BSD Careers special: working abroad

Who hasn’t dreamt of leaving the cold gloom of a British February for a career somewhere hot and sunny? This year, with the UK market looking bleak, there’s an added impetus to seek your fortune elsewhere. Fortunately, there’s never been a better time to be an engineer specialising in sustainability. The recession may be global but there are some markets relatively unscathed by the financial fallout, where governments and clients are increasingly willing to spend money to minimise the environmental impact of their buildings.

If you’re considering a move overseas, a good first step is to see where bodies similar to the UK Green Building Council have been set up or are planned. There are established councils in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the US, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, the UAE, Germany, India, Brazil and Mexico. Argentina, Columbia, Poland, Vietnam, Romania, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain are in the process of setting them up.

The UK has been at the forefront of research into green building techniques, and our engineering expertise is respected around the world – in fact, sustainability engineers may find they enjoy a higher status on projects overseas and have a much greater opportunity to make a difference than they do at home.

Appetite for experimentation

Max Fordham senior partner Bill Watts believes engineers are one of the UK’s strongest exports. “We’ve done some very innovative buildings in this country and we’ve learnt a hell of a lot from them. There’s a much bigger range of buildings in the UK than other places, and a greater appetite for experimentation,” he says. “People are looking to Europe and the UK in particular for engineering expertise in sustainability.”

Andy McNab, head of sustainability at Scott Wilson, who has worked all over the world, agrees. “I think the opportunities are only going to grow,” he says. “I know we get depressed here and say people are going to stop thinking about sustainability, but there are drivers in other parts of the world that make this a good area to be in still.”

In China, for example, a vast potential market, McNab says the government has suddenly got the bit between its teeth. “They do talk about things for a long time, but if they decide they’re going to do something, they do it very rapidly. In China, if they decide they like an idea, they’ll implement it tomorrow. That’s tremendously exciting.”

He adds wryly: “There is a real opportunity in working in less democratic countries to achieve things very quickly.”

Plans for “eco-cities” are afoot in several of the Middle Eastern states, notably Abu Dhabi. The government’s Masdar Initiative includes plans for a 6km2 zero-carbon, zero-waste eco-city near the international airport, designed by Foster + Partners.

“A number of the Arab states are beginning to think seriously about a post-oil-rich world,” McNab says. “Abu Dhabi is experimenting with other technologies, particularly energy but also building in order to be prepared to have another string to their bow. They have the money to invest so can afford to do some experimenting.”

He also mentions Qatar as particularly forward thinking – it has the largest per capita carbon footprint in the world but, with the highest GDP per capita, it also the money to do something about it. “There’s a certain amount of moral pressure on them as well.”

McNab also tips the Indian market as ripe for expansion, though he admits this is a bit of a wildcard. Scott Wilson is working on a vast regional planning project to develop manufacturing exports in the area between Delhi and Mumbai. “At the moment, green issues do not feature highly in India at all,” he says. “But I think India will come through the world recession better than anywhere else – it’s got a high growth rate and an articulate and moneyed population, the largest middle class in the world. They may say, ‘if China and Abu Dhabi are going to have an eco-city, we’ll have one too’. They do like to see themselves as a world power.”

McNab has already picked up signs of a sea-change. “Two months ago, there was very little reference to sustainability. Talking now with clients, it’s coming much higher up their agenda. We’re talking about a sustainability appraisal rather than an environmental assessment, and they’re saying ‘that’s interesting’. There are 24 growth areas and we suggested maybe some of those should be looking at a more sustainable, ecological form of development. They haven’t agreed yet but the fact that they’re entertaining it…”

We want people who know about energy modelling. That’s a very scarce resource in South Africa. If there are any modellers out there, we would take one or two tomorrow

Another market ripe for an influx of UK engineers is South Africa. Its foreign exchange controls meant its banks weren’t so entwined in the web of bad credit that has brought down financial institutions around the world, leaving it relatively cushioned from the global downturn. South Africa’s Green Building Council was formed last year and in November, it launched Green Star SA, based on the Australian green building standard.

“Up until then, there was no rating tool so sustainability had a low degree of prominence,” says Andrew Mather, managing director of WSP in South Africa. Major power shortages in January last year and a slew of government targets on power reduction have made a dramatic difference in a short space of time. “It’s at an early stage but there’s a big drive to make it happen, the market is pushing hard to get green buildings.”

The opportunity for UK engineers lies in the fact that only a handful of local firms can provide the necessary skills. “South Africa has very strong building service engineers, but not many have specific experience in sustainable building design,” says Mather. He is recruiting right now: “We want people who know about chilled beam systems, variable volume air-conditioning systems, energy efficient lighting design and energy modelling. That’s a very scarce resource in South Africa. If there are any modellers out there, we would take one or two tomorrow.”

One potential drawback for UK engineers is the salary differential – typically a 30% drop, although Mather points out that living costs are proportionally less too. “In the end you’re not going to be worse off. The climate’s the best in the world – and we’re beating the Aussies at cricket.”

What could also soften the blow is the drop in the value of the pound – Mather says there used to be 20 rand to the pound, but now it’s closer to 15. Sterling’s weakness may be bad news if you’re planning a holiday in the euro zone, but it’s an excellent reason to seek your salary in a different currency.

It’s not only UK manufacturers whose exports may benefit from the exchange rate – consultants too are finding their fees more attractive to overseas clients. “It’s a lot easier to sell our skills now,” says Max Fordham’s Bill Watts. “As a UK consultant, you always need to show there are very clear advantages to having you there because you’re bound to be more expensive than indigenous engineers.”

Globetrotting engineers often have to demonstrate a more rounded set of skills than you would need in the UK, and be able to take on duties that here might fall to other members of the project team. For example, in Australia building services engineers put together all the services cost estimates, where in the UK they’d leave it to the QS.

“In many ways it’s good because it forces you to think about what the design is costing at each stage,” says Dave Clark, partner at Cundall, who’s just returned from a 14-year stint in Melbourne, during which he helped to set up the green star standard. He recommends that sustainability engineers considering emigration should have at least three years’ experience and a thorough grounding not only in their own specialism but in the way it fits with others: “Too many engineers just focus on one discipline,” he says.

Australia is another market that’s not suffered too badly in the recent downturn. Clark says the government is investing heavily in PFI schools and hospitals, and sustainability engineers enjoy a much higher status. “ESD – environmental, sustainability and design – consultants play a much more prominent role at the start of projects. It’s a defined role on government schemes – all hospital projects in Victoria, for example, have an ESD consultant as a separate engagement as part of the design team.”

Of course, the climatic conditions and the engineering solutions will be very different to the UK, although the basic principles still apply. In hotter countries, green building is more about reducing air-conditioning and conserving water than keeping heat in.

Clark says it’s very rare for Australian buildings to have double-glazing – shading is far more important – and because the country has been hit by drought for the last seven years, water conservation is a top priority.

“If you’ve spent your life doing schools in the UK, doing one in Dubai is very different,” agrees Watts. “There are some things that do transfer like use of daylight, internal spaces and acoustics, but everything to do with climate is completely different. The way you treat external spaces and the amount of external space, for example.”

There are also different social expectations, such as the separation of men and women, and it’s a good idea to swot up on local historic forms and streetscapes. Arab populations may have taken to air-conditioned glass skyscrapers with startling alacrity, but the drive for low-energy buildings has prompted designers to revisit traditional cooling features such as wind-towers and narrow streets oriented to maximise breezes.

It’s a very short window of opportunity. They’ve certainly got very good m&e engineers in the Far East, but so far they haven’t had the market pressure to think about sustainability

Technicalities aside, engineers may also have to play more of a customer-facing role. Hoare Lea opened an office in Abu Dhabi last year, and head of recruitment Natasha Cragg says she looks for employees who are able to represent the firm at the highest level.

“It’s important they can manage clients and the projects through other offices wherever they might be. International working may suit some individuals more than others – being self-motivated, adaptable and tolerant of other cultures and ways of doing things is essential,” she says. “Integrating in a completely new environment where you don’t know anyone can be tough, and so someone who is willing to get involved and wants to get out and meet new people will make the best of the opportunity.”

One major difference UK engineers will face working abroad is the motivation of clients. In the UK the adoption of sustainability measures has been driven largely by legislation. In countries without such legislation, a pragmatic approach may work. In China, for example, McNab says clients are looking for an economic rationale – and may need a bit more of a nudge to go for it.

“They’re looking to enhance the value of buildings and reduce management and maintenance costs. Engineers have more of a persuasive role. Sometimes engineers pride themselves on being able to deliver on the client’s brief. But actually, in relation to the sustainability agenda, you have to go a bit further and make your client aware of things that they can do, things that are in addition to just meeting the brief.”

It’s another culture

And of course, there are also the cultural differences. “In China, you don’t assume anything,” McNab says. “The Chinese do think in a different way, there’s no simpler way of putting it.”

He recalls an example from the early days of working with a Chinese client. He suggested one solution, which was knocked back, so he offered something else. “They said ‘hang on – what is correct? Before you said we should do this’. It’s very different to the whole lateral-thinking English thing where you find a way through.”

Watts warns that UK engineers may struggle to understand local aspirations – wealthier people in hot countries often prize US standards of comfort. “That means pretty much directly high energy. For some areas, that doesn’t matter – in the Gulf, they’ve got plenty of it. In the past six months, that’s completely changed at government level, but the general population expect places to be cooled to 19C, which is really far too cold.

“The US is changing pretty quickly, and we never had that aspiration in the UK anyway, but in a way that’s quite dangerous as you might come across as having no sympathy for what they aspire to.”

The other warning Watts gives is one of urgency. “It’s a very short window of opportunity. They’ve certainly got very good mechanical and electrical engineers in the Far East, but so far they haven’t had the market pressure to think about sustainability.

“They’ll learn though, so you have to keep ahead of the game, and keep adding new things so you’ve always got something new to teach people.”

Foreign clients and construction teams will learn fast – the message is, if you want to go, go now.