5 minutes with...

Paul Eslinger FCABE C.Build E, Director of the Wessex Environmental Partnership Ltd, on what he has learned.

Q What was your route into the profession? 

I began a five-year apprenticeship as a technician but switched to an engineer path. I had to work my way through to my degree on day and block release while working full time. After a 12-year educational journey, I was commissioning a 350,000sq ft office building while sitting my final exams at South Bank Polytechnic.

Q What are the current challenges of your role?

I have been fortunate to support a client in the West End of London in managing their property portfolio for the best part of a decade. Initially our approach was very light and focused largely on aesthetics, but in properties that are circa 100 years old there are deeper issues.

The buildings that were purchased were in varying conditions – we identified the largest issues and dealt with these progressively. With growing focus on the need to reduce the carbon footprint, we moved from traditional boilers to VRV/VRF heat pumps. This is not without challenges because of building age and the surrounding utility infrastructure – power is a big issue, water pressures are reducing (requiring mechanical interventions) and telecom struggles to keep pace.

Financial institutions now demand developers and building owners show evidence that they are aware of their environmental, social and governance role. So my challenge is to support my clients designing the building services to understand their duties in law, regulation and social responsibilities – and grow this into a long-term business model.

Q What question do you get asked most often?

In building services, most clients are trying to find the answer to how to achieve comfort for the least cost. It’s difficult to define comfort as we are all different, and more difficult to assess cost. Capital costs can be measured easily, replacement costs can be estimated and running costs can be modelled, and here starts the challenge.

For a running cost to be accurate it needs to model the space as it will be used, obviously. But do we run the lights from 9am to 5pm, or do some people arrive early and others leave late? Is the heating set to 20oC and cooling to 24oC, or do people adjust this for their comfort? How much power will our IT draw? Each decision and variation impacts the ability of the forecast to reflect reality. Client discussions focus on understanding the parameters of the issue.

Q What is the biggest challenge facing the profession, in your opinion?

CPD – we work in an ever-changing environment of legal, regulatory and technical requirements. I know that what I was taught 30 years ago will have evolved. To protect my clients and myself, I need to seek out new approaches and information.

Q What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?

Construction is very fond of compartmentalising knowledge and skills. This is important for each element to be optimised and to understand the impact of minor discrepancies. During my degree, we were asked, what difference would a 5% change in glazing make? What if the window and sun altitude were changed by 1o? We were challenged to find the threshold where elements became critical, to acknowledge error in our processes and to understand where impact was critical.

As a building engineer it is important to understand the relations and basic workings of many elements. More importantly, know what you know, know when you need to ask questions and listen to the answers.