Interview with Emma Meng, Sustainability Assistant
11 January 2023
Interview with Emma Meng, Sustainability Assistant
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DSSR sits down with Emma Meng, the most recent addition to our Sustainability team, to get her thoughts on working with DSSR, the increasing prominence of Net Zero targets, and the future of the industry.
“In my opinion, the term sustainability I quite clear; to be sustainable, it must meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future.”
My job title is a Sustainability Assistant. In my role, I mainly assist with BREEAM certifications. As a newly qualified BREEAM Assessor, I have just begun working on my own BREEAM projects, which I am very excited about.
While I was born and raised in the US, my mom is Manx and I have lived in the UK for a short period before. I always planned on moving back permanently, and after visiting Glasgow for the first time, I thought the city would be a good personal fit for me – it’s turned out to be a great decision!
My experience at DSSR has been a learning experience! I have gained so many different skills since starting work here. Even though I have two degrees in sustainability-related fields, seeing the real-world applications of my studies has taught me so much about the field that I could have never learned in the classroom.
MEP consultancies like DSSR can help companies to achieve net zero carbon by specifying low and zero carbon technologies for the buildings they are designing, as well as encouraging other companies to procure materials with low embodied carbon and encouraging the use of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
In my opinion, the term sustainability is quite clear. When something is sustainable, it meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of future generations. If you take that concept and apply it to the three tenants of sustainability (People, Planet, Profit), you have the entire field of sustainability: making sure people’s physical and mental health, financial health, and the health of the environment are strong today and will continue to thrive in the future. While clear, it is also definitely quite a broad term, but I think it works to start the conversation that hopefully leads to a better understanding of concepts such as energy efficiency and the circular economy.
Net Zero is a concept that was virtually unheard of in 2012, but is now dominating energy conversations from both the public and private sectors. I think the growth of Net Zero as a concept reflects the growing consensus about how dire the climate emergency is, as companies now realize that just recycling waste and planting a few trees each year isn’t enough. In the near future, I would expect to see the majority of both SMEs and large corporations set Net Zero targets, and begin taking significant action to reach these targets.
To me, radical change is the only answer for businesses and governments. This radical change may be uncomfortable for these institutions, but this will help make sustainable choices on an individual basis easier. Beyond this, even if there is some discomfort that comes along with reducing one’s own personal carbon footprint, it is important also to think about the discomfort that comes from not taking any action at all. While we are pretty lucky up in Glasgow, much of the rest of the world is being faced with more and more uncomfortable, dangerous, and outright deadly weather conditions, from record heatwaves to more and more frequent “once in a lifetime” storms.
This is difficult for me to answer, as I am typically working with people who have already chosen the more sustainable option by choosing to have their building BREEAM certified. I do think in general more and more people are turning to more sustainable solutions to save money. For example, getting electric vehicles in response to rising petrol prices, or installing air-sourced heat pumps to save on energy bills.
An article in the Guardian stated, “The word ‘sustainability’ should be banned from technical and political discourse; it has become so corrupted as to not only be meaningless, but to actually obscure the real issues that must be dealt with.”
Others have said it is far from meaningless, but that it has become “such a broad term, it has become very generic”, used in place of better terms i.e. energy efficiency or the circular economy.
Ripon Cathedral Fire Alarm Replacement
10 January 2023
Ripon Cathedral Fire Alarm Replacement
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DSSR Harrogate office was given the opportunity to provide consultation and design services to replace the Cathedral’s existing fire alarm system.
DSSR Harrogate office was given the opportunity to provide consultation and design services to replace the Cathedral’s existing fire alarm system; a complex project with a key focus of maintaining the aesthetic heritage of this beautiful, historic building.
The existing fire alarm system had significantly exceeded its expected lifespan and needed replacing to ensure that a building of this historical importance and stature was protected from fire.
For this project, a combination of point detectors were used in key areas; the library and in each tower, while infrared beam detectors were used to cover the larger space within the main Cathedral Hall. To maintain the appearance of the building, fire alarm devices were installed in discreet locations and colour matched to their background to ensure they were as unobtrusive as possible.
Working closely with the client was crucial in this complex project in order to reassure all parties concerned that wireless fire detection technology was suitable and reliable and was therefore a robust and fail-safe system to install.
Once the installation of the system was complete, a smoke and incense test was undertaken with the client and fire brigade. This was to ensure that false alarms would be avoided by the normal functions of the building, and that early detection would be achieved.
Business Development & Marketing Officer
8 January 2023
Business Development & Marketing Officer
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We are recruiting for a new colleague, based in our Manchester office, to support our business development and marketing functions.
This is an exciting role, within a successful and long-established company, which offers creative freedom, a varied workload, and a supportive environment in which to develop your abilities.
- Depending on the candidate’s preference, this can be a Full or Part-time role (minimum 22.5 hours per week)
- Based in Manchester Office, Trafford House, Chester Road, Stretford, M32 0RS
- Relevant experience in a similar role and an understanding of engineering/building services is preferred, however previous experience is not essential nor a barrier to being successful in this position.
- All applicants will be considered without bias, and all necessary training will be provided to the successful candidate.
Following the completion of a training period, you will be given the autonomy to manage your own workload, ensure the timely delivery of tender submissions, and be given the support you need to maximise our success rate in winning new opportunities.
We pride ourselves on having a reputation for delivering high-quality services. As such, we expect to submit high-quality tender proposals which impress our clients through well-structured, concise, and accurate responses. Your application should mirror this commitment and demonstrate your capability to continue this process.
The work of the successful candidate will be measured qualitatively, without set KPIs or targets; our priority is finding a candidate who is committed to following our successful processes, is capable of identifying where improvements can be achieved, and continue to improve our business development activities.
Business Development
Reporting to the Manchester Management Team, the successful candidate will work closely with the Business Development & Marketing Specialist (Glasgow) and will be responsible for creating submissions on behalf of DSSR for new business opportunities. This includes the completion of pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs), Invitations to Tender (ITTs) and other bidding-related activities. It is considered beneficial to have experience in business development activities—and Adobe InDesign which is used to produce these documents—however, this is not a requisite and adequate training will be provided.
As you will be responsible for creating scored responses to tender questions, which are often technical in nature, a willingness to learn about the MEP engineering sector is essential. Technical information will be supplied by engineers, however, a level of understanding is extremely beneficial in proofing and revising tender responses for readability and optimum scoring.
The successful candidate will be a shared asset across the business and will also work on submissions for the London and Glasgow offices, with primary responsibility for the business development activities of the Manchester office.
Marketing
DSSR has recently undergone a re-branding exercise and we are in the process of redeveloping our website. We are exploring new ways of expressing who DSSR is and the kind of work we are involved in—and the successful candidate will be central to helping us to tell our story. From a marketing perspective, it is a particularly exciting time to join the company.
The successful candidate will be responsible for generating content for the DSSR website and social media on the activities of the Manchester office. This will primarily relate to our work—new and completed projects, awards won, project milestones etc.—but will also feature news specific to the office (e.g. achievements of colleagues in Manchester) and responses to wider industry news items (e.g. relevant developments in the built environment). All marketing content will be led by the Glasgow office, with the successful candidate feeding in content specific to the Manchester office.
About DSSR
DSSR is an award-winning company of Consulting Engineers, specialising in all aspects of Building Services and Sustainability Consultancy. We design high-quality, sustainable MEP systems, and provide a first-class service to clients across a diversity of industry sectors.
A forward-thinking company, sustainability is a central feature within every design project; DSSR is committed to reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption through each commission to which it contributes.
The primary activity of DSSR is the design of building services. These are the systems which are installed in every building to make them comfortable, functional, efficient and safe—including mechanical components (like ventilation), electrical systems, and plumbing systems. In essence, we make buildings habitable and comfortable spaces by designing how their core systems will function.
Role Requirements
Desirable:
- Experience in a business development role / with social media marketing.
An understanding of the field of building services engineering.
Previous experience with Adobe Creative Cloud.
Your Responsibilities
- Working closely with the Business Development & Marketing Specialist and the Manchester Management Team to develop business development submissions which maximise our chances of winning tenders. This includes the coordination of input from Management, Engineering and Business Support functions to ensure that the content is accurate and relevant to the specific tender bid.
- Respond to requests from other DSSR Business Development Assistants regarding information required to enable them to complete pre-qualification tenders and submissions for their individual offices.
- Working with the Business Development & Marketing Specialist to produce engaging content for the DSSR website and social media (principally LinkedIn).
- Assisting the Directors with the production of presentations (typically produced in either Powerpoint or InDesign) and a range of marketing materials (brochures, handouts, banners, branded merchandise etc.)
- Regular liaison with the Business Development & Marketing Specialist and the Manchester Management Team in order to agree and set common standards for the production of materials for BD submissions and marketing materials.
- To provide general administrative support to the Directors and Manchester Management Team.
Salary & benefits of working with DSSR
The main asset of DSSR is its people; prospective employees can expect significant investment in their development and well-being.
- DSSR is a Living Wage Employer, providing a salary commensurate with experience for every position
- Excellent Group Life Assurance Cover 5 x Salary
- Contributory Pension Scheme with 6% Employers Contribution & 3% Employee Contribution
- 25 Days Annual Leave and 8 Public Holidays (pro-rata where part-time)
- Professional Subscriptions
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Standard working hours: Monday to Friday, 8:45 am to 5:00 pm
Please send your covering letter and CV to p.fagan@dssr.co.uk
