Building services engineering, technical building services, architectural
engineering, building engineering, or facilities and services planning
engineering refers to the implementation of the engineering for the internal
environment and environmental impact of a building.
Building services engineers are responsible for the design,
installation, operation and monitoring of the mechanical, electrical and public
health systems required for the safe, comfortable and environmentally friendly
operation of modern buildings. The term building services engineering is widely
used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and Australia, but in the United
States of America, the field is also known as architectural engineering or
building engineering, though these terms can also have other meanings, even in
the United States. In India the engineers are known as facilities
planners. A building services architect is an
engineer with experience in the integration of building services.
Field Building services engineering comprises
mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and plumbing or public
health engineering, all of which are further sub-divided into the following:
Communication lines, telephones and IT networks
Energy supply - gas, electricity and renewable sources
Escalators and lifts Fire detection and protection
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
Lightning protection Low voltage systems, distribution boards
and switchgear Natural lighting and artificial
lighting, and building facades Security and alarm systems
Ventilation and refrigeration Water, drainage and plumbing
Building services engineers work closely with other construction professionals
such as architects, structural engineers and quantity surveyors. They influence
the architecture of a building and play a significant role on the sustainability
and energy demand of a building. Within building services engineering, new roles
are emerging, for example in the areas of renewable energy, sustainability, low
carbon technologies and energy management. With buildings accounting
for around 50% of all carbon emissions, building services engineers play a
significant role in combating climate change. As such, a typical building
services engineer has a wide-ranging career path:
Design: designing layouts and requirements for building services for
residential or commercial developments. Design Management -Design management is
the business side of design, which aims to create the right environment to
control and support a culture of creativity and innovation, and to
embrace the iterative nature of design involving the many disciplines that,
collectively, will deliver design solutions – and all at the same time as
ensuring that an organisation’s commercial goals and objectives are
achieved and that all is done in an ethically sound way. Typically the
building services engineering installation is worth 30–60% of the
total value of a contract, Design management is not the same as project
management. Project management focuses on a wider range of administrative
skills but is not normally sympathetic to the peculiarities of delivering a
fully coordinated functioning design, taking into account its unique nature
and dealing with the changing requirements of clients and the external
factors over which there is little control
Construction: supervising the construction of the building services,
commissioning systems and ongoing maintenance and operation of services.
Environmental: developing new energy saving methods for construction,
designing new and improved energy conservation systems for buildings.
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning: specialising in the
design, development, construction and operation of HVAC systems.
Electrical technology: specialising in the design and development of electrical
systems required for safe and energy sustaining operation of buildings.
In 1976 Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers was founded
and received a Royal Charter in the United Kingdom, and formally recognising
building services engineering as a profession. Its objectives of the
Institution are to: support the Science, Art and Practice of building services
engineering, by providing our members and the public with first class
information and education services and promoting the spirit of fellowship which
guides our work. In recent years there has been
increasing emphasis on sustainable and green design by the UK government,
including in engineered building systems. Building services engineers
increasingly seek BREEAM, CIBSE Low Carbon Consultants and Energy Assessors
status in addition to their Professional Engineering registration.
Building services engineering software Many building services firms use
computer-aided engineering and computer-aided designsoftware programs,
created either in-house or by external parties, to assist in their system
design and analysis. This method has many benefits, including easier and more
exhaustive visualization of proposed solutions, the ability to create virtual
models for analysis and calculations, and the ease of use in spatial planning.
The latest trend in MEP or building services engineering is the utilization
of Building Information modeling or BIM which may include 3D and 4D modeling. 3D
BIM services enable building visualization, preview or prototype of
architectural structures before actual construction. Lately, major companies
are also using BIM for 4D visualization. BIM 4D allows for more informed decision
making and better coordination between designers and builders considering time
also as an important factor. Education
Building services engineers typically possess an academic degree in building
services engineering, mechanical engineering or electrical engineering.
The length of study for such a degree is usually three years for a Bachelor of
Engineering or Bachelor of Science and four years for a Master of Engineering.
Some of the degrees accredited by the Chartered Institution of Building
Services Engineers include: = Bachelors =
BEng(Hons)& MEng Architectural Engineering
B Arch Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, bhopal
BSc Energie- und Gebäudetechnik BSc in Building Services Engineering
BSc Building Engineering( University of Westminster)
BSc Integrated Technology BSc in Building Services Engineering
BSc Building Services Engineering BSc Building Services Engineering
BSc Building Services Engineering BSc Architectural Engineering
BEng Building Services Engineering BEng Building Services Engineering
BEng Building Services Engineering BEng Mechanical Engineering with
Building Services BEng Architectural Environment
Engineering BEng Building Services Engineering
BEng Building Services Engineering BEng Energy & Building Services
Engineering BEng in Building Engineering
BEng in Facilities and Service Planning BTEC Advance Professional Diploma in
Building Services Design(London South Bank University)
BSc Building Engineering(Hanbat National University, South Korea)
= Institutions = United States
Programs in the United States, with those accredited by ABET shown with
their year of initial accreditation, are:
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA Illinois Institute of Technology,
Chicago, IL Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO
North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Penn State University, State College, PA Tennessee State University, Nashville,
TN Texas A&M University-Kingsville,
Kingsville, TX University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH University of Colorado at Boulder,
Boulder, CO University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI
University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS University of Miami, Miami, FL
University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE
University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK University of Texas at Arlington,
Arlington, TX University of Texas at Austin, Austin,
TX University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
Worcester Polytechnic University, Worcester, MA
RAJIV GANDHI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,KOTTAYAM,KERALA,INDIA
See also References
External links ASHRAE American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
B&ESA Building & Engineering Services Association
BSRIA The Building Services Research and Information Association
CIBSE Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers
Modern Building Services journal Online Building Services Engineering
Lecture Notes India
School of Planning and Architecture,JNA&FAU, Hyderabad,India