric plant with the installation of a pilot solar electric glass project.

| Mar 29, 2011

Read up on Amazon.com's new green HQ

Phase IV of Amazon’s new headquarters in Seattle is nearly complete. The company has built 10 of the 11 buildings planned for its new campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood, and is on-track for a 2013 grand opening.

| Mar 29, 2011

Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura wins Pritzker Architecture Prize

Portugese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, whose precisely-honed buildings reflect the influence of the late Chicago modernist Mies van der Rohe, is the 2011 winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the field's highest honor.

| Mar 25, 2011

Qatar World Cup may feature carbon-fiber ‘clouds’

Engineers at Qatar University’s Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering are busy developing what they believe could act as artificial “clouds,” man-made saucer-type structures suspended over a given soccer stadium, working to shield tens of thousands of spectators from suffocating summer temperatures that regularly top 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021