Alex Hill: WSP graduate

During college I gained work experience at a large, multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, and helped out in the architectural, structural and building services departments. I enjoyed the building services department most and, after college, I was offered a trainee electrical engineer position. I was given the opportunity to study part time for an HNC in electrical engineering, and then decided to study full time for a degree in building services engineering.

As a mechanical engineer, I’m involved in the mechanical aspects of buildings: heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Structural engineers make a building stand up, but I make it a comfortable place to work, play or live in. It’s a mathematical job but computers can do most of the calculations and I use AutoCAD software to create my designs. I have to be able to pull ideas together, size, design and specify the plant used within the building, and advise the structural engineer and architect on sizes, weights and locations of plant.

Currently, I’m heavily involved in a large hospital development near Stoke. It’s at the design stage so I’m preparing specifications, calculations and drawings, and finding manufacturers for equipment. We’re using techniques such as natural ventilation: using fans is expensive in terms of energy usage and cost so it makes sense to use natural ventilation wherever possible. I’m also involved in large and small office projects and various retail developments. I tend to work on several projects at the same time – the mixture of work keeps it interesting. I enjoy seeing a project through from start to finish.

One of my highlights was spending a week in Los Angeles. We had a week-long design workshop with a team of architects, discussing ideas for a project in Delhi, India. I recently joined my organisation’s ‘Taskforce UK’, a group of 12 career professionals from different parts of the UK business creating ideas for ways to improve and strengthen our brand. I travel to offices throughout the UK, and recently spent a week visiting various offices in Scandinavia.

It’s essential to be able to understand and be sympathetic to other people’s needs. The architects usually have a clear idea of what they want, but it’s sometimes not practical so we have to negotiate. For instance, an architect might want a clear-glazed building, but that means it would get incredibly hot as it’s like a greenhouse – so lots of cooling plant would be required to maintain a comfortable building. As engineers, we have to find a balance. As I’ve become more involved in meetings, I have learned that presenting yourself is a skill in itself. It’s also important to know what you want to achieve from a meeting before it starts.