Renee is a director and has extensive knowledge in building services and experience in commercial consulting and the industrial sector.
Her engineering portfolio covers a range of sectors including mixed use developments, commercial offices, residential, hotels and hospitality, sports and leisure, interiors, education and industrial for both local authorities and private clients.
Her strength lies in client project delivery, quality and team management. She is focused on excellence, innovation and value engineered solutions in line with client vision and cost value.
Here, Renee reflects on her career to date, being fearless about changing lanes and how the variety offered by electrical engineering is exciting. She lets us in on one of her career highlights, Murdoch University’s recently completed Boola Katitjin Building.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
I enjoyed maths and sciences at school. Engineering was not my first career choice. I studied biomedical sciences after school and after finishing this and working in the field and travelling, I reassessed what I wanted to do. My dad (was) and husband are both engineers and that appealed to me. When we moved to Australia in 2007, I decided to study electrical engineering and would like to think that the two most important men in my life inspired me.
Why electrical engineering?
Electrical engineering appealed to me as there seemed to be many different fields of expertise that could be pursued, providing me with different avenues that I could explore. I started out as a graduate in mining and resources and when I finished my studies decided to try out consulting engineering in building services. I haven’t looked back since.
What’s your career highlight project?
NDY was engaged by Lyons Architects and Murdoch University to deliver core building and specialist engineering services designs for the Boola Katitjin Building in Western Australia.
Our scope included a sweeping range of services across the entire design including electrical, mechanical, fire protection, fire engineering, hydraulics, audio visual, communications, security, acoustics, vertical transportation, bushfire assessment (ELA), sustainability and a microclimate study including wind modelling.
I was the project leader for NDY from inception to completion and it was a very rewarding project, working with some amazing people to see this project come to realisation and achieving all that it set out to do. It is an exemplar project.
Tell us about the electrical engineering on this project, and include an initiative, feature and/or design challenge overcome.
The lack of suspended ceilings created some challenges for high level services. We needed to ensure that these systems did not distract from the timber, but rather enhance each space. NDY designed a raised access floor with a deep cavity to improve the acoustic privacy between levels of the building. The floor cavity was also used for an under-floor air conditioning system, which reduced the number of services exposed in the open ceilings and power and communications cable reticulation.
What innovative new approaches are you seeing when it comes to electrical engineering?
There are many evolving aspects in electrical engineering. I believe we will continue to see more focus on electrification, replacing technologies and systems that run on fossil fuels to reduce pollution and aid decarbonisation. Prefabricated products are also growing in need as there is still a labour shortage in the industry. I am also excited to see how IoT and AI will contribute to electrical engineering technologies evolving.
Where do you see the future of electrical engineering heading?
I believe we will continue to see a robust demand across various industries and emerging trends. I suspect that AI will have a significant impact on the electrical engineering industry where it can be used to optimise power systems, improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. For example, AI can be used to predict energy demand and supply, optimise energy storage systems and improve the efficiency of power generation.
What legacy do you want to leave, when it comes to your career?
Our industry is very much a people industry. Working alongside peers, clients and ultimately people occupying buildings we design, inspires me to encourage people to think outside the box and challenge the norm. People working together creating spaces for other people to occupy with their best interests at heart is key, and if I can inspire people around me to bring the best and truest version of themselves to work, I’ll be happy.
What advice do you have for young electrical engineers?
It’s an exciting space!! There are so many countless avenues, markets and technologies that you can pursue. Don’t be scared to change tack once you’ve figured out something is not for you. The right fit is out there.
If you feel comfortable to do so, tell us a bit about your background (culturally).
I was born in South Africa and immigrated to Australia 16 years ago. I grew up in a small country town and value family, relationships and people. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
How does diversity of background and thought influence how you deliver your projects?
I teach my daughters that we are all different and that is awesome! Communication in a workplace and particularly when delivering my projects has always been a key focus for me. Encouraging open, honest and respectful communication is very empowering to all. As Steve Jobs said, ‘Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.’
