E N V I R O N M E N T
WELTEC OFFERS FIRST
GRADUATE DIPLOMA FOR BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERS
One of the key goals of the engineering and
construction sector is to build sustainably,
lessening the impact on the environment of the
structures we build and the services within them.
Tools to evaluate the energy efficiency of
buildings are becoming more common and even
compulsory on new builds and refurbishments,
and around the world there is a move towards
nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) in the
next two decades. The HVAC industry is futurefocused
too, utilising technology and renewables
when designing, planning and installing services
into buildings.
Dr Gareth Gretton, senior lecturer at WelTec,
is passionate about sustainability and energy
efficiency. As a mechanical engineer he saw
an opportunity to provide a training solution to
engineers looking to further their studies and
wanting to specialise in building services.
Gareth, who has a degree in mechanical
engineering from the Imperial College London
and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh, has
lectured at WelTec for the past five years, but
for the first three months of 2018 he worked
for building services engineering consultancy
Norman Disney & Young (NDY) in central
Wellington experiencing first-hand current
industry practices. He worked on office fit-outs
including the Bowen State Building and Charles
Fergusson Tower.
“Through this work I experienced current industry
requirements first hand and saw the types of
office layouts that are being designed. I then
returned to WelTec to translate my knowledge of
industry requirements and trends into programme
content for upcoming academic delivery,” he says.
Peter Affleck, mechanical section manager at NDY
says, “We’ve enjoyed having Gareth in our office
to further help with the transition of students from
academic studies into engineering employment.
This course being provided by WelTec appears to
bridge the void between traditional engineering
courses on offer in New Zealand, and the
requirements of building services engineering,
particularly in our consultancy. We look forward
to interviewing graduates from this course in the
future, and a continuing relationship with WelTec
to retain alignment with industry requirements.
Graham Carson, head of engineering at WelTec
and Whitireia adds, “The Graduate Diploma is
the first qualification of its type in New Zealand
providing professional development opportunities
to engineers wanting to learn more about building
services. We believe the content of this new
programme will enable people to hit the ground
running in the building services sector and make a
significant contribution to sustainability.”
Learn more. Right here
Create.
Innovate.
Engineer
Grow your engineering skills at WelTec. All our
programmes are designed to meet industry needs.
Our graduates are in demand and are working on
important projects, locally and abroad.
weltec.ac.nz/engineering
0800 WELTEC
REN137
56 June 2018