Integrated Engineering Firms

Integrated engineering firms take a multi-discipline approach to engineering problems. Traditionally, engineers specialized in narrow areas of expertise. It became apparent that each one should have a broader knowledge of the many challenges today's engineers have to overcome, including issues such as seismic stability, environmental impact, and design aesthetics. Using this cohesive approach, all aspects of the final design come together under one project manager.

In order for an integrated approach to be truly effective, engineers at such firms need to have a background in several basic subjects. These include materials; engineers must have knowledge of both raw materials (such as ore) and finished materials (such as steel beams). They also study solid mechanics, the behavior of solids under pressure. This tells them how building materials will act during temperature changes, for example. Fluid mechanics, a similar study of fluids both in motion and while still, is yet another area of study. Chemical, electro-mechanical, and biological knowledge is also applicable.

Integrated Engineering Firms and Education
The first integrated engineering program pioneered at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. The concept has since spread to a number of other universities. This type of broad-based education makes engineering students more ready for the sophisticated, project-based workplace of the 21st century. Engineering firms that take on the graduates of these programs are also more adaptable to future challenges.

Any project that needs materials to work together and function well over time can benefit from integrated engineering. When engineers understand more than one part of the project, they are more likely to create a cohesive and long-lasting whole. For more about integrated engineering, contact The KPA Group at www.thekpagroup.com.