Even if he could crack a safe (and he’s not telling), ESD VP Andrew Lehrer prefers to use his talents for good, designing flexible workspace. Some of the biggest engineering challenges he’s seen related to these open designs are adjusting the client’s corporate culture to the reduced privacy and balancing aesthetics with proper air distribution and acoustics in open spaces. He recently worked with Motorola Mobility at the Mart (below). The company needed to move its extensive lab facilities from the ‘burbs and condense them into an urban high-rise setting.

Andrew finds companies are investing more in employees’ technology up front, and the data revolution is well underway. Everyone’s easy access to data through highly mobile computing will soon be incorporated into the systems that engineers design. For example, employees could adjust their own temperature and lighting via smartphone, or real-time schedule updates via the cloud could show coworkers you’re stuck in traffic and will be 10 minutes late to the meeting. This seamless incorporation of data is still five to 10 years away from widespread use, Andrew predicts. Outside of work, he’s an amateur photographer and also likes playing guitar.