I'm a building physicist at Whitby Bird & Partners. I work with architects and engineers to help design low-energy buildings.
Where do you fit into the construction process?
I get involved at the concept design stage. Low-energy design principles have to be incorporated into plans from the beginning to produce the most effective results.
How can you save energy in a building?
A building physicist shows how solar energy can be stored in the fabric of a building for release later in the day or at night. This helps cut down on heating bills. I build a model that the client can view before deciding whether to incorporate the energy-saving features into the structure.
Describe a typical day
After cycling to work, I shower and change, get to my desk and start reading my e-mails. We usually have a design team meeting – I work in a team of four building physicists – to catch up on who's working on which projects. Then I might need to prepare some competition documents. Quite a lot of my time is spent on computer modelling, but sometimes I go out and visit buildings to observe how people use them, to make sure my ideas are practical.
A newer area of the job is monitoring existing buildings for their energy performance. We use a modem that we link to the building management system to measure how much energy is used. We take the data away, analyse it and recommend where energy savings can be made.
What gives you a buzz in your job?
I like the variety. I work on lots of different projects because the work tends to be in small packages. I've worked on more than 50 projects in three years. There can't be many engineers who have done that. But the best thing about the job is when you help design an energy-efficient building that people love to work in. We worked on a building for Oxford Instruments in Abingdon last year and the staff say they love it. Because it's naturally ventilated, it gives people a sense of control – they can open the window instead of shutting out the environment.
What frustrates you about the job?
A lot of people in the industry pay lip service to environmental issues but don't want to take them into consideration when it comes down to bricks and mortar. That can be quite frustrating. Also, most people don't know what we do and think a building physicist is a techie nerd or a rocket scientist.
How do you switch off after work?
Cycling home takes your mind off work. I also belong to a canoe club. We go away for weekends to canoe on rivers in Wales and Devon. Shooting rapids is definitely stress-busting.
Why did you become a building physicist?
I wanted to use physics but also do something that was good for the soul. I thought doing something environmental would make a useful contribution to society. I decided to do an MSc at Strathclyde University because it specialises in computer models of low-energy buildings, and that's what I was interested in.
What's your ideal alternative career?
I'd like to be designing solar cookers in Tanzania. I've heard of charities that promote them out there because they're simple and cheap, and it means people don't have to cut down trees to cook on a fire.
