UIC
California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Sept. 26 announced that CEO Ian Choudri has been appointed as Vice Chair of the UIC NARA and named as a representative on the UIC Executive Board for a two-year term. Choudri will serve alongside NARA Chair Mario Peloquin, CEO of VIA Rail Canada, to represent the North American Region at the UIC Executive Board and General Assembly.
UIC is a worldwide professional association that promotes rail transportation globally and facilitates coordination and cooperation between six individual regions across the world. NARA comprises railroad and government regulators and associations from the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“I thank the UIC and NARA for this opportunity to represent California’s high-speed rail project on the international stage and help usher in a new era of transportation here in North America,” Choudri said. “California is leading the way by delivering the first true high-speed rail project in North America, and I look forward to working with the UIC and NARA to continue this progress.”
According to the CHSRA, work continues daily on the high-speed rail project, with 171 miles currently under design and construction from Merced to Bakersfield (see map above). Nearly 70 miles of guideway are complete, it reported, along with nearly 60 fully completed structures; an additional 29 structures are under way across Madera, Fresno, Kings, and Tulare counties. The project continues to advance statewide, with 463 miles of the 494-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles/Anaheim system fully environmentally cleared and construction ready, according to CHSRA.
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Urbahn Architects
Urbahn Architects has elevated eight professionals from within the firm to Associate Principals (pictured above, from left to right): Enrico Kurniawan, AIA, NOMA; Ryan Bieber, AIA, LEED AP; Nandini Sengupta, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, NOMA; Lawrence Gutterman, AIA, DBIA, LEED AP; Ijeoma D. Iheanacho, AIA, LEED AP, NOMA; Christopher Young, AIA; Daniel Kohn, AIA, LEED AP; and Bridgette Van Sloun, AIA, CPHC, WELL AP.
Maximillian Otto Urbahn founded his eponymous architectural practice in 1945, and eight decades later, the firm said it continues to approach architecture not as just monument making, but as rigorous problem-solving that prioritizes functionality, efficiency and human experience over purely stylistic preoccupations.
Today, Urbahn ranks as the 79th largest architecture firm in the United States by Building Design & Construction magazine. It is guided by four Principals, as well as the newly added leadership team of eight Associate Principals, who the firm said collectively embody the its commitment to diversity of perspective, and design excellence.
“This leadership evolution comes as Urbahn’s work spans increasingly varied markets—from New York City subway accessibility retrofits to humane justice facilities, healthcare education centers in the Bronx, and hotels in the Caribbean and Southeast Asia,” Urbahn reported. “What unites these diverse projects is a clear and consistent approach: maximizing positive impact on society within real-world constraints. This philosophy, embedded in the firm since Max Urbahn’s earliest commissions, values in-depth analysis, attention to human experience and timeless aesthetic over design trends of the moment or theoretical purity.”
“Our work is never formulaic,” said Donald E. Henry Jr., Managing Principal at Urbahn. “Each project deserves a truly in-depth analysis of desired functions, zoning and technical restrictions, budgets and architectural context.”
Urbahn’s current and recent transportation projects include the $300 million 14thStreet/6th Avenue MTA subway station complex accessibility and technology upgrade in Manhattan; multi-site New York City Transit subway station flood mitigation resiliency program; renovations and accessibility upgrades of multiple MTA subway stations throughout New York City; MTA Long Island Rail Road design-build station renovation program, including stations in East Hampton, Deer Park, and Brentwood, N.Y.; and Newark City Subway Improvements in Newark, N.J.
HNTB
Kourosh Langari has joined HNTB as a Digital Delivery Senior Advisor. With more than 38 years of experience in planning, design, and construction management, he will play a key role in advancing digital transformation initiatives for clients across the transportation sector, according to the infrastructure firm.
Langari served previously at Caltrans, where he “championed building information modeling (BIM) for Infrastructure adoption with ISO 19650–aligned workflows, integrated major technology platforms, and established scalable processes for model-based design and contract deliverables,” HNTB reported. “His innovations, including Unmanned Aerial Systems mapping for design-grade data and accelerated bridge construction workflows, set new standards for efficiency and reduced change orders across complex transportation projects.”
Langari holds a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in applied mathematics from Oklahoma State University and Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
“Kourosh brings a wealth of first-hand technical experience and a visionary approach to digital delivery, making him an invaluable partner to our clients and teams,” said Darin Welch, HNTB Director of Digital Transformation Solutions. “His thought leadership and passionate curiosity will help clients modernize delivery methods through design and construction; improve data quality; and achieve greater efficiency, return on investment and value across the transportation and asset lifecycle.”
In related news, Paula Dowell in May transitioned to HNTB’s National Integrated Planning Services Practice Leader, and Eric Olson in February was hired as Deputy Program Director.
