A coffee with… Jack and Naveera for Tomorrow’s Engineers Week

Article posted on: 10 November 2022

It’s Tomorrow's Engineers Week this week, with the theme for this year being #EngineerBetterLives.

We caught up with two of our graduate engineers, Jack Simon and Naveera Fasahat, to offer their insights on how engineers can assist in improving lives and communities, and how the profession can shape a sustainable future.

Jack is based in our Leeds office. Jack previously worked in the earthworks, drainage and rail sectors before joining Clancy at the end of 2021 in the role of Graduate Infrastructure Engineer.

Naveera is a Graduate Civil Engineer in the Manchester C&S team. She joined Clancy in 2021, having studied an MSc in Structural Engineering at the University of Salford.

Naveera - Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is about providing inspiration to young people about what it is like to be an engineering professional. Finish this sentence “The most satisfying part of my job is…”

Producing tangible results to an idea, and ingenious solutions to a problem.

Jack - Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is about providing inspiration to young people about what it is like to be an engineering professional. What attracted you to pursue a career in engineering?

I have always been interested in construction from a young age and fortunately always enjoyed mathematics. The two together made becoming an engineer the perfect career. There is nothing more satisfying than taking a blank piece of paper and producing a design that you’ve imagined and that can be shared with others. Plus, by working in civils no day is the same, no job is the same and no client has the same requirements.

Naveera - The theme for this year is #EngineerBetterLives. Please share how you think engineers improve lives. 

The dramatic change in lifestyle over recent years signifies the rise in demand for infrastructure that suitably meets this requirement. As problem-solvers and solution-seekers, we are constantly aiming to achieve out-of-the-ordinary solutions to meet these demands that allow for viable regeneration, and at the same time offer a smart solution that allows for rework-ability if at all required, all of which in no doubt leads to the betterment of society.

Both - As engineers how are we already contributing to tackling climate change?

Jack: Design work is all about being as efficient as possible and applying what you know so that a client can make the most out of their land. How well you do this will influence how much you impact the environment.

The construction industry contributes massively to the rising temperatures we are seeing today and by designing more economically I hope that’s how I can influence what will happen.  

Naveera: As designers, we are conscious of the impact we have on the environment owing to our design choices and we are actively working at producing design solutions with a view to the net zero targets. We are already currently ensuring the inclusion of eco-friendly alternatives and locally sourced materials, as a minimum, as part of our design strategies.

As we are always intending to focus on projects being designed sustainably from the outset, rather than only introducing superficial green features for post-building, technical design decisions made in the present time impact the embedded carbon performance of the overall build that is to come together in its due course. Additionally, engineers would also effectively be the drivers in defining a built environment that is not only minimally invasive to the environment but is also capable of coping with the impact of further stresses impending as a result of climate change.

Naveera - What do you think is the most exciting engineering development that could happen in the future?

3D printing - this element of modern technology has incited major breakthroughs that go beyond traditional resources, as 3D printers are potentially capable of creating everything from synthetic human organs to actual houses - all at a fraction of the time and costs of what we see today.

Jack - How will engineering help us to live more sustainably and help shape the environment in the next decade?

Engineers solve problems and the biggest one is changing how we currently live our lives now. Humans adapt to their habitats and will need to if we are to live more sustainably. Engineers are right now building new roads, homes, bridges, drainage systems, clean energy structures and many more useful projects. These will last more than a decade, if not a century, and change the way people live their lives.     

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