Mehdi Jalayerian

Environmental Systems Design, Inc., Senior Managing Director | Chicago, United States

Overview
CTBUH Initiatives
Videos
Research

About

Mr. Mehdi Jalayerian is Managing Director & Chief of Innovation for ESD and also Leads firms practice for Global Projects and High Rise / Tall Buildings. Mehdi Jalayerian’s expertise includes major high-rise and supertall buildings, convention/hotel facilities, assembly venues, educational/government projects and central cooling/heating/electric plants. He creates high performance building systems solutions that produce economic, environmental, and experiential benefits for his clients, many of whom are the biggest names in the worlds of business, architecture, technology — and beyond. He embraces technological change and is at the forefront of developing High Performance and Intelligent Buildings.

Mr. Jalayerian holds Bachelor and Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Kansas, is Registered Professional Engineer in 14 states and has over 36 years of experience in HVAC and sustainable design practice, during which he has been responsible for building system design for over 110 million square feet of build environment in over 20 countries including many high rises in Chicago, Kingdom (Jeddah) Tower in Jeddah and the world’s first positive energy lareg scale building known as Masdar Headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

He has received eight ASHRAE Excellence in Engineering and Technology awards, an Illinois Engineering Council award, and a Chicago Building Congress Award, and has completed numerous LEED Certified projects. He has published and presented several articles pertaining to integrated mechanical design with a focus on sustainable and high performance design, system operational flexibility and building life safety, and phased occupancy planning, and is a major contributing author to the ASHRAE Design Guide for Tall, Supertall, and Mega Tall Buildings. He is a member and chairman of the Energy and Sustainability task force at the Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings and serves as Expert Peer Review Committee for Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). He has served as Adjunct/Research Professor for the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Department of Architecture and on the Advisory Group for the CTBUH.

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CTBUH Designated Expert

Working Group: MEP, Co-Chair (2018 – Present)

MEP Systems Committee, Chair (2018 – Present)

Annual Conference, Presenter (Shanghai 2012; Shanghai 2014; China 2016; Middle East 2018; Chicago 2019)

Advisory Group (2013 – 2014)

Annual Conference, Steering Committee (Chicago 2019)

CTBUH Initiatives

10th World Congress Inaugural Steering Committee Meeting

27 November 2018

Record Numbers Convene at 2018 Leaders Meeting

20 October 2018

MEP Working Group Holds Kickoff Meeting at CTBUH 2018 Conference

20 October 2018

Videos

17 September 2014

Supertall Buildings Infrastructure: Designing Vertical Cities

This presentation explores the methodology behind designing a supertall building where it concerns system configurations that support sustainable construction; the ways in which the design...

View all

Research

23 September 2020

Post-Pandemic HVAC Systems Strategies For High-Rise Office Buildings

Mehdi Jalayerian, Tyler Jensen & Kenneth Griffin, Environmental Systems Design, Inc.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on building design and strategy will be as revolutionary as the rise of the first skyscraper. COVID-19 and potential...

View all

Research

31 January 2019

Debating Tall: Tall and Utility-Neutral by 2029?

Kenneth Turner, CallisonRTKL; Mehdi Jalayerian, Environmental Systems Design Inc.

It has long been argued that net-zero-energy skyscrapers are possible. The conversation is now moving beyond the theoretical, as several high-profile commitments have been made...

View all

CTBUH Initiatives

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27 November 2018

10th World Congress Inaugural Steering Committee Meeting

Plans for the 2019 CTBUH 10th World Congress are now well underway, beginning with an initial meeting of the Steering Committee at the Chicago Architecture Center.

20 October 2018

Record Numbers Convene at 2018 Leaders Meeting

CTBUH Leaders convened on Day 1 of the 2018 Middle East Conference for updates on the year's developments and to plan for 2019.

20 October 2018

MEP Working Group Holds Kickoff Meeting at CTBUH 2018 Conference

The CTBUH MEP Working Group held its kickoff meeting as part of the wider annual Leaders Meeting at the CTBUH 2018 Middle East Conference in Dubai.

26 April 2016

2016 CCHRB Spring Seminar: The Rise of the Urban Hospital

CCHRB (Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings) is hosting their annual spring seminar for 2016 on The Rise of the Urban Hospital: High Rise Healthcare Facilities for the 21st Century

15 September 2014

CTBUH Leaders Discuss Ways to Broaden Council Membership

The leadership of the Council convened in the Leaders Meeting to participate in discussions about how to widen the Council’s reach and effectiveness.

8 November 2012

Event Focuses on Combining Fire Safety and Sustainability

The CTBUH participated in a symposium to address the complex issues of integrating fire safety design with sustainability.

27 November 2018

10th World Congress Inaugural Steering Committee Meeting

Plans for the 2019 CTBUH 10th World Congress are now well underway, beginning with an initial meeting of the Steering Committee at the Chicago Architecture Center.

20 October 2018

Record Numbers Convene at 2018 Leaders Meeting

CTBUH Leaders convened on Day 1 of the 2018 Middle East Conference for updates on the year's developments and to plan for 2019.

20 October 2018

MEP Working Group Holds Kickoff Meeting at CTBUH 2018 Conference

The CTBUH MEP Working Group held its kickoff meeting as part of the wider annual Leaders Meeting at the CTBUH 2018 Middle East Conference in Dubai.

26 April 2016

2016 CCHRB Spring Seminar: The Rise of the Urban Hospital

CCHRB (Chicago Committee on High Rise Buildings) is hosting their annual spring seminar for 2016 on The Rise of the Urban Hospital: High Rise Healthcare Facilities for the 21st Century

15 September 2014

CTBUH Leaders Discuss Ways to Broaden Council Membership

The leadership of the Council convened in the Leaders Meeting to participate in discussions about how to widen the Council’s reach and effectiveness.

8 November 2012

Event Focuses on Combining Fire Safety and Sustainability

The CTBUH participated in a symposium to address the complex issues of integrating fire safety design with sustainability.

Videos

Filter by

17 September 2014

Supertall Buildings Infrastructure: Designing Vertical Cities

This presentation explores the methodology behind designing a supertall building where it concerns system configurations that support sustainable construction; the ways in which the design...

17 September 2014

2014 Shanghai International Conference - Session 09 - Q & A

2014 Shanghai International Conference Session 09 Questions & Answers session with speakers Vincent Tse and Herbert Lam, Parsons Brinckerhoff; Mehdi Jalayerian, Environmental Systems Design; and...

16 September 2014

Interview: Mehdi Jalayerian

Mehdi Jalayerian of Environmental Systems Design is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2014 CTBUH Shanghai Conference at the Jin Mao Tower. Mehdi discusses the...

15 March 2013

What is the Single Biggest Challenge in Constructing a Mile-high Tower?

Industry leaders answering this question include: William Baker, SOM; Craig Gibbons, Arup; Andy Davids, Hyder Consulting; Mehdi Jalayerian, Environmental Systems Design, Inc.; and Ahmad Abdelrazaq,...

19 September 2012

Interview: Efficiency and Functionality in Building Systems

Mehdi Jalayerian of Environmental Systems Design is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2012 CTBUH Shanghai Congress at the Jin Mao, Shanghai. Mehdi discusses the...

10 October 2011

Advanced Occupancy for Supertall Buildings

Advanced Occupancy, sometimes called Phased Occupancy, is a concept pioneered and practiced in the birthplace of the skyscraper, Chicago. Simply put, it allows for the...

17 September 2014

Supertall Buildings Infrastructure: Designing Vertical Cities

This presentation explores the methodology behind designing a supertall building where it concerns system configurations that support sustainable construction; the ways in which the design...

17 September 2014

2014 Shanghai International Conference - Session 09 - Q & A

2014 Shanghai International Conference Session 09 Questions & Answers session with speakers Vincent Tse and Herbert Lam, Parsons Brinckerhoff; Mehdi Jalayerian, Environmental Systems Design; and...

16 September 2014

Interview: Mehdi Jalayerian

Mehdi Jalayerian of Environmental Systems Design is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2014 CTBUH Shanghai Conference at the Jin Mao Tower. Mehdi discusses the...

15 March 2013

What is the Single Biggest Challenge in Constructing a Mile-high Tower?

19 September 2012

Interview: Efficiency and Functionality in Building Systems

Mehdi Jalayerian of Environmental Systems Design is interviewed by Jeff Herzer during the 2012 CTBUH Shanghai Congress at the Jin Mao, Shanghai. Mehdi discusses the...

10 October 2011

Advanced Occupancy for Supertall Buildings

Advanced Occupancy, sometimes called Phased Occupancy, is a concept pioneered and practiced in the birthplace of the skyscraper, Chicago. Simply put, it allows for the...

Research

23 September 2020

Post-Pandemic HVAC Systems Strategies For High-Rise Office Buildings

Mehdi Jalayerian, Tyler Jensen & Kenneth Griffin, Environmental Systems Design, Inc.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on building design and strategy will be as revolutionary as the rise of the first skyscraper. COVID-19 and potential...

31 January 2019

Debating Tall: Tall and Utility-Neutral by 2029?

Kenneth Turner, CallisonRTKL; Mehdi Jalayerian, Environmental Systems Design Inc.

It has long been argued that net-zero-energy skyscrapers are possible. The conversation is now moving beyond the theoretical, as several high-profile commitments have been made...

17 October 2016

Methods to Mitigate Costly and Disruptive Stack Effect in Super and Megatall Towers

Mehdi Jalayerian & Tyler Jensen, Environmental Systems Design

Risks for developers of supertall and megatall towers come in many forms, as these developments are high profile and complex. One present risk is the...

16 September 2014

Supertall Buildings Infrastructure: Designing Vertical Cities

Mehdi Jalayerian, ESD (Environmental Systems Design, Inc.)

This paper explores the methodology behind designing a supertall building where it concerns system configurations that support sustainable construction; the ways in which the design...

23 September 2020

Post-Pandemic HVAC Systems Strategies For High-Rise Office Buildings

Mehdi Jalayerian, Tyler Jensen & Kenneth Griffin, Environmental Systems Design, Inc.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on building design and strategy will be as revolutionary as the rise of the first skyscraper. COVID-19 and potential...

31 January 2019

Debating Tall: Tall and Utility-Neutral by 2029?

Kenneth Turner, CallisonRTKL; Mehdi Jalayerian, Environmental Systems Design Inc.

It has long been argued that net-zero-energy skyscrapers are possible. The conversation is now moving beyond the theoretical, as several high-profile commitments have been made...

17 October 2016

Methods to Mitigate Costly and Disruptive Stack Effect in Super and Megatall Towers

Mehdi Jalayerian & Tyler Jensen, Environmental Systems Design

Risks for developers of supertall and megatall towers come in many forms, as these developments are high profile and complex. One present risk is the...

16 September 2014

Supertall Buildings Infrastructure: Designing Vertical Cities

Mehdi Jalayerian, ESD (Environmental Systems Design, Inc.)

This paper explores the methodology behind designing a supertall building where it concerns system configurations that support sustainable construction; the ways in which the design...