Engineers in the Building Sector

1. MECH1010 – Engineer in Society http://www.hku.hk/bse/mech1010/ Engineers in the Building Sector Dr. Sam C M Hui Department of Mechanical Engineering The University of Hong Kong E-mail: cmhui@hku.hk Mar 2008

2. Engineers in the Building Sector • Three main routes in construction career: • Graduate (degree)  our BEng graduates • Technical (sub-degree/apprenticeship) • Craft (apprenticeship) • Common types of engineers • Building Services Engineer • Civil Engineer • Electrical Engineer • Mechanical Engineer • Structural Engineer

3. Engineers in the Building Sector • Typical job titles: • Building services engineer/coordinator • Consulting/design/project engineer • Facility or building engineer • M/E (mechanical/electrical) engineer • Project manager • Sales engineer • Web link: http://hk.careers.yahoo.com/ • Search for jobs in Building and Construction Industry

4. Engineers in the Building Sector • Employers: • Private companies, such as • Consulting and contracting firms • Construction companies • Equipment manufacturers and suppliers • Building developers and owners • Facility and property management companies • Government departments • Quasi-government bodies, such as power, utilities, and transport companies

5. Can I work in the building sector?

6. Engineers in the Building Sector • Skills required • Organizational • Analytical • Technical • Problem solving • Communication (interpersonal) • Creative design • Drawing

7. Engineers in the Building Sector • Main aspects of the work • Understanding and using physics • Using mathematics to solve technical or scientific problems • Learning about buildings, roads etc and how they are built • Analytical ability to understand and solve challenging problems

8. Engineers in the Building Sector • Related parties: • Clients, developer, building owner • Architect • Builder (main contractor) • Interior designer • Quantity surveyor • Urban designers/planners • Sub-contractors • Suppliers

9. Organisation structure of building projects

10. Building design is a team work.

12. Engineers in the Building Sector • Teams: enable people to pool knowledge, understanding, skills and responsibility • Teams within a single organisation • Teams formed by different bodies • Teams in the construction industry: made up of many different companies and people which have competing needs and interests • How to integrate their knowledge & skills?

13. Engineers in the Building Sector • Features of teams in the construction industry • Temporary • Knowledge and skill is fragmented • Constituent firms are in different locations • They have different cultures and priorities • Different people in the firms are involved at different times • Often these firms become involved in the project at different times

14. How can I be successful in the building sector?

15. Engineers in the Building Sector • Five main issues to consider: • Technology (科技) – technical knowhow • Codes (規範) – laws and regulations • Safety (安全) – proactive in safety management • Environment (環境) – environmental protection • Ethics (道德) – to act honestly and with integrity

16. Engineers in the Building Sector • Technology (科技) – technical knowhow • Suitable qualifications, such as • BEng in an appropriate discipline • Corporate membership of professional institutes, e.g. HKIE, ASHRAE, CIBSE, IMechE, IEE or IET • Working experience • Actual project design & management (preferably with some specialist skills) • Upgrade yourself continuously (life-long learning) • Acquire other skills e.g. management & finance

17. Engineers in the Building Sector • Codes (規範) – laws and regulations • Typical government legislative documents • Building Ordinance (Laws of HK, CAP 123) • Related regulations (e.g. electrical, fire, structural) • Code of practice • Industrial standards (e.g. British Standards) • Rules from utilities companies, e.g. electricity & towngas

18. Engineers in the Building Sector • Safety (安全) – proactive in safety management • It is extremely important to prevent or minimise accidents (on you or others) • Occupational health and safety matters • Basic safety training, such as Construction Safety Green Card

20. Industrial accidents in the construction industry (Hong Kong) What is the most important reason for the fatal accidents? (Source: Labour Department, 2005. Accidents in the Construction Industry of Hong Kong (2000-2004))

21. Fatal industrial accidents resulted from “Fall of Person from Height” in the construction industry (2000-2004) (Source: Labour Department, 2005. Accidents in the Construction Industry of Hong Kong (2000-2004))

22. Breakdown of fatal industrial accidents resulted from “Fall of Person from Height” in the construction industry (2000-2004) (Source: Labour Department, 2005. Accidents in the Construction Industry of Hong Kong (2000-2004))

23. Engineers in the Building Sector • Environment (環境) – environmental protection • Green construction and sustainable building design (to reduce environmental impacts) • Enhance the performance and quality of buildings

24. Engineers in the Building Sector • Ethics (道德) – to act honestly and with integrity • Anti-corruption and prevention of bribery, e.g. • Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) • Abuse of official power for personal gain • Consequences of corruption in the construction field are severe • Poor quality of construction would cause accidents and endanger human life • Reputation will be affected too

25. Some knowledge of building design is useful for everybody.

26. Engineers in the Building Sector • Buildings provide the environment and facilities to support our living, working, studying, etc. • Purchase of a flat or house is probably the most expensive single item for a person • Building design can determine many of the operation costs and environmental impacts of a business or an organisation

27. Engineers in the Building Sector • Challenges involved in designing and constructing different types of buildings • Understand the client’s requirements • Work within regulations and site constraints • Achieve tasks by budget and time • Be cost effective and environmentally sound • Care about building users and neighbourhoods

28. Engineers in the Building Sector • Video presentation: Look and Learn: Buildings (16 min.) [av 725 B93 VHS] • Buildings designed for special purposes • Supermarket • Fire station • Motorway service station • Football stadium • Police station • Show how they meet the needs of a varied assortment of people who use them

29. Engineers in the Building Sector • Major design considerations • Purpose, location, building materials, interior arrangement, accessibility, parking, environment, safety, comfort/convenience, storage, security, access for handicapped, building space, and provision for the staff • Could you identify and analyse the key points for the buildings that you live/work in or visited before?

30. Homework Assignment • Can be found on the course website • http://www.hku.hk/bse/mech1010/assign.htm • There are 5 questions for our topics • Forms the in-course assessment • Please submit your answer in MS Word or PDF format to Dr. Sam Hui at email “cmhui@hku.hk” on or before Monday, 14 April 2008.