Building services engineering

What is Building Services?

Below is the description of building services given by CIBSE on their website:

"Imagine yourself in the most fabulous building in the world. Now take away the lighting, heating and ventilation, the lifts and escalators, acoustics, plumbing, power supply and energy management systems, the security and safety systems...and you are left with a cold, dark, uninhabitable shell.

Everything inside a building which makes it safe and comfortable to be in comes under the title of 'Building services'. A building must do what it was designed to do - not just provide shelter but also be an environment where people can live, work and achieve.

Building services are what makes a building come to life. They include:

• energy supply - gas , electricity and renewable sources
• heating and air conditioning
• water , drainage and plumbing
• natural and artificial lighting, and building facades
• escalators and lifts
• ventilation and refrigeration
• communication lines, telephones and IT networks
• security and alarm systems
• fire detection and protection

In every place that you see these services...building services engineers have designed, installed and maintain them in working order. Imagine the air filtration systems you'd need in a forensic laboratory. The heating controls in a special care baby unit? How to control bacteria and humidity in an operating theatre? What about security systems at the headquarters of MI5? Lighting the new Wembley Stadium? Coping with a power cut in a 45 storey office block? This is everyday work for a building services engineer."

• Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (UK Professional Institution)
• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (US Professional Institution)