CAREERS GUIDE RIO 2016 OLYMPICS
Building services engineers’ world view It is a demanding role though. She says: ‘I
started working on Rio at the start of 2012 and given the size and scale of the venue, it’s been pretty fast-track from day one.’ The Tennis Centre features three main stadiums: the 10,000-seat centre court, which will be decreased to 6,500 seats after the Games; plus two temporary venues of 5,000 and 3,000 seats respectively. There are a further seven match courts and six external practice courts during games mode. At the moment, Negus is thrashing out the
fi nal concept design, a stage known as design stage C. ‘We have strict time, budget and planning constraints,’ says Negus. ‘We absolutely have to deliver in time for 2016. Unlike other projects, where things might be more fl exible, this deadline is immovable. We also have to constantly keep the budget in mind – funding levels are set at the onset and an overspend could require additional funding.’ Negus must juggle all this with sustainability.
‘We also have to meet increasingly stringent energy targets.’ According to Negus, the ability to cooperate
www.cibsejournal.com
with other disciplines is essential: ‘As we develop the design it’s often an iterative process, working closely with the architects and other engineers. So you have to maintain the fl ow of information so everyone is aware of the changes being made to the design.’ Some of this communication is long distance. Although Negus will visit Brazil in due course, she is based in Aecom’s St Albans offi ce, while some of her colleagues are in Rio. But Negus does not see this as a drawback: ‘It’s great to learn how people do things in other countries, particularly the engineering solutions they adopt due to local conditions, such as fuel prices.’ Negus has learned, for example, that, in Brazil,
solar thermal power is routinely used to boost hot water provision. ‘So we are using it but it’s different in Brazil compared to the UK because you have a much higher yield due to the intensity of the sun.’
Making a difference One of the exciting things about being a building services engineer is that they are uniquely positioned to make the built environment more sustainable. Negus says: ‘Building services are often hidden, but as we strive towards carbon neutral buildings and as fuel prices rise, building services engineers have the ability to make a positive impact on lifetime fuel use of a building and its carbon emissions.’ The construction industry is looking increasingly beyond the energy that buildings consume while they are occupied. The focus is expanding to the energy used to make, transport, install and eventually uninstall building products. This ‘cradle to grave’ assessment means building services engineers are again
taking on an ever more critical role, says Negus. By specifying the right products at the start
of the project, building services engineers can improve the lifetime performance of the built environment, she says. ‘They also set the scene for future building adaptability to suit changing market conditions and end-user requirements.’ In Rio, this holistic approach encompasses
the legacy use of venues. Although seven of the venues will be temporary, nine will remain after the Games. Negus says: ‘Legacy is an integral part of Aecom’s design planning process. Stadia, when designed well, should last for decades and be suitably adaptable for future use so that they can continue to benefi t the local area,’ says Negus. Around 70% of the infrastructure built for Rio 2016 is expected to be used after the event, with planned regeneration to include housing and commercial development. The potential to travel is one of the things
Negus loves about working in buildings services. ‘There’s huge potential to travel, especially with Aecom because we have so many global projects. I have worked on projects in Montenegro, Poland and Ukraine, but nothing as exotic as Brazil.’ Negus is passionate about travel and fi rst
visited Brazil during a gap year after graduating from Imperial College London with fi rst class honours in mechanical engineering (MEng) in 2005. Why did she choose building services? ‘I wanted to do something that was not quite pure science or maths, while involving both, and I like design and understanding how things work. Building services combines all these things.’ In the future, Negus is looking forward to ‘new
projects in new countries’. She adds: ‘It’s always good to work on buildings of different types and I’d love another big project to get stuck into.’
January 2013 CIBSE Journal 43
SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84