2013 40 Under 40: Murat Karakas, 37

Associate, Arup, Los Angeles

By Jessia DuBois-Maahs, Contributing Writer May 14, 2013

Murat Karakas, PE, CEM, LEED AP, MBA, 37

Associate, Arup, Los Angeles

California State University, MBA

During his 12 years of experience at Arup, Murat Karakas has been involved in more than 50 projects. His experience spans designing mechanical systems for a variety of project types including museums, hospitals, offices, judicial facilities, and residences. Innovative and sustainable-design techniques are Karakas’ passion. He is an active member of the U.S. Green Building Council and mentors young professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. Building information modeling (BIM) has been a special area of interest for Karakas since 2002, when he was asked to draw all ductwork in 3-D for the geometrically challenging Denver Art Museum expansion. Since then Karakas has been leading the BIM implementation and process improvement internally at Arup. Some of his notable projects that demonstrate design innovation include a 550,000-sq-ft health care facility in Southern California and the 475,000-sq-ft U.S. Federal Courthouse in San Diego. For both of these projects, Karakas also served as a project manager. As a new father to a 16-month-old son, Karakas can be found hiking at baby-friendly locations when he is not in the office.