Ian Pope

Ian heads the mechanical engineering team, taking a lead role working as part of an integrated team of engineers and low carbon consultants that offer practical and commercial design advice.

With over 20 years’ experience in the building services industry, Ian is a  Chartered Engineer and a member of the Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE).

Ian is also a CIBSE Low Carbon Consultant (LCC) and Low Carbon Energy Assessor (LCEA), utilising our in house software (TAS and Design Builder) to make informed building performance evaluations.

What do you enjoy most about working for MEP / in this industry?

In short, problem solving, our role as engineers requires us to take the client’s requirements & architectural vision, merging the two with the technical guidance to produce a functional building which not only looks great but also meets the client’s & end users’ expectations. This sometimes takes lateral thinking and several iterations of an idea in order to achieve the best engineered solution. We have many discussions amongst ourselves and our peers running through the various options to weigh up the pros and cons before landing on a final design solution.

 What has been your most challenging project?

My most challenging project was a large scale office refurbishment in London, the landlord wanted to undertake the works in a phased manor to enable the existing tenants to remain in occupation. With the scheme including a warren of basement areas with a nest of pipework that needed to be traced to ensure the respective systems were retained for the active floors it required extensive time surveying the site and producing record drawings. The design phase had to be developed such that the new systems could be extended in line with the phasing of the on floor refurbishments which took carful planning and consideration.

What do you do when you’re not working?

Most of my time outside of work is spent getting into mischief with my 2 young children, much to my wife’s dismay. I also inherited my grandfathers genes for tinkering and DIY which mean I keep myself busy undertaking ambitions projects while refurbishing our home and landscaping the garden. When I decide to have a break I can normally be found either listening to music, constructing lego sets or watching some kind of comedy or Sci-Fi show/film with a particular affinity for Marvel Comics.

What are you passionate about with this industry?

I am passionate about moving the industry towards lower energy consumption solutions which are also practical for the use of the building. Far to may ‘green’ solutions have been installed throughout the UK which aren’t practical and ultimately don’t get used to their full potential, which defeats the objective as this typically results in greater carbon emissions and costs for the client. I believe that each building is unique with individual site constraints, building use & geometry so a single solution is rarely applicable to all.

Tell us one thing no one knows about you?

While studying for my MSc at London South Bank University I had a paper published in the Thermal Science and Engineering Progress Journal on the feasibility of incorporating Thermal networks in London to work toward creating Smart Cities. This deepened my knowledge in the field and I developed models that I still use to this day.