Engineers Never Stop Asking Questions

The simple question every engineer should be willing to ask: Why are we doing it this way?

The judgement and experience accrued over years of project delivery comes from seeing what works, understanding what can go wrong, and knowing how decisions made early in design can affect a building long after handover and being open to new client needs, new ways of delivering them, new standards, new technologies, diversity of thought and approach. 

As Thomas puts it:

"When you're new, you have the licence to ask why. I've seen a few different ways of doing something. Is there another approach? Even if the answer is no, you've learned something."

Sustainability is no longer a separate consideration or a late-stage ambition. For Holly, one of the biggest surprises since entering the industry has been how early it shapes the design process.

"The first thing I ask on a new project is, what are we designing to? Is there LEED? Is there BREEAM? It's so important from the get-go."

That is a different reality to the one many seasoned engineers may have expected when they were studying.

University provides the fundamentals but live projects bring those principles into contact with commercial expectations, certification requirements, programme constraints, client decisions and the realities of existing buildings.

Thomas describes sustainability in college as more surface level. On live projects, the detail becomes far more real.

"You don't quite grasp how much goes into those certifications until you're working on live projects. There are so many considerations that you just don't appreciate in college."

"It's a culture shock, but in a good way. It should be changing. That's the fun part of engineering. It would get boring if it was the same thing every time."

The next generation of engineers is entering a profession where the answers keep evolving.

That is particularly true across sustainability, digital design and building performance.

Software is improving. Models are becoming more data-rich. Buildings are producing and collecting more information than ever before. The opportunity now is not simply to collect more data, but to understand how that data can improve design, operation and performance.

Thomas sees real potential in using building data more intelligently.

"We have all this information from buildings now, that's where technology could have a big impact, taking that data and giving us something we can actually use to make the building even more efficient."

That kind of thinking is valuable because they are often willing to question whether the existing way is still the best way.

The strongest engineering teams combine curiosity with judgement., creativity with rigour. Fresh thinking might ask whether a calculation can be approached differently, whether plant can be sized more efficiently, whether a system could be simpler, or whether a design assumption still holds.

Experience helps test where theory meets reality. It understands risk. It knows when a margin is necessary and when it is simply habit. It also knows how to communicate technical decisions in a way that gives clients confidence.

For Thomas, that has been one of the biggest lessons from working with experienced engineers.

"The directors are brilliant at taking something technical and explaining it in a way that clients understand. That's something I've learned just by watching them."

The design matters. So does the ability to bring the client, architect, contractor and wider team with you.

Holly has seen that same value in the way experienced engineers translate knowledge.

"You come in and think, how does all of that stay in their head? But they're brilliant at explaining it in a way that makes sense. They'll relate it back to something you've already experienced, and suddenly it clicks."

That is how experience gets passed on - through conversation.

A quick question across the office. A discussion with the sustainability team. A second opinion from a senior engineer. A call with a manufacturer. A CPD session that opens up a new way of looking at a problem.

No engineer knows everything, but they need to know where to find the answer.

That is why collaboration matters so much in engineering. Mechanical, electrical and sustainability decisions are connected. A change in one discipline affects another. The earlier those conversations happen, the better the outcome.

For Holly, being able to ask a question quickly can change the direction of a design discussion.

"It's handy just to turn to someone and ask a quick question. Sometimes that starts a bigger conversation, and that's where you find the best solution."

That is where younger engineers can contribute early.

They may not have decades of experience, but they can bring research, curiosity, digital confidence and a willingness to dig into detail.

Holly has already found that in her own work, particularly around sprinkler specifications and the importance of getting technical requirements right from the outset.

"I've done a lot of work trying to learn it, and now people come to me with questions. I might not have every answer, but I can usually point them in the right direction."

It is about knowing the responsibility of the work, asking the right people, checking the right standards and understanding that good engineering is rarely done in isolation.

Thomas described a similar experience when reviewing hot water calculations on a project where the original allowance did not appear sufficient.

He worked through the calculations, discussed the approach with senior engineers, tested the options and reached a position the team could stand over.

"As a junior engineer, it can be hard to hold firm on something. But when you've worked it through with senior engineers, you have the confidence to go back with the answer."

That is the value of combining experience with fresh thinking.

Looking ahead, the qualities that make a great engineer will continue to evolve. Technical knowledge will always matter. Software skills will matter. Understanding sustainability, data and building performance will matter.

But Holly and Thomas both came back to something simpler.

Keep learning.

Keep asking.

Stay curious.

"Keep asking questions. If you come across something you don't know, go and figure it out. Every project teaches you something you'll use again."

And as Holly puts it:

"It's the willingness to keep learning. You can't think, I know this because I've done it before. Engineering will keep changing, so you have to keep changing too."

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