And save the planet. AECOM boss Steve Hodkinson, believes building services engineering can make a huge difference. Here, he talks to Paul Braithwaite about saving the planet and jobs.
AECOM's Steve Hodkinson laughs as he says it, but his eyes are deadly serious.

The managing director of Building Engineering Europe is, like all of the people I have met at AECOM, passionate about the consulting engineering company and about building services.

The rebranding of the disparately-named parts of the company into one global consulting engineer (Faber Maunsell changed its name in May 2009) has been a success.

Hodkinson's portfolio also includes leading the global business line for building engineering. (AECOM splits into seven business lines in Europe: design build; programme management; water; transportation; environment; planning, design and development; and last but not least, building engineering).

'The emphasis is now more about collaborating across the various business lines in Europe and globally. This means taking the skills, expertise and best practice, which exist in one area into other areas.'

For instance, if the company is working on the design of a hospital in Hong Kong and the UK arm has recently collaborated on one in the UK, then that experience will be extensively drawn upon. But it also means: 'AECOM wants to be consistent in the way it provides its services across the globe'.

It is going to take time, he adds. 'I do not expect consistency in providing services to happen tomorrow in building services engineering. Neither do the other global leaders, but we are working towards this goal'.

But what AECOM cannot afford to lose is its local face, 'which is absolutely crucial'.
'Local business which focuses on local markets has historically been the strength of AECOM.'
He obviously does not want to lose this local interface, but 'there are big prizes to be gained from consistency from a technical point of view'.

Each discipline has a technical council and there are representatives on that council from each of the regions.

But is AECOM in danger of becoming too bureaucratic and losing the local touch?
'Local markets do things their way and much of this is to do with local conditions, particularly with M&E design. For instance, in areas of high humidity such as the middle east and far east, air/water systems are probably not the right solutions because of the condensation risks.

'Local solutions are very important. However, at the same time we want to make sure that, for instance, CAD platforms and Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems are consistent across the whole business so that we can share work effectively.'

Hodkinson says that the European business has been through a number of significant changes, but the underlying values are still the same and the people running the business in Europe are the same too. 'The emphasis is still on strong creative and innovative skills.'

He uses the Sustainable Business Group as an example.
In 2001, there were 20 people in this activity area and now there over 120. This part of the organisation has flourished. The group works at a number of levels.
It advises clients on a policy and strategy level and is also called in by other divisions on their projects too. And as well as engineers in the Sustainability Groups there are environmental scientists and physicists. And here both the engineers and environmental scientists join the project team to advance the design in terms of sustainability.

In fact, AECOM is at the forefront of this technology, much as it has been in past years.
The trick - and Hodkinson believes AECOM has it right - is to balance the very strong creativity of the business with the ability to deliver complex projects.

Can any firm span that breadth of expertise, he asks, in terms of good design and procurement and delivery?
He believes that AECOM can deliver this by using different individuals to drive different parts of the job.

'Today's projects are just too complex for the same individuals to undertake from start to finish and, although there will be one project manager, he will be able to call on others as their expertise is required.'

Hodkinson says when he talks to clients their objectives change as the project progresses.
'We are usually chosen for a project for the strong creativity and innovation that we bring to the front-end of the job, but we are remembered for how well we deliver the project.'
However, Hodkinson stresses that, where AECOM's teams add the greatest value is at the front end by applying creative solutions to the constraints of the project such as façades, massing, orientation, and renewables.

He is happy that building services engineers are now involved from the very beginning of projects until the very end, which allows them to have input at all levels and at all times during the work.
'We can influence the design of the building from the modelling stage to the finish', but when construction is over, while the building may have been designed for this energy target, the landlord or tenants, who operate the building, may see it differently.
AECOM offers clients a process called the 'Soft Landings' framework. Here, the training of the maintenance staff, and the commissioning becomes part of the process of handover.
But few owners take up 'Soft Landings'.

'There is a huge chasm between what the construction team offers and what the developer wants, and only legislation will fill this gap.

'Realistic energy targets and legislation are the only solution. This is the way the building services engineer can influence the way the building is run by operators.'

I asked him if he went back to most of the buildings where his company had installed the building services in the last few years, would he be able to save energy?
His answer was an unequivocal yes. When pushed he suggested that 25% would be the average figure. 'We understand the dynamics of the system. This is where AECOM could add value.'

Then he laughed again: Become a building services engineer and save the planet.