A Building Services Engineer designs, installs and organises the supply of the various elements that allow any building to deliver its functions. Let’s have a look at what working as a building services engineer involves and how your career can develop.
Building Services Engineer as a Career
A job as a building services engineer involves working with various lighting, heating, health & safety and transport elements in order to make sure they function properly within a building. There are many different aspects to the role and you can specialise in particular aspects as your career develops.
Primarily in your career as a building services engineer, you would be responsible for the following:
- Working with detailed plans, diagrams and blueprints
- Organising contractors to deliver the work as specified
- Developing projects for the building and working with clients to agree the specifications
- Managing the budget for projects and forecasting additional spending
- Using BIM and CAD to design the required systems
- Designing site specific equipment and modifications
Building services engineers work at a strategic level throughout the lifecycle of any particular project. Some of the other roles and professions you would work within your career include:
- Architect
- Site manager
- Quantity surveyor
- Electrician
- Electrical engineer
- Structural engineer
- Civil engineer
- Health & Safety
- Mechanical engineer
- QA/QS engineer
Professional qualifications
Beginning a career in this field requires a third level qualification, in an area such as: mechanical engineering, electrical engineering , civil engineering or indeed any physical engineering qualification. Joining an organisation such as Engineers Ireland provides an opportunity for certifications, further training and the development of a significant professional network.
How your Career can Develop
Once you are qualified in this area you can work on progressing your career through various projects which will allow you to progress in your career towards project engineer status. If you successfully gain the right experience you can work towards a partner or director level within an engineering consultancy. Careers as a building services engineer can lead you to specialise in commercial, industrial or public sector projects and it is a business which allows you to work internationally. Working in this field provides you with great direction for your engineering career as it works closely with other engineering disciplines, allowing you to significantly increase your professional network.