Building Services Engineering
Building services engineering is the discipline concerned with the design, installation, and management of the mechanical and electrical systems that make buildings function, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, electrical power and lighting, water and drainage, fire safety systems, lifts, and increasingly the smart building technologies that monitor and control these systems in real time. It is a discipline of growing importance as the drive to reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of the built environment has placed ever greater demands on the ingenuity and technical knowledge of building services engineers.
At London South Bank University, this part-time programme takes students who have already completed the equivalent of a first year of engineering study and builds on that foundation with specialist content in building services systems, their design, performance analysis, and integration into building projects. You will study thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, electrical systems, environmental control, sustainability, building information modelling, and the design processes that building services engineers use to specify and deliver complex technical installations. The part-time mode makes this accessible to people who are already working in the construction or building services industry and want to formalise and extend their technical knowledge with a degree-level qualification, which is a common profile for students entering at year two.
Building services engineering graduates work as mechanical, electrical, or integrated building services engineers in consulting practices, contractors, client organisations, and facilities management companies. The profession is central to the delivery of sustainable buildings and has strong employment prospects driven by both the volume of construction activity and the technical complexity of energy-efficient and net-zero building design. Chartership with professional bodies such as the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers is a common goal.
Further study at postgraduate level is also an option for those seeking specialist expertise or research careers.