Sara Josephson, Associate Principal, Altieri
Sara Josephson
Sara Josephson, PE, LEED AP BD+C, associate principal at Altieri, joined the firm in 2010 after earning a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering. She has contributed to the HVAC engineering design of some of the firm’s most technically rigorous projects including The Goel Center for Theater and Dance at Philips Exeter Academy, the award-winning Student Life and Performance Center at the New England Conservatory of Music, and The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Drawn to challenges, Sara describes The Obama Presidential Center as the highest-profile, most demanding, and longest-running project of her career to date. The 500,000sf center, spanning 19 acres, includes a world-class museum, branch of the Chicago Public Library, auditorium, classrooms, broadcast studio, and expansive public spaces. The project is designed to achieve LEED Platinum, SITES Silver, and International Living Future Institute (ILFI) Zero Energy certification for all buildings and facilities on the campus.
When the center opens later this year, it will mark a decade of sustained effort, and a defining chapter in Sara’s professional – and personal – life. “It is surreal to consider the major milestones that have occurred during the time I’ve worked on the project: the launch of my career, multiple moves, promotions, and birth of my two children,” she says. “Although it has spanned an entire decade, the dedication of an extraordinary project team will culminate in an institution that will transform Chicago’s South Side. It will be very gratifying to see the years of hard work come to fruition.”
Sara works on multiple projects and strategic objectives for the firm, so she won’t be experiencing much downtime when The Obama Presidential Center is complete. Current projects, including new buildings for the University of New Mexico and the Windgate Gallery at the University of Arkansas, as well as internal initiatives focused on summer internship programming and project management training, will continue to keep Sara’s portfolio full.
