There is a popular quote that reads, “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.” Celso’s career has been no exception. The Los Angeles native started as an engineer at Hines-managed 10100 Santa Monica office building in 2000. He is now Group Engineering Manager based at US Bank Tower, the second tallest building in Los Angeles, also managed by Hines.
A day in the life of Celso begins with a quick meeting with the engineers who have concluded the graveyard shift. “We call this a pass-down,” Celso explains. “We make notes of issues found overnight and address any work that needs to be completed by the engineers who are just starting their shifts.”
The remainder of Celso’s day includes meetings with tenants, contractors and construction teams, assisting with controls troubleshooting, project planning, reviewing submittals, answering Requests for Information (RFIs) and calculating savings for energy conservation projects.
“My team is currently working to implement a building-wide LED lighting retrofit and window film installation, and a new water treatment program at US Bank Tower,” Celso says. “We are also planning to upgrade both of the building’s central plants within the next 12 months.”
Celso’s role has allowed him to work with engineers both domestic and abroad. He assisted with the translation of information to create a Spanish version of the Hines Engineering Standards for the engineering team in Mexico, and he participated as a panelist at the last engineering conference in Panama.
“Learning and sharing knowledge with others and seeing that knowledge bear fruit is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job,” Celso says. “Our duty is to make buildings better by employing Hines’ Engineering Standards.”
When he isn’t playing the piano or reading his favorite philosophical works, Celso can be found refurbishing antiquated computers. He is an expert at installing Linux-based operating systems that make the machines as good as new. Celso has not purchased a computer in 12 years!