OPINION Your views from across the built environment


TEAM TIME


Young engineer Angela Malynn – this year’s CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year – shares her experience of collaborative team working on a major project and asks why the construction industry cannot be more joined-up


Engineers have been delivering sustainability since before the


term was coined. We have always sought, and continue to seek, ways to enhance energy effi ciency in the built environment. While decision-makers at national and global levels struggle to agree on a way forward, we as a worldwide engineering community should be putting our geographical boundaries aside, and assessing what measures we can take on a global scale within the industry. This could involve position papers,


briefi ngs to decision-makers, and public engagement to educate the global population on the critical need to adopt measures towards a sustainable future. The collective power and vast knowledge of our community worldwide has to be more effective than working in silos, and provides a positive example to other industries. By understanding and sharing local


knowledge, we can make suggestions as to how global measures can be reached fairly, with input from all nations, based upon their individual resources and requirements. Within the UK, the construction industry has typically been fragmented by the nature of work stages and contractual responsibilities. While there is good practice within individual stages of design, construction and building operation, the approach needs to be more joined- up if we are to enable optimum sustainable solutions to emerge. Building services engineers are in


a good position to lead collaborative working between engineering disciplines, architects, local authorities, clients, and operations


18 CIBSE Journal November 2011


explaining to the public in practical terms how they can make a difference on sustainability. It is also crucial for our lobbying bodies at national level. We need to show that engineering has been, and will continue to be, a powerful force in solving global challenges such as climate change. Our industry should consider the communication tools and methods already widely used by young people. Social networking has made the world smaller, and we should be utilising it to our benefi t to bring engineers together and share ideas. Social networking media would make it easier for engineers to connect worldwide, break down geographical boundaries, and engage with a wider audience. I have been very fortunate in that


teams, when sustainability is a focus. There certainly does appear to be


a shift in the industry towards a more collaborative way of working. While working on King’s Cross station redevelopment in London, I was lucky to be part of several co-located teams delivering different stages of work. At design stage, the architects were co-located with the engineering team, with the engineers taking the lead; later, at redesign, during early construction, the M&E sub-contractor and client temporarily joined the team; and as construction continued, the client, main contractor, M&E sub- contractor, engineers and architects were all co-located at the site offi ce. This valuable and enjoyable learning experience gave me what I believe is an unusual exposure to other professionals within the industry. Effective communication will also be crucial in raising awareness by


Young engineers can help push forward collaborative working


I began my postgraduate working life within project and programme management. When I moved over to building services engineering, these management skills have, I believe, helped me progress my career. This is not a common experience for most BS engineers, but one that I think has some merit. In order for the building services


Building services engineers are in a good position to lead collaborative working


sector to deliver a sustainable future it needs to consolidate its infl uence worldwide, collaborate more effectively within the industry, and increase awareness in the public domain. Young engineers need to be at the forefront of this process – which means empowering them more. Only in this way can we prepare now for a truly sustainable future.


● ANGELA MALYNN works for Arup. She is the winner of the CIBSE ASHRAE Graduate of the Year Award 2011. See News, page 11, and the Roundtable debate on young engineers, page 23


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