# Building services engineering

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Building_services_engineering
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Building_services_engineering.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_services_engineering
> Source revision: 1332603905
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|Professional engineering discipline}}

'''Building services engineering''' (BSE), '''building services''', '''service engineering''' or '''facilities and services planning engineering''' is a [professional engineering](/source/Regulation_and_licensure_in_engineering) discipline that strives to achieve a safe and comfortable [indoor environment](/source/Indoor_air_quality) while minimizing the [environmental impact](/source/environmental_impact) of a [building](/source/building). It is a component of [facilities management](/source/Facility_management), and plays a part in the operation and management of physical infrastructure in the [built environment](/source/built_environment).

Building services engineering can be considered a subdiscipline of ''utility engineering'', ''supply engineering'' and ''[architectural engineering](/source/architectural_engineering) (building engineering)'', which are all subsets of ''[civil engineering](/source/civil_engineering)''. 

Building services engineering encompasses the professional disciplines ''[mechanical, electrical and plumbing](/source/mechanical%2C_electrical_and_plumbing) (MEP)'', and ''technical building services'', specifically the fields of 
* [HVAC](/source/HVAC) and building related [sanitary engineering](/source/sanitary_engineering)
* [electrical engineering](/source/electrical_engineering) including [building automation](/source/building_automation) and building related [telecommunications engineering](/source/telecommunications_engineering)
* [mechanical engineering](/source/mechanical_engineering) insofar it is building related, e.g. in the construction of [elevator](/source/elevator)s

Building services engineering is related to ''[facilities engineering](/source/facilities_engineering)'' which focusses on the technical facilities of commercial and industrial buildings; and both are part of the larger field of [facilities management](/source/Facility_management) that is made up of both engineering and non-engineering sub-disciplines. 

==Professional bodies==
The two most notable professional bodies are:
* The [American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers](/source/ASHRAE) (ASHRAE) was founded in 1894.
* The British [Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers](/source/Chartered_Institution_of_Building_Services_Engineers) (CIBSE) was founded in 1976 and received a Royal Charter in the [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom), formally recognising building services engineering as a profession.

==Education==
Building services engineers typically possess an academic degree in [civil engineering](/source/civil_engineering), [architectural engineering](/source/architectural_engineering), building services engineering, [mechanical engineering](/source/mechanical_engineering) or [electrical engineering](/source/electrical_engineering). The length of study for such a degree is usually 3–4 years for a [Bachelor of Engineering](/source/Bachelor_of_Engineering) (BEng) or [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) (BSc) and 4–5 years for a [Master of Engineering](/source/Master_of_Engineering) (MEng).

In the United Kingdom, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers ([CIBSE](/source/Chartered_Institution_of_Building_Services_Engineers)) accredits university degrees in Building Services Engineering.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cibse.org/membership/accredited-courses/list-of-accredited-courses |title=Accredited Courses |publisher=CIBSE |date= |accessdate=2022-03-19}}</ref> In the United States, [ABET](/source/ABET) accredits degrees.<ref>[http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx Search All Accredited Programs] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817205746/http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx |date=2011-08-17 }}</ref>

==Building services engineering software==
Many tasks in building services engineering involve the use of engineering software, for example to design/model or draw solutions. The most common types of tool are whole building energy simulation<ref>K. Mahmud, U. Amin, M.J. Hossain, J. Ravishankar, "Computational tools for design, analysis, and management of residential energy systems", Applied Energy, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.03.111</ref> and [CAD](/source/Computer-aided_design) (traditionally 2D) or the increasingly popular [Building Information Modeling](/source/Building_Information_Modeling) (BIM) which is 3D. 3D BIM software can have integrated tools for Building Services calculations such sizing ventilation ducts or estimating noise levels. Another use of 3D/4D BIM is that empowers more informed decision making and better coordination between different disciplines, such as ['collision testing'](/source/collision_detection).

==See also==
{{Portal| Engineering}}
*[American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers](/source/American_Society_of_Heating%2C_Refrigerating_and_Air-Conditioning_Engineers)
*[Architectural engineering](/source/Architectural_engineering)
*[Building engineer](/source/Building_engineer)
*[Building Engineering Services Association](/source/Building_Engineering_Services_Association)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.ashrae.org/ ASHRAE] American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
*[http://www.b-es.org/ BESA] Building Engineering Services Association
*[http://www.bsria.co.uk/ BSRIA] The Building Services Research and Information Association
*[http://www.cibse.org/ CIBSE] Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
*[http://www.eca.co.uk/ ECA] ECA - Excellence in Electrotechnical and Engineering Services
*[http://www.modbs.co.uk/ Modern Building Services journal]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20180715010057/http://www.arca53.dsl.pipex.com/ Online Building Services Engineering Lecture Notes]
*[http://www.JNAFAU.ac.in/ India]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120408044308/http://www.fspians.com/ School of Planning and Architecture, JNA & FAU, Hyderabad, India]
{{HVAC}}
{{Academic degrees}}
{{Sustainability}}
{{Construction overview}}
{{Authority control}}

Category:Building engineering
Category:Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Building services engineering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_services_engineering) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Building_services_engineering?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.
