Ayres is happy to announce the addition of Gus Chaves, PE, LEED AP, as director of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing services for the MEP division’s California group. Chaves brings 18 years of broad experience as a mechanical engineer and energy consultant to his staff management, business development, and project management duties. He focuses particularly on high performance design and has extensive experience with energy modeling, sustainability, and the design of large-scale, complex projects.

Chaves has led comprehensive MEP design efforts to make buildings more energy and cost efficient, helping clients pursue sustainability certifications and achieve ambitious operational goals. His background includes spearheading full campus and building design for high-profile clients such as Google, where he played a key role in the 1.1-million-square-foot Google Bay View campus project in California. This project included advanced geothermal HVAC systems and a range of other innovative energy features, setting new standards for sustainability.

Chaves has worked with a range of clients in the commercial, institutional, and industrial sectors, including METRO, Caltrans, and Orange County Sanitation District. Chaves also has healthcare design experience with clients such as UCLA Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He has managed teams, developed project scopes, and provided quality control to support client requirements and meet local codes. Chaves’ expertise extends to energy audits, commissioning, life cycle assessment and due diligence of mechanical system, and evaluations of existing HVAC issues to optimize and diagnose operational challenges.

Chaves holds professional engineer licensure in California and Georgia and LEED AP EB O&M certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. He is an Association of Energy Engineers Certified Energy Manager (CEM). Chaves earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in mechanical engineering from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro.

“Gus’ leadership, technical skills, and commitment to sustainable design support Ayres’ mission to deliver innovative, efficient, and sustainable solutions for our clients,” says Bryan Haider, vice president of MEP. “I look forward to watching as he guides his team to growth in California and beyond.”