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 organization we are today and are inspiring the one we will become.

    Who We Are
    • What We Stand For
    • Our Story
    • Corporate Responsibility
    • U.S. Leadership
    Corporate Responsibility
    • Communities
    • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Ethics and Integrity
    • Health and Safety
    • Sustainability
    Featured Content
    We value - Square

    Can we help societies thrive in a world we do not…

    We believe that for societies to thrive, we must all hold ourselves accountable for tomorrow. That…

  • 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
    • Transportation
    • Water and Environment
    • Energy
    • Federal Programs & Logistics
    • Advisory Services
    Property and Buildings
    • Building Enclosures
    • Building Technology Systems
    • Built Ecology
    • Commercial
    • Commissioning
    • Healthcare
    • High-Rise
    • Hospitality
    • Lighting Design
    • MEP Engineering
    • Residential
    • Science & Technology
    • Structural Engineering
    Transportation
    • Alternative Delivery
    • Aviation
    • Highways and Bridges
    • Maritime
    • Mobility Operations
    • Program and Construction Management
    • Transit and Rail
    • Tunnels
    Water and Environment
    • Acoustics, Vibration, Green House Gases and Air Quality
    • Archaelogy and Heritage Buildings
    • Asbestos and Hazardous Materials Management
    • Contaminated Land and Soil Remediation
    • Environment
    • Environmental Due Diligence
    • Flood Control and Hydraulic Structures
    • Hydraulic and Hydrologic Analysis
    • Hydrogeology
    • Industrial and Manufacturing
    • Mine Water Management
    • Natural Environment and Ecology
    • Oil and Gas
    • Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change
    • Water
    • Water and Wastewater Treatment and Conveyance
    • Water Conveyance Tunnels
    • Water Supply and Reuse
    Energy
    • Energy Services and Central Utility Plants
    • Energy Storage Facility Operations
    • Energy Surface Facilities
    • Hydropower and Dams
    • Power Generation and Delivery
    • Solar Energy
    • Storage and Disposal Wells
    • Underground Injection Control and Permitting
    • Underground Storage and Disposal
    • Wind Energy
    Federal Programs & Logistics
    • Environment
    • Environmental Planning
    • Government
    • Logistics and Emergency Management
    • Operations and Maintenance
    • Overseas Integrated Development
    • Safety and Security Program
    • Science and Technology
    • Strategic Environmental Assessment
    • Urban and Community Planning
    Advisory Services
    • Alternative Delivery
    • Asset Management
    • Business Improvement
    • Economic and Market Analysis
    • Environmental Planning
    • Freight and Logistics
    • Planning Strategy and Grants
    • Policy and Research
    • Project Development and Finance
    • Technology and Innovation
    • Transportation Planning
    • Urban and Community Planning
    Featured Content
    bnr-water-campaign2020a

    Surface Water: Into the Hydrosphere

    Water is perhaps our most essential resource — at once shaping and sustaining both the natural…

  • 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
    bnr-covid-19-meritus-health-aerial

    Meritus Medical Creating Infectious Containment…

    Leach Wallace, a WSP Company, is part of a team acting swiftly to design and build one of the first…

  • 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
    bnr-wsp-WSP-Ranked-7-ENR-500

    WSP USA Jumps to #7 in ENR’s 2020 Ranking of the…

    The firm ranked second for the "Top 100 Pure Designers."

  • Who We Are
    • What We Stand For
    • Our Story
    • Corporate Responsibility
      • Who We Are
      • Accountable for Tomorrow
        • Communities
        • Corporate Governance
        • Diversity and Inclusion
        • Ethics and Integrity
        • Health and Safety
        • Sustainability
    • U.S. Leadership
  • What We Do
    • Property and Buildings
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Building Enclosures
        • Building Technology Systems
        • Built Ecology
        • Commercial
        • Commissioning
        • Healthcare
        • High-Rise
        • Hospitality
        • Lighting Design
        • MEP Engineering
        • Residential
        • Science & Technology
        • Structural Engineering
    • Transportation
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Alternative Delivery
        • Aviation
        • Highways and Bridges
        • Maritime
        • Mobility Operations
        • Program and Construction Management
        • Transit and Rail
        • Tunnels
    • Water and Environment
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Acoustics, Vibration, Green House Gases and Air Quality
        • Archaelogy and Heritage Buildings
        • Asbestos and Hazardous Materials Management
        • Contaminated Land and Soil Remediation
        • Environment
        • Environmental Due Diligence
        • Flood Control and Hydraulic Structures
        • Hydraulic and Hydrologic Analysis
        • Hydrogeology
        • Industrial and Manufacturing
        • Mine Water Management
        • Natural Environment and Ecology
        • Oil and Gas
        • Sustainability, Energy and Climate Change
        • Water
        • Water and Wastewater Treatment and Conveyance
        • Water Conveyance Tunnels
        • Water Risk Management
        • Water Supply and Reuse
    • Energy
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Energy Services and Central Utility Plants
        • Energy Storage Facility Operations
        • Energy Surface Facilities
        • Hydropower and Dams
        • Power Generation and Delivery
        • Solar Energy
        • Storage and Disposal Wells
        • Underground Injection Control and Permitting
        • Underground Storage and Disposal
        • Wind Energy
    • Federal Programs & Logistics
      • What We Do
        • Environment
        • Environmental Planning
        • Government
        • Logistics and Emergency Management
        • Operations and Maintenance
        • Overseas Integrated Development
        • Safety and Security Program
        • Science and Technology
        • Strategic Environmental Assessment
        • Urban and Community Planning
    • Advisory Services
      • What We Do
      • Expertise at your service
        • Alternative Delivery
        • Asset Management
        • Business Improvement
        • Economic and Market Analysis
        • Environmental Planning
        • Freight and Logistics
        • Planning Strategy and Grants
        • Policy and Research
        • Project Development and Finance
        • Technology and Innovation
        • Transportation Planning
        • Urban and Community Planning
  • 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.

United States - 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

      WSP's Q3 2020 Results

      We released our 2020 third quarter results on November 4, 2020 after market close

    • 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
      • Send a Message
      • Offices
      Featured Content
      bnr-future-ready-global

      Future Ready

      We know that our future world will be very different from today’s in many ways. Future Ready is our…

    • 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

      WSP's Q3 2020 Results

      We released our 2020 third quarter results on November 4, 2020 after market close

    • 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
      • Send a Message
      • Offices
  1. We are WSP
  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, October 9, 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.


Related Publications

thn-mcdonalds-disney-net-zero

January 2021 | 4:45 minutes

McDonald’s Opens First Net-Zero Restaurant at Disney World

United States
Feature
Climate , Places , Resilience
thn-un-decade-of-ecosystem-restoration-2-missouri-river

December 2020 | 7:15 minutes

Overcoming Challenges to Mainstreaming Ecosystem Restoration

United States
Feature
Climate , Resilience
thn-solar-soil-vapor-extraction

December 2020 | 5:30 minutes

Solar Soil Vapor Extraction: Remediation from a Sustainable Angle

United States
Feature
Resilience
thn-san-antonio-future-ready-howard-peak-greenway-trail

November 2020 | 6:30 minutes

A Perspective on a Future Ready City: San Antonio

United States
Feature
Mobility , Resilience
thn-airwatch-oil-gas-monitoring

November 2020 | 4:00 minutes

WSP USA Develops Air Monitoring Equipment for Oil and Gas Facilities

United States
Feature
Climate , Resilience , Technology
thn-usamriid-research-facilities-high-containment

October 2020 | 3:15 minutes

Creating Research Facilities that Enable Critical Scientific Development

United States
Feature
COVID-19 , Places
thn-evolving-energy-landscape-p3

October 2020 | 11:30 minutes

Adapting to the Evolving Energy Landscape Through Public-Private Partnerships

United States
Feature
Climate , Resilience , Resources
TCFD-Insight-thumb-563

October 2020

Advancing Meaningful Climate Action from TCFD Disclosures

White Paper
Climate , Resilience
thn-resilient-system-better-normal

October 2020 | 11 minutes

After COVID-19: What Does A Resilient Healthcare System Look Like?

Feature
COVID-19 , Resilience , Places
thn-Web-Asset-Mgmt-Resilience

October 2020

Asset Management Prepares Organizations for Unexpected Events

Feature
Resilience , Places , Society , Mobility , COVID-19 , Resources
thn-insights-sustainable-transportation

September 2020

Cultivating Sustainable Transport Systems

Feature
COVID-19 , Mobility , Places , Resilience
thn-un-decade-of-ecosystem-restoration

September 2020 | 6:00 minutes

Helping the UN Guide Ecosystem Restoration into the Mainstream

United States
Feature
Climate , Resilience

Share this page

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


Related themes and tags

  • Resilience (132)


  • Future Ready (46)
  • Resiliency (49)
  •   Page will open in a new tab
  •   Page will open in a new tab
  •   Page will open in a new tab
  •   Page will open in a new tab
  •   Page will open in a new tab
  • Who We Are
  • What We Stand For
  • Our Story
  • Future Ready
  • U.S. Leadership
  • Our Offices
  • What We Do
  • Sectors
  • Services
  • Projects
  • Insights
  • Climate
  • Mobility
  • Places
  • Society
  • Resources
  • Technology
  • Careers
  • U.S. Job Opportunities
  • Apply Here
  • Supplier Registration Page will open in a new tab
  • FEMA Inspection Services Page will open in a new tab
  • Corporate
  • Sustainability
  • Health and Safety
  • Investors
  • Whistleblowing Service
  • 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.