Hem Gupta, founder of Environmental Systems Design (also known as ESD), died on February 10 at the age of 85.
The family did not disclose the cause of death.
A native of India, Gupta received his Masters degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois. In 1954, he began his professional career at Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Gupta also worked for Epstein, and was Perkins + Will’s chief engineer when he launched his own firm, ESD, in 1967.
ESD grew into one of Chicago’s largest MEP consulting and engineering firms. The projects it has worked on in that city include the UBS Tower, Citadel Center, and Hyatt Center on Wacker Drive. ESD’s international work includes several buildings for the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Gupta is survived by his wife Asha (nee Simpson), four children (Reeta Gupta Brendamore, David, Mark, and Raj, who took over for his father as CEO of ESD in March 2011); 12 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
“My father served as a big brother, father, or grandfather figure for members of our ESD family,” recalls Raj Gupta in a prepared statement.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Feb 20, 2024
AISC, AIA release second part of design assist guidelines for the structural steel industry
The American Institute of Steel Construction and AIA Contract Documents have released the second part of a document intended to provide guidance for three common collaboration strategies.
Student Housing | Feb 19, 2024
UC Law San Francisco’s newest building provides student housing at below-market rental rates
Located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods, UC Law SF’s newest building helps address the city’s housing crisis by providing student housing at below-market rental rates. The $282 million, 365,000-sf facility at 198 McAllister Street enables students to live on campus while also helping to regenerate the neighborhood.
MFPRO+ News | Feb 15, 2024
UL Solutions launches indoor environmental quality verification designation for building construction projects
UL Solutions recently launched UL Verified Healthy Building Mark for New Construction, an indoor environmental quality verification designation for building construction projects.
MFPRO+ News | Feb 15, 2024
Nine states pledge to transition to heat pumps for residential HVAC and water heating
Nine states have signed a joint agreement to accelerate the transition to residential building electrification by significantly expanding heat pump sales to meet heating, cooling, and water heating demand. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by directors of environmental agencies from California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
MFPRO+ News | Feb 15, 2024
Oregon, California, Maine among states enacting policies to spur construction of missing middle housing
Although the number of new apartment building units recently reached the highest point in nearly 50 years, construction of duplexes, triplexes, and other buildings of from two to nine units made up just 1% of new housing units built in 2022. A few states have recently enacted new laws to spur more construction of these missing middle housing options.
Hospital Design Trends | Feb 14, 2024
Plans for a massive research hospital in Dallas anticipates need for child healthcare
Children’s Health and the UT Southwestern Medical Center have unveiled their plans for a new $5 billion pediatric health campus and research hospital on more than 33 acres within Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District.
Airports | Feb 13, 2024
New airport terminal by KPF aims to slash curb-to-gate walking time for passengers
The new Terminal A at Zayed International Airport in the United Arab Emirates features an efficient X-shape design with an average curb-to-gate walking time of just 12 minutes. The airport terminal was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), with Arup and Naco as engineering leads.
Codes | Feb 9, 2024
Illinois releases stretch energy code for building construction
Illinois is the latest jurisdiction to release a stretch energy code that provides standards for communities to mandate more efficient building construction. St. Louis, Mo., and a few states, including California, Colorado, and Massachusetts, currently have stretch codes in place.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 25 Telecommunications Building Engineering Firms for 2023
Alfa Tech Consulting Engineers, Kimley-Horn, Ramboll, and AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest telecommunications building engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Feb 8, 2024
Top 40 Performing Arts Center and Concert Venue Engineering Firms for 2023
KPFF Consulting Engineers, Morrison Hershfield, ME Engineers, Thornton Tomasetti, and Arup top BD+C's ranking of the nation's largest performing arts center and concert venue engineering and engineering/architecture (EA) firms for 2023, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
