2014 40 Under 40: Karin Giefer, LEED AP, 35

Karin Giefer, LEED AP, 35
Associate, Arup, San Francisco
University of Minnesota, BS Architecture; New School University, MA Architectural Lighting Design

Karin Giefer is a dreamer with a unique track record for bringing those dreams to reality. As a new graduate of University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Giefer worked on the renovation of the Pentagon, during which time she also completed he master’s degree in architectural and daylighting design. As a result of her and her team’s efforts, the Pentagon is now enjoying a $1.2 million savings on its annual energy bill. Subsequently, Giefer was retained as a sustainability consultant on other large federal projects including those for the U.S. Citizen Immigration Services, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Veteran Affairs. Since 2007, Giefer has been with Arup, where she handles design strategies for companies in a wide variety of sectors from manufacturing and automotive to health care and hospitality. Her experience working in the fields of design, construction, and project management has been nationally recognized with more than a dozen awards. One of her largest and most noted projects to date was her work with InterContinental Hotels Group, for which she led the development of a global sustainability metric system that was implemented across 2,500 properties in more than 100 countries. Giefer is 53 countries into her personal goal of visiting all of the world’s 196 countries. When she is not traveling, she soaks up the outdoors near her San Francisco Bay area home. She can often be found setting up her telescope on Mt. Tamalpais with local school and scout groups to teach them how to find stars while watching different phases of the moon

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