Titanic Belfast, Northern Ireland
then in 2001 after the firm was acquired by global mega-consultant Aecom to became Faber Maunsell Aecom; finally, in 2009, it was rebranded simply as Aecom. Through the consultancy’s various incarnations Burton’s specialism has been sustainable design. Burton says he’s been fortunate in his career to have worked as a design engineer with some of the best architects in the UK. ‘I’ve worked with Fosters, Hopkins and Grimshaw on the design of thought-leadership buildings,’ he recalls. Burton’s portfolio reflects the consultant’s innovative approach to engineering. It includes: the first displacement ventilation system in the UK at Britannic Insurance, Birmingham; the UK’s first chilled beam installation at Molnlycke’s HQ in Dunstable; the first mixed mode at Electronic Arts HQ in Chertsey; and Defra’s Alnwick offices, which is the first zero carbon building and the first scheme to be awarded BREEAM Outstanding for its in-use performance. ‘Working with the leading architects, you appreciate how you can influence a design to produce a better building,’ he says. A key reason for the consultant’s success, according to Burton, is that it employs engineers who are prepared to look beyond the
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conventional. ‘In terms of the type of staff we employ; we look for those that will challenge the norm,’ he says. Having provided significant resources
for training, the company is safeguarding its investment (see box: School leavers’ first steps on page 38) through the capture and dissemination of this knowledge and learning. On a general level, Aecom has set up technical practice networks (TPNs). These are discipline-based global knowledge sharing networks, which include discussion forums, libraries of information, details of events, exemplar project information and webinar-based technical briefings. ‘In the mechanical group, for example, an engineer will be able to ask if anybody has had experience of using a particular type of chiller and, if they have, what issues should they be aware of in its specification,’ says Burton. Currently, he says, the UK is inputting a lot of sustainability and low energy information into these TPNs to help designers in the USA who are starting to work on low-energy schemes. Another knowledge transfer tool is Adapt,
or – to give it its full name – Aecom’s Design and productivity tool. This is available to all engineering staff. It’s a directory of good design information for things such as: what to
January 2013 CIBSE Journal 33
Working with the leading architects, you appreciate how you can influence a design to produce a better building Mike Burton
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