2011 40 Under 40: John Peterson, PE, LEED AP, 36

Senior Project Engineer, Hewlett Packard, Herndon, Va.

By Bettina Chang, Content Specialist, and Amara Rozgus, Editor-in-Chief May 13, 2011

John Peterson, PE, LEED AP, 36

Senior Project Engineer, Hewlett Packard, Herndon, Va.

Pennsylvania State University, BS Architectural Engineering

Government agencies are highly demanding clients, but Peterson knows exactly how to manage them. He has become a master of collaborating with numerous agencies and their consultants to ensure that all stakeholders’ concerns are satisfied. This means balancing reliability, energy efficiency, maintainability, and costs for sensitive projects like data centers and mission critical facilities. Peterson is an expert on geothermal projects and has written project-specific white papers for clients around the world, and he serves as a technical resource for his colleagues regarding geothermal data center projects. He applies his expertise to all facets of work, volunteering, and teaching. Peterson recently embarked on a pro-bono project to revitalize a neighborhood park, which he handled with the same professional care as always; he contacted the local government entity for funding, designed the project, and brought neighborhood stakeholders into the decision-making process. He is a member of the Takoma Park, Md., Committee on the Environment and the Task Force on Environmental Action, which provides guidance for successful environmental projects and programs. Peterson provided important input in the 2010 revision of ASHRAE 90.1, is on the committee for LEED for Data Centers standard, and is involved with the creation of a new ISO 50001 auditor certification and testing standard. He was given the HP Amazing People Award for his innovative work on data centers and commitment to sustainability. Peterson is truly passionate about the built environment, a love he passes on to the public as a docent at the National Building Museum (Washington, D.C.). He is also fond of music and its history; as a drummer, he incorporates beats from 1970s Jamaican music into complex jazz and progressive techniques. He is also a loving father and husband, and his commitment to green building led him to consider LEED Residential certification for his older daughter’s two dollhouses.

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