From helping shape entire cities to adapting infrastructure to deal with the climate emergency, a career at Buro Happold presents the chance to make a difference. This is an exciting opportunity to join our Sustainability & Physics team in either our Bath, London, Leeds or Edinburgh office for an 8-week summer placement.
About the Sustainability team
Sustainability engineering can be extremely broad; however, we tend to split this down in Building Performance Engineering, Environmental Design Engineering and broader Sustainability Consulting.
Building Performance Engineering includes energy modelling, advanced simulation, micro-climate analysis and parametric modelling. Sustainability consulting includes embodied carbon analysis, sustainability assessments (BREEAM, LEED, Living Building Challenge etc), building performance (e.g. post occupancy evaluation), social value, health & wellbeing and circular economy.
Wherever you would like to focus, you can have high-value, low environmental impact solutions that meet sustainability objectives while creating comfortable, productive and effective environments valued by the people who use them.
The team works across a range of scales and project types from policy, strategy and masterplanning through to building design, soft landings, monitoring and management.
Our clients and collaborators include world leading corporates, developers, institutions, architects and government across a wide range of sectors including commercial property, higher education, arts and culture.
What sort of projects do the team work on?
Our team of sustainability experts is responsible for some of the UK’s highest-rated sustainable buildings, such as 2 Redman Place achieving a BREEAM Outstanding score of 94%, where rainwater harvesting saves the equivalent of four and a half Olympic swimming pools of water each year. At One Angel Square, the Co-operative headquarters in Manchester we achieved the highest ever BREEAM Outstanding score in the UK (95.1%) at the time of certification.
Working extensively with stakeholders for the David Attenborough Building refurbishment we developed a bespoke sustainability framework setting over 50 targets spanning design, construction and operation. At the Urban Sciences Building we developed a similar framework focusing on digital urban sustainability. Further examples of our extensive stakeholder engagement work include Zero Carbon Cornwall and West of England zero carbon workshop.
We are Pioneering Delivery Partners for ‘Design for Performance’ and are leading advanced HVAC simulation on Statesman House and 4 Angel Square. We led the net zero energy strategy at Dubai Expo 2020 Sustainability Pavilion incorporating innovative ‘Energy trees’, as well as engineering ground-air earth tubes at University of Exeter Forum. In terms of embodied carbon, our ingenuity saved over 3,300 tonnes of carbon at 5 Broadgate.
What will I do?
- Help advise clients, engineers, architects and urban planners on sustainable measures, technologies and holistic solutions (through design, specification and construction techniques) for building, masterplan and strategic consultancy projects.
- Undertake analysis, reporting and presentations to develop design concepts, using simulation techniques such as dynamic thermal modelling, daylight simulation and energy /carbon
- Undertake assessments of sustainability and environmental impact, using a range of measures, including LEED, BREEAM, WELL Standard, Home Quality Mark and bespoke sustainability frameworks
- Research, analysis and advice on innovations in sustainability
- Under guidance of senior staff, represent Buro Happold at meetings with the client, other professionals and suppliers.
- Achieve a real understanding of what it is like to work in an engineering consultancy.
What degree will I be studying?
We welcome people into our team with a broad range of experience. Typical degrees include:
- Building Services/MEP Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Engineering Design
- Engineering Science
- Environmental Design
- Environmental Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Social science
- Physics
What's in it for you?
A plethora of interesting and challenging projects to stretch your professional skills, a friendly and close-knit team, flexible working and a competitive reward package. The opportunity to work on multidisciplinary projects aside a range of specialist engineers, scientists and designers both within Buro Happold and our collaborators.
Application process
The recruitment timeline can vary depending on the role and team you are applying to. Successful applications are progressed to interview stage within 2-3 months from the closing date of the advert. We will endeavour to keep you informed throughout the time that your application is being considered, however, due to the volume of applications received and the size of our team, we are not able to respond to individual requests for status updates.
Please see our Early Careers Candidate Pack for further guidance and information.
This is a paid role for current university students for an 8-week placement taking place during Summer 2025. Exact dates can be flexible depending on candidate and team availability.
The annual salary for this placement will be in-line with the UK Real Living Wage.
