Building Services Engineering

OVERVIEW

Our full-time or part-time Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Building Services Engineering (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) enables you to build up your knowledge and practical skills in building services to become a vital professional in this rapidly growing sector.

Building services engineering includes all aspects needed to make buildings work for humans and includes the lighting, heating and ventilation, lifts and escalators, acoustics, plumbing, power supply and energy management systems, plus the security and safety systems. This course produces highly-skilled assistant building services engineering technicians with the skills, professional competencies and capabilities to become successful building services designers across a range of projects. The course is suitable for those working for contractors, consultants and client organisations.

Ultimately, around 40% of all the UK’s energy is used within buildings, so good design for energy efficiency can make a real difference to our carbon emissions and energy costs. As a building services engineer, you can play a genuinely important role in helping to make our lives more sustainable, sustainability and the drive to net zero being crucial to the role of building services engineers.

WHY SHOULD I CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

• EXPERT TUITION – Learn from our highly-qualified staff with extensive practical knowledge of construction - supported by expert guest lecturers

• MODERN METHODS – There is a firm focus on sustainability and health and safety to meet the demands of the future

• PRACTICAL APPLICATION – Get hands-on experience studying in our cutting-edge construction facilities with design units in electrical and HVAC

• AWARD-WINNING UNIVERSITY – Study at the highest-ranking university in the region according to student choice (Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023)

FACILITIES
Engineering students gain hands-on experience of programming robots and controllers in our state-of-the-art industrial manufacturing cell facility, plus you will use all our modern laboratories for practical work in electrical power, electronics and control, fluid mechanics, mechanical principles and materials testing. You will also have access to the Industry 4.0 Learning Factory at the nearby Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSIoT).
Camden House is our bespoke STEM education facility for our engineering students. It features:

• Design studios with industry-standard CAD software (AutoCAD and Revit)

• 3D printers and plotters

• Renewable energy simulators

• Hydraulics test equipment

• Production line technology

• Human comfort surveying tools

• Control engineering rigs

• Cyber physical system

• Mechatronics automation

• PLCs

• Fluid dynamics software

• Enhanced IT facilities

ACCREDITATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS
This course is delivered in partnership with the Great Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSloT)

CAREERS AND PROGRESSION
Examples of careers you could pursue following this course:

• Building Services Technician

• Building Services Engineer

• Intermediate Electrical Engineer (Building Services)

• Intermediate Mechanical Design Engineer (Building Services)

Unit 1Construction Design Project, Unit 4 The Construction Environment, Unit 8 Mathematics for Construction, Unit 9 Principles of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, Unit 15 Principles of Alternative Energy, Unit 18 Principles of Electrical Design and Installation, Unit 22 Scientific Principles for Building Services & Unit 26 Digital Applications for Building Information Modelling

Note: Indicative information only. Actual timetables and assessment regimes will be issued at your induction. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website: www.ucb.ac.uk Teaching A wide variety of teaching methods will be used to ensure you gain the appropriate skills and knowledge, including lectures, practical sessions, workshops, tutorials and group study sessions. Face-to-face classes will be combined with practical research activities in our state-of-the-art construction facilities, while you will also conduct independent and online learning. Assessment Assessment occurs through a combination of assignments and projects with a focus on the holistic development of practical, interpersonal and higher-level skills. Many modules will require a demonstration of skills, while others will require you to carry out your own research and analysis, working independently or as part of a team.
Our assessments will focus on developing the skills required by a professional building services engineer – designing and demonstrating a building system, delivering presentations and technical report writing aimed at technical and non-technical audiences to broaden your range of skills.
You will also need to commit around 20 hours per week for individual study time.
Assessment for this course will be 100% coursework.
Our teaching and assessment is underpinned by our Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy 2021-2024.