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Engineering is
a
stealth profession. -- annon.
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About Building Services
Engineering (BSE) 屋宇設備工程
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Body-building
system integration and building services systems [PDF]
CIBSE Careers: Making a difference [PDF]
What is Building
Services?
- Imagine
yourself in the most fabulous building in the world.
Now take away the lighting, heating and ventilation,
the lifts and escalators, acoustics, plumbing, power
supply and energy management systems, the security
and safety systems...and you are left with a cold,
dark, uninhabitable shell.
- Everything
inside
a building which makes it safe and comfortable to be
in comes under the title of 'Building Services'. A
building must do what it was designed to do - not
just provide shelter but also be an environment
where people can live, work and achieve.
What BSE is
about?
- It is
about designing, installing & servicing
everything that is needed to make buildings comfortable,
safe & convenient
- It is
an engineering stream concerning with the design,
manufacturing, installation, commissioning and
maintenance of mechanical and electrical services in
buildings
- BSE is
multidisciplinary by nature!
- Building
services
engineers are responsible for ensuring the
cost-effective, environmentally sound and
sustainable design and maintenance of engineering
services in buildings. With the current emphasis on
sustainability, building services engineers are at
the cutting-edge of designing, developing and
managing new technologies that integrate into
existing systems and services.
- So what
does a building services engineer do, exactly?
[Guardian Careers] http://www.theguardian.com/careers/building-services-engineer
Significance
- Building
& construction industry is an important sector
in every society and it shapes the built environment
in which we live
- Building
services
installations are essential provisions for every
building and could account for 20-40% of total
building cost
- BSE
affects people's comfort, health & productivity
- BSE
influences the building's performance, local &
global environment (e.g. energy, water resources
& air pollution)
Main objectives
of BSE design
- Hygiene
(prevent disease & ensure health)
- Safety
(protect against risks)
- Comfort
(physio- & psycho- well-beings)
- Convenience
(efficiency
& productivity)
Aspects of BSE work
- Main
Aspects
- Understanding
and
using physics
- Using
mathematics to solve technical or scientific
problems
- Learning
about buildings, roads etc and how they are built
- Analytical
ability
to understand and solve challenging problems
- Secondary
Aspects
- Learning
how machines work
- Understanding
technical
drawings and diagrams
- Improving
or managing the environment
- Understanding
the
scientific uses and properties of materials
- Planning
how work is to be carried out
- Problem
solving
by seeking new ideas
- Travelling
around
locally from place to place
- Learning
about the uses of computers
- Explaining
ideas
and information to people
Related
areas/disciplines
- HVAC+R
(heating, ventilating & air-conditioning +
refrigeration)
- Fire
services
- Water
supply & drainage
- Public
health
- Gas
& steam supply
- Electrical
services
- Lighting
systems
- Security
- Facade
engineering
- Communication
- Acoustics
- Vertical
transportation
(e.g. lifts & escalators)
- Building
management
& control system
- Refuse
disposal system
Work activities
- Building
services
engineers design building services systems. They
also supervise their installation and operation.
Certain types of buildings need complex building
services. For example, computer rooms need precise
controls of temperature and humidity, hospital
operating theatres must be completely sterile and
factories must prevent any harmful fumes from going
into the atmosphere. Office buildings, swimming
pools, cold stores, museums and leisure centres also
have particular requirements that building services
engineers need to meet.
- Some
building services engineers are mainly office based
as they specialise in design work. They work closely
with the architect, the customer and other members
of the design team to prepare a design for a
building project. This includes all drawings and
detailed specifications for use by the contractor.
They often use computer-aided design (CAD) packages
for this work.
- Designs
must meet environmental needs, use energy
efficiently and meet the budget set by the customer.
Engineers need overall knowledge of the full range
of building services, although they usually
specialise in either mechanical services or
lighting/electrical services.
- Building
services
engineers maintain close links with other
professionals such as the construction manager and
the surveyor to decide how many staff are needed and
to work out costs. They supervise the installation
of the building services and inspect the quality of
the work, dealing with any problems that arise.
- BSE
career opportunities also arise in the fields of
Construction Project Management and Facilities
Management particularly in the area of modern
industrial facilities involving clean room
manufacturing, such as in pharmaceutical and
electronics production.
- Typical
works of building services consulting firms include:
- Feasibility,
inspection,
technical reports, estimating
- Design,
specification,
drawings, tender procurement
- Contract
management,
site supervision, cost control
- Activities
vary according to the specialist area of work and
employer (for example, client/end-user, building
contractor or engineering consultancy). However,
tasks typically involve:
- negotiating
and
developing project contracts and agreeing these
with clients, if working in consultancy, and
putting out tenders;
- commissioning,
organising
and assessing the work of contractors;
- working
with detailed diagrams, plans and drawings;
- using
specialist computer-aided design (CAD) software
and other resources to design the systems required
for the project;
- managing
and forecasting spend, using whole life cycle
costing techniques, ensuring that work is kept to
budget;
- designing
site-specific
equipment as required;
- overseeing
and supervising the installation of building
systems and specifying maintenance and operating
procedures;
- monitoring
building
systems and processes;
- making
decisions
about expired systems equipment and the
appropriate location of new equipment;
- facilities
management;
- liaising
closely
with other professionals, including structural
engineers, builders, architects and surveyors, and
in-house project teams;
- attending
a range of project group and technical meetings;
- ensuring
that the design and maintenance of building
systems meets legislative and health and safety
requirements;
- advising
clients
and architects on energy use and conservation in a
range of buildings and sites, aiming to minimise
the environmental impact and reduce the carbon
footprint;
- working
on a variety of projects within a short period of
time.
Personal qualities and skills
- As a
Building Services Engineer, you should be a good
teamworker as you will work closely with various
construction professionals such as Architects,
Quantity Surveyors and Structural Engineers. You
should also be a good communicator as you have to
explain ideas and designs to other members of the
team. You also need a creative and enquiring mind
and an ability to solve problems.
- Building
Services
Engineers are concerned primarily with the progress
of technology through innovation, creativity and
change. They develop and apply new technologies;
promote advanced designs and design methods;
introduce new and more efficient production
techniques and marketing and construction concepts;
and pioneer new engineering services and management
methods. They may be involved with the management
and direction of high-risk and resource intensive
projects. Professional judgement is a key feature of
their role, allied to the assumption of
responsibility for the direction of important tasks,
including the profitable management of industrial
and commercial enterprises.
Career opportunities
CareerJet.hk:
building service engineer jobs in Hong Kong
Building Services Engineers
are in high demand by industry and employment
prospects are very good. Our programme provides the
academic base for a professional career with various
types of private and public employers, including
consulting and contracting firms, construction
companies, equipment manufacturers and suppliers,
building developers and owners, facility and property
management companies, power and utilities companies,
and government departments. The analytical and problem
solving skills learnt are also useful in other areas
like finance and business management. Some graduates
may consider further study through master or doctoral
degree programmes in local or overseas institutions.
The knowledge and skills from this programme will
enable our graduates to pursue broader career
interests and become highly adaptable.
Nowadays,
the
building
services professionals are not only engaged by
consulting firms, contractors, developers,
architectural and building firms, and various
government departments for the design, installation,
maintenance and repairing work of the building
services systems, their engineering knowledge can also
be applied to other fields like manufacturing and
marketing of engineering products. They may also take
up various teaching posts in tertiary education and
vocational training institutions. The building
services professionals of the electrical discipline
may also register as an electrical worker under the
Electricity Ordinance provided that he possesses the
qualifications as stipulated in the Electricity
(Registration) Regulations.
Examples
of
relevant
jobs include:
- Consulting
or design engineer
- M/E
contracting engineer
- Main/Civil
contracting
firm building services co-ordinator
- Project
Manager/BSE for developers
- Government
engineer
(e.g. ArchSD, EMSD, Housing Authority)
- BSE for
quasi-government bodies, e.g. MTRC, Towngas, power
companies
- Sales
engineer of M/E equipment suppliers
- Facility
management
or maintenance engineer
- Teaching/research
in
universities and educational institutions
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