Raj Gupta delivered the keynote speech to Washington University alumni during the Chicago Professionals Network Reception at the W Chicago – City Center recently, touching upon both the importance of its education to his career and how the school prepared him for the many changes in engineering throughout the years.
The 1984 engineering graduate of the St. Louis university talked about how three ever-changing factors influence the design of high-performance buildings: environment, technology and regulations. He covered how the changes relate to ESD’s mission of Improving Society Through the Built Environment and how all engineers possess knowledge and skills to make a meaningful contribution to society. He illustrated his points with examples of ESD’s work, including CBRE office floors in Chicago, where ESD achieved an 85 percent reduction in paperwork as well as a savings in rent, and the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, which earned LEED Platinum certification.