Building Environmental Systems Engineering involves the design of the systems that control the environment of the building, including thermal comfort, indoor air quality, illumination, and acoustics. Building Environmental Systems engineers specialize in the design of heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, refrigeration, plumbing, fire protection, lighting, and acoustics and noise-reduction systems. They use analytical and numerical techniques to predict behavior of building mechanical and electrical systems to minimize total energy consumption while proving an appropriate environment in the building. Given that Americans, on average, spend 95% of their time in buildings, and that buildings are responsible for 30-40% of total energy use, and building environmental systems represent 20 – 60% of the construction costs of a typical commercial building, architectural engineers with specialization in Building Environmental Systems have the opportunity to have an enormous impact in the construction and operation of buildings. Engineers who specialize in Building Environmental Systems are integral parts of building design, construction, and forensics teams. They closely work with architects, industrial hygienists, façade engineers, structural engineers, and other building professionals to provide optimal integration of environmental systems with other building systems.
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