Chris Ashton

Chris Ashton is a principal with over a decade of MEP design experience. He currently leads the mechanical team within Buro Happold’s New York office.

As part of his day-to-day role, Chris actively teaches and mentors young engineers within the New York studio. In addition to his work within the office, Chris also participates in design crits at Columbia GSAPP’s systems integration and architectural studios where he helps students to understand the different engineering aspects of buildings by leveraging his deep understanding of the integration of MEP systems with architecture.

Chris is adept at leading multidisciplinary engineering projects, leveraging his diverse technical knowledge and past project experience. He is a firm believer in thinking creatively to deliver sustainable initiatives for his projects within the context of their local environment. Chris utilizes his project management skills coupled with his strong business acumen and ability to engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to deliver efficient, cost effective designs.

Chris is the technical advisor on a number of high profile design competitions and currently he is leading the MEP design of one of Buro Happold’s largest cultural projects in New York City: the Gilder Center Expansion to the American Museum of Natural History with Studio Gang Architects. This complex project involves an addition to the museum that will include new exhibition and learning spaces with state of the art technology and access to world-class collections.