Why is Holistic Engineering Best for Our Clients and their Projects? | WSP Skip to content
  • Who we are

    We are the sum of our collective passion, vision and expertise.

    Discover our people, purpose and stories that have helped shape the organisation we are today and are inspiring the one we will become.

    Who we are
    • What We Stand For
    • Our Story
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • Leadership Team
    • Future Ready
    Corporate Responsibility
    • #EngineeredOurWay
    • Communities
    • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Ethics and Integrity
    • Health and Safety
    • Indigenous Participation
    • Setting Up Projects for Success
    • Sustainability
    Featured Content

    Future Ready

    With Future Ready we see the future more clearly and challenge our teams across the world to advise…

  • What We Do

    We shape the communities of tomorrow and help society thrive.

    With an intimate sense of local realities, we look at complex problems from different angles and deliver solutions that break paradigms.


    View All

    • Sectors
    • Services
    • Projects
    What We Do
    • Property and Buildings
    • Transport and Infrastructure
    • Environment and Water
    • Resources, Industry and Energy
    • Cross-Disciplinary Services
    Property and Buildings
    • Aged Care
    • Biotech and Pharmaceutical
    • Commercial and Mixed Use
    • Convention and Civic
    • Cultural
    • Defence
    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • Hospitality
    • Mission Critical Facilities
    • Residential
    • Retail
    • Science
    • Sports and Stadia
    • Workplace
    Transport and Infrastructure
    • Aviation
    • Bridges and Structures
    • Freight
    • Ports
    • Rail and Transit
    • Roads
    • Smart Mobility
    • Transport Advisory
    • Tunnels
    Environment and Water
    • Ecology
    • Environment
    • Environment, Health and Safety
    • Environmental Planning
    • Occupational Health and Hygiene
    • Stakeholder Engagement
    • Wastewater Treatment
    • Water
    • Water Efficiency
    • Water Infrastructure
    • Water Management
    • Water Treatment
    Resources, Industry and Energy
    • Hydropower
    • Mining
    • Power
    • Solar
    • Thermal Energy and Bioenergy
    • Wind Energy
    Cross-Disciplinary Services
    • Climate Change and Resilience
    • Digital
    • Infrastructure Advisory
    • Sustainability
    Featured Content
    thn-activating-regional-places-SAPs

    Activating Regional Places

    Can we create regional cities that thrive for decades to come?

  • Insights

    Our global experts offer compelling insights that provide new perspectives.

    Read inspiring articles that challenge the status quo by reframing current issues, sparking fresh conversations and finding new solutions.

    View all
    Insights
    • Climate
    • Mobility
    • Places
    • Resources
    • Society
    • Technology
    Featured Content
    thn-rapid-responses-to-covid-19-impacts-campaign

    Rapid Responses to COVID-19 Impacts

    WSP is focused on supporting our clients to control the spread of COVID-19, maintain business…

  • Careers

    Help us shape the future

    Join a collaborative team of experts that thrives on complex challenges and unconventional thinking.

    See more
    Careers
    • Join Us
    • Early Career
    • Experienced Professionals
    • Why Choose WSP
    Featured Content
    thn-engineeredourway

    #engineeredOURway

    Following on from the success of #EngineeredHERWay in 2017, #EngineeredOURWay continues to elevate the…

  • Who we are
    • What We Stand For
    • Our Story
    • Corporate Responsibility
      • Who we are
      • Accountable for Tomorrow
        • #EngineeredOurWay
        • Communities
        • Corporate Governance
        • Diversity and Inclusion
        • Ethics and Integrity
        • Health and Safety
        • Indigenous Participation
        • Setting Up Projects for Success
        • Sustainability
    • Leadership Team
    • Future Ready
  • What We Do
    • Property and Buildings
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Aged Care
        • Biotech and Pharmaceutical
        • Commercial and Mixed Use
        • Convention and Civic
        • Cultural
        • Defence
        • Education
        • Healthcare
        • Hospitality
        • Mission Critical Facilities
        • Residential
        • Retail
        • Science
        • Sports and Stadia
        • Workplace
    • Transport and Infrastructure
      • What We Do
        • Aviation
        • Bridges and Structures
        • Freight
        • Ports
        • Rail and Transit
        • Roads
        • Smart Mobility
        • Transport Advisory
        • Tunnels
    • Environment and Water
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Ecology
        • Environment
        • Environment, Health and Safety
        • Environmental Planning
        • Occupational Health and Hygiene
        • Stakeholder Engagement
        • Wastewater Treatment
        • Water
        • Water Efficiency
        • Water Infrastructure
        • Water Management
        • Water Treatment
    • Resources, Industry and Energy
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Hydropower
        • Mining
        • Power
        • Solar
        • Thermal Energy and Bioenergy
        • Wind Energy
    • Cross-Disciplinary Services
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Climate Change and Resilience
        • Digital
        • Infrastructure Advisory
        • Sustainability
  • Insights
    • Climate
    • Mobility
    • Places
    • Resources
    • Society
    • Technology
  • Careers
    • Join Us
    • Early Career
    • Experienced Professionals
    • Why Choose WSP
Back

We are locally dedicated with international scale.

Australia - English

International

  • Global
    English - Français

Americas

  • Canada
    English - Français
  • Chile
    Español
  • Colombia
    Español
  • Mexico
    Español
  • Panama
    Español
  • Peru
    Español
  • United States
    English

Africa

  • South Africa
    English

Asia

  • China
    中文(简体) - English
  • Hong Kong
    English
  • India
    English
  • Malaysia
    English
  • Philippines
    English
  • Singapore
    English
  • South Korea
    한국어(대한민국) - English
  • Thailand
    English

Europe

  • Denmark
    Dansk
  • Finland
    Suomi
  • France
    Français
  • Germany
    Deutsch
  • Greenland
    Kalaallisut - English
  • Netherlands
    Nederlands
  • Norway
    Norsk
  • Poland
    Polski - English
  • Romania
    English
  • Spain
    Español
  • Sweden
    Svenska - English
  • Switzerland
    Deutsch - English
  • United Kingdom
    English

Middle East

  • Kuwait
    English
  • Oman
    English
  • Qatar
    English
  • Saudi Arabia
    English
  • United Arab Emirates
    English

Oceania

  • Australia
    English
  • New Zealand
    English
Worldwide Offices
    • Investors

      Discover our diverse business, financial results and strategic ambitions.

      We are committed to delivering sustainable value to our shareholders and exceptional professional services to our clients.

      Read more
      Investors
      • Corporate Governance
      • Press Releases
      • Reports & Filings
      • Stock Information
      • Shareholder Information
      • Presentations and Events
      Corporate Governance
      • Audit Committee
      • Board of Directors
      • Business Conduct Hotline
      • Constating Documents
      • Governance Documents
      • Governance Ethics and Compensation Committee
      • Mandates
      Reports & Filings
      • AIF
      • Annual
      • Information Circular
      • Quarterly
      • SEDAR Filings
      • Sustainability
      Stock Information
      • Analyst Coverage
      Shareholder Information
      • Acquisitions
      • Dividends
      • Drip
      • FAQ
      Featured Content
      Thn-Web-Q12021-Results

      WSP's 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

      This year again, the Corporation will be holding its Meeting as a completely virtual meeting, which…

    • Investors
      • Corporate Governance
        • Investors
        • Corporate Governance
          • Audit Committee
          • Board of Directors
          • Business Conduct Hotline
          • Constating Documents
          • Governance Documents
          • Governance Ethics and Compensation Committee
          • Mandates
      • Press Releases
      • Reports & Filings
        • Investors
        • REPORTS & FILINGS
          • AIF
          • Annual
          • Information Circular
          • Quarterly
          • SEDAR Filings
          • Sustainability
      • Stock Information
        • Investors
        • Stock Information
          • Analyst Coverage
      • Shareholder Information
        • Investors
        • Shareholder Information
          • Acquisitions
          • Dividends
          • Drip
          • FAQ
      • Presentations and Events
    • Events
    • News
    • Contact us

      We are dedicated to our local communities and driven by global talent.

      Contact us to find out how our diversified offering, world-class expertise and geographical reach can assist you in achieving your vision.


      Follow us

      Contact us
      • Talk to us
      • Offices
      Featured Content
      thn-helping-our-clients-respond

      Helping Our Clients Respond to Dynamic Needs

      During these unprecedented times, how we respond to the dynamic situations unfolding in front of us,…

    • Investors

      Discover our diverse business, financial results and strategic ambitions.

      We are committed to delivering sustainable value to our shareholders and exceptional professional services to our clients.

      Read more
      Investors
      • Corporate Governance
      • Press Releases
      • Reports & Filings
      • Stock Information
      • Shareholder Information
      • Presentations and Events
      Corporate Governance
      • Audit Committee
      • Board of Directors
      • Business Conduct Hotline
      • Constating Documents
      • Governance Documents
      • Governance Ethics and Compensation Committee
      • Mandates
      Reports & Filings
      • AIF
      • Annual
      • Information Circular
      • Quarterly
      • SEDAR Filings
      • Sustainability
      Stock Information
      • Analyst Coverage
      Shareholder Information
      • Acquisitions
      • Dividends
      • Drip
      • FAQ
      Featured Content
      Thn-Web-Q12021-Results

      WSP's 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

      This year again, the Corporation will be holding its Meeting as a completely virtual meeting, which…

    • Investors
      • Corporate Governance
        • Investors
        • Corporate Governance
          • Audit Committee
          • Board of Directors
          • Business Conduct Hotline
          • Constating Documents
          • Governance Documents
          • Governance Ethics and Compensation Committee
          • Mandates
      • Press Releases
      • Reports & Filings
        • Investors
        • REPORTS & FILINGS
          • AIF
          • Annual
          • Information Circular
          • Quarterly
          • SEDAR Filings
          • Sustainability
      • Stock Information
        • Investors
        • Stock Information
          • Analyst Coverage
      • Shareholder Information
        • Investors
        • Shareholder Information
          • Acquisitions
          • Dividends
          • Drip
          • FAQ
      • Presentations and Events
    • Events
    • News
    • Contact us
      • Talk to us
      • Offices
  1. Home
  2. Insights
  3. Holistic Engineering

The Power of Holistic Engineering

What is holistic engineering? Why is it best for our clients and their projects? And what do we need to do to make it happen? UK Director, Ross Harvey, discusses how we can optimise the benefits of being a multidisciplinary organisation to deliver outstanding projects.

Wednesday, 9 October 2019
Reading Time : 4

Design as an interconnected whole

Put simply, holistic engineering is an approach that sees design as an interconnected whole.  It seeks to integrate the skills and methodologies of designers from multiple disciplines into a collaborative effort for the good of the project.

Every discipline has its own priorities and concerns, but we are all connected by the project, and we must never lose sight of how our designs, decisions and changes may impact other disciplines.

Knock-on consequences of design changes

It’s vital for us all to collaborate from the start, understanding not only the visions of the client and architects but also the drivers of each engineering discipline, and how our designs impact on each other’s. Then, once the project’s underway, we must maintain the communication to ensure we understand the impact of every change we make to our designs and the challenges these may cause to other disciplines.

Rather than hiding inside our silos we should look over our walls and take a 360-degree view to consider how what we are doing will affect others. What will be the knock-on consequences of a new beam on the services, for example?  If a larger chiller plant is required, how will it affect the structural loads, and will it be too noisy? A change in the specified façade glass might affect the internal environment and thus require the input of the mechanical or electrical engineers. A bigger riser may affect the building frame or the core layout, and have impacts for the VT or the fire engineer. These are just a few examples of the impact of design changes in a multi-disciplinary project.

It’s also worth remembering that, while, of course, we all aim for optimum value for our own discipline there may be alternative solutions that may not be the cheapest for us, but bring best value for the project.

How do we adopt this holistic approach?

Communication is the key. From the start, I like to have a weekly call with the leader of each discipline involved in the project. It really helps to get into each other’s heads, understand what everyone is most passionate about and what matters most to them. If every discipline leader is committed to being holistic, this naturally leads to all our engineers on the project engaging in that approach. This in turn helps the architect and the client, because it allows them to focus on solving the building problems, not the discipline problems.

22 Bishopsgate, Londres

Holistic design approach for 22 Bishopsgate

22 Bishopsgate, which will be London’s second tallest tower when complete, provides an example of the benefits of a holistic approach. As structural engineers, when designing the steelwork, we were under pressure from the contractor to deliver the designs within a very tight timeframe to enable the costings to move forward. This didn’t give the MEP engineers enough time to generate their services in the developing REVIT model, so we didn’t know where to put the penetrations in the beams for the air ducts. So structures and MEP sat down together and discussed a solution that would work for us all. This was to cut a rectangular void in the beams all around the core. It was a simple, cost-free solution that had no impact on the stiffness of the structure, it provided MEP with what they required for their services, and it enabled us to release the information early enough for the contractor’s pricing requirement.

A holistic approach is client-centric

This holistic engineering approach requires the engagement of all our colleagues from all disciplines involved in a multidisciplinary project, in conversation with the architect and the client. And if they see the benefits of us all pulling together for the sake of the project, delivering solutions that are of most value, they will come back to us in the future.

In essence, a holistic engineering approach is a client-centric approach, and can be a significant differentiator between us and other companies who can offer multidiscipline services.


More on this subject

thn-better-normal-hc-pdf-image

April 2021 | 2 minutes

Healthcare after COVID-19: Lessons for resilience

Blog
COVID-19 , Technology , Resilience , Places
thn-concrete-bridge

April 2021

Climate Impact Optimization in Concrete Bridge Construction

Technical Paper
Technology , Resilience , Climate
thn-patient-wellness-through-design

April 2021

Improving Patient and Staff Wellness Through Design

Australia
Feature
Places , Resilience , Society , Technology
thn-sydney-flooding-future-ready-forecasting

April 2021

Use Extreme Weather Events as a Future Ready Opportunity

Australia
Feature
Climate , Resilience , Society
thn-turning-the-tide

March 2021

Turning the Tide

Feature
Mobility , Places , Resilience , Resources , Climate
thn-net-zero-australian-water

March 2021

Investigating a Pathway to Net Zero for the Australian Water Industry

Australia
Feature
Resilience
thn-the-future-water

March 2021

The Future of Water is Now

Feature
Climate , Resilience , Resources , Technology
Project-Delivery_Website-Thumbnail

March 2021

Alliance Contracting Drives Value for Water Projects

Feature
Resilience , Resources
Digital_Twins_Website-Thumbnail

March 2021

Digital Twin: Your Essential Partner in Water Management

Feature
Places , Resilience , Technology
Data-Management_Website-Thumbnail

March 2021

Focusing Data On Sustainable Water Delivery

Feature
Places , Resilience , Resources , Society , Technology
thn-net-zero-construction-carbon

March 2021

How to Achieve Net Zero Carbon Construction

Australia
White Paper
Resilience
thn-reefer-trades

March 2021

Flexibility and Pandemic Proof – Future of Reefer Trade

Feature
Mobility , Resilience , COVID-19

Share this page

  • Share on Facebook - Warning, this link will open a new tab.
  • Share on Linkedin - Warning, this link will open a new tab.
  • Share on Twitter - Warning, this link will open a new tab.
  • Share on Skype - Warning, this link will open your Skype application.


Related themes and tags

  • Resilience (210)


  • Future Ready (128)
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Who We Are
  • What We Stand For
  • Our Story
  • Future Ready
  • Leadership Team
  • Global Leadership
  • Our Offices
  • What We Do
  • Sectors
  • Services
  • Projects
  • Insights
  • Climate
  • Mobility
  • Places
  • Society
  • Resources
  • Technology
  • Careers
  • AU Job Opportunities
  • Spontaneous Applications Page will open in a new tab
  • Corporate
  • Sustainability
  • Health and Safety
  • Investors
  • Business Conduct Hotline
  • News
  • Corporate Governance
  • Ethics and Integrity
    ©2021 WSP
    • The WSP Logo
    • Privacy Policy
    • Anti-Spam Commitment
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Use
    ©2021 WSP

    Exiting our Website

    You are about to leave WSP.com and are being redirected to a job opportunity at Louis Berger, which has been recently acquired by WSP in the US.