Senior Engineer
We are currently employed by Shell to carry out a complete overhaul and refurbishment of part of its UK headquarters. The campus comprises four buildings with the main Tower standing 26-storeys high, overlooking the House of Lords and set back from The London Eye. On a clear day from the viewing gallery, you can see as far as Wembley Stadium. The Shell Centre is a landmark along the Thames and has an area of circa 1.4 million square feet. It contains a full size swimming pool, four squash courts, an indoor sports hall, a billiards room and a theatre - the list goes on…
I, age 27, am the lead electrical engineer governing every aspect of the electrical design for this project. Until two months ago, I had two engineers working for me in the preparation of the design drawings and specification for the project. This work took us a year to produce and was carried out in stages. The project is now in the construction phase and that means my role has changed from designing to facilitating the smooth operation of the electrical installation by the contractors.
On a day-to-day basis, I spend some 2-3 hours meeting with contractors, architects, quantity surveyors or the client. At the meetings, we resolve abnormalities uncovered on site or discuss the programme. This includes brainstorming ideas and solutions to various queries ultimately trying to keep the project moving on programme and within the client's cost constraints. The rest of the day will be spent responding to actions from previous meetings, updating drawings with current information, reviewing sample finishes proposed for the building, and assisting the sub-contractors with any technical queries.