Engineers challenged to consider broader impacts on society and environment

According to Fiona Cousins, President of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), building services engineers should expand their focus to include social and environmental concerns.

Speaking on the “Behind the Built Environment” podcast hosted by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), Cousins urged the engineering community to “lift their eyes to the horizon” and account for factors such as social needs, biodiversity, and embodied carbon.

Cousins noted that as the electrical grid decarbonises, energy efficiency becomes relatively less critical, shifting focus to other engineering questions.

She told BESA CEO David Frise that engineers are skilled at solving problems but often define these problems based on past needs.

Cousins emphasised that today’s clients increasingly seek decarbonised solutions, a trend that has grown significantly in recent years.

Grenfell Tower tragedy highlights need for broader perspective

Cousins also addressed safety concerns underscored by the Grenfell Tower tragedy, advocating for a more comprehensive approach to building design.

She noted that cost-cutting contributed to the tragedy, as involved parties were not fully aware of external risks.

She explained: “What is the bigger problem that we’re trying to solve? Where is the value? Some of those broader criteria, whether it’s safety or climate change or society, are all about…how do I make a safe building that contributes to climate change mitigation?”

As both a director and Americas region chair at global engineering firm Arup, Cousins urged industry leaders to consider design goals that include carbon neutrality, affordability, and environmental restoration from the outset of projects.

Advocating a ‘whole life’ value approach to building

Cousins recommended adopting a “whole life” value perspective, assessing building projects based on societal contributions rather than only financial costs.

She highlighted design features that could provide communal benefits, such as buildings that improve street security or offer multi-purpose spaces.

According to Cousins, integrating these considerations from the project’s beginning can make them foundational rather than additional.

“If you can bake those things in at the…very beginning of design and say, actually, this project will be successful if it’s more than just on time and on budget, then those things begin to permeate all the way through,” Cousins explained.

Skills and understanding essential for integrated, sustainable buildings

Cousins emphasised the importance of skills that enable engineers to understand how entire buildings operate, rather than simply maintaining individual systems.

She explained that value engineering has often been narrowly focused on cost-cutting, yet a more integrated understanding would shift priorities.

“If everything is…integrated…you’re not going to suddenly say, well, the heat pump is more expensive than the chiller would have been,” she stated.

In her recent CIBSE Presidential address, Cousins called for “reimagining” building performance to allow engineers to address broader social concerns, such as health, wellbeing, and productivity.

She encouraged BESA and CIBSE to work together to enhance public awareness of the benefits provided by building services engineering in everyday life.

CIBSE president calls for building engineers to prioritise sustainability and social impact: Summary

Fiona Cousins, President of CIBSE, has called for building services engineers to expand their focus, integrating social and environmental considerations into their work.

Speaking on BESA’s “Behind the Built Environment” podcast, Cousins advocated for a more comprehensive engineering approach, which addresses decarbonisation, safety, and social value in building design.

She linked the Grenfell Tower incident to narrow cost-cutting priorities, arguing that engineers must consider wider impacts on society and the environment.

Cousins also urged the adoption of a “whole life” value perspective and called for more integrated building systems to foster sustainable and adaptable structures.

Her call included a focus on skills development and public awareness, aiming to highlight the broad benefits of building services engineering.