GLUMAC - Engineers for a sustainable future

 Glumac Celebrates 40 Years


One Embarcadero Center, Dick Glumac - Founder, and Rick Thomas - One of Glumac's first employees, later CFO and Managing Principal

On October 1, 1971, Dick Glumac opened shop on the 21st floor of One Embarcadero Center in San Francisco as "Glumac & Associates." Dick's journey here was one filled with travels and adventure. Born in Yugoslavia in 1930, he began studying English and mechanical design in his teens. Also an athlete, he traveled to France for a water polo tournament in his early twenties. It was there that he defected, and with the help of the International Refugee Organization, he made his way to Canada. He enrolled at the University of Toronto to study mechanical engineering, and supported himself by working as a lumberjack in the Canadian woods. Upon graduating, he worked for several engineering firms - in Canada and later in the US. Eventually making it to San Francisco, he joined Buonaccorsi & Associates, where he gained much experience designing hospitals, offices, schools and labs. In 1967, he decided to head the design of the new complex called the Embarcadero Center (EC). When he left Buonaccorsi, his relationship with his EC clients provided the fuel he needed to start running his own firm.

During his time designing mechanical systems for One EC, both with Buonaccorsi and with Glumac & Associates, Dick made a point to utilize sustainable design elements. For example, he placed active chilled beams throughout the building - it was one of the first applications on the West Coast, and still performs today.

Through the 1970s, Dick added more staff, including electrical engineers, growing to a total of about twenty employees. The firm's work grew, and early architectural partners included Gensler, EPR and KMD.

In 1977, Dick was asked to lead the mechanical design on Four EC, almost identical to One EC, but slightly larger. Dick's team specified use of a Variable Air Volume reheat system as well as other energy-efficient strategies. Upon its completion, Dick moved his firm to 15th floor of the new building.

The 1980s were filled with much more high-rise work in San Francisco. Also, in 1983, Dick hired Berkeley grad Steven Straus, who moved up to Portland, OR in search of new opportunities for Glumac. After a short while, he landed a job to design a phone switching facility for GTE. This job plus several other high-tech projects in the Portland area provided enough business for the new Portland office to thrive.

In 1984, the firm's third office opened in Sacramento. In 1990, Glumac Irvine opened, and in 1996 came Glumac Seattle. In 2000, Glumac's Principals came together to discuss the future of the firm and to unite as one corporation now known simply as Glumac. The next year, Dick Glumac transitioned to his role as Chairman of the Board, while Steven Straus assumed the Presidency.


Steven Straus - President, Sam Graves and Dick Glumac at the opening of our newest US office in Corvallis, OR, One of our newest projects in Shanghai

Also in 2001, management held a retreat to discuss what made Glumac... Glumac. All agreed that sustainability was their uniting theme, and that it would be central to the company's future vision. Glumac also hired Vancouver, BC-based firm WOW to help reinvent the firm's branding.

In the 2000s, Glumac focused on LEED projects and expanded services. We now offer full MEP design services, lighting design, energy services, 3D modeling and commissioning. We also opened new offices in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, and Las Vegas. Several offices found new homes in LEED buildings designed by our very own engineers. In 2011, Glumac opened our newest offices in Corvallis, OR and Shanghai.

In our 40th year, Glumac published our first book, highlighting our best work using sustainable engineering strategies: The Ecological Engineer: Glumac. As always, we continue to pride ourselves on providing our clients with cost-effective, energy-efficient, innovative designs. We now have over 90 LEED APs and more than 200 total staff. Our vision for the future includes designing for Net Zero Energy Buildings and expanding our services internationally.

We thank all our partners for the past forty years and look forward to doing even greater work in the future.

 

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