The Built Environment

The term Built Environment refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from personal shelter and single buildings to neighborhoods and cities. The term draws on a broad cross disciplinary range of fields including architecture, engineering, construction, law, and public policy.

As it applies to Ellis Consulting Engineers, the term is relevant to the interdisciplinary field which addresses the design, construction, management and use of these man-made structures.

Our concern with the Built Environment is not limited to the initial design and construction of its components, but also applies to their long term use, as well as the repurposing of existing facilities. We do not limit our thoughts solely to the traditional task of systems engineering for the environs we work in. We attempt to take a whole world view of each of our projects and ask ourselves how our solutions can be implemented effectively in harmony with the entire project, with priority to functioning solutions that are workable and sustainable.

Of course, the first rule of design is that the proposed solutions must work. Traditional design of the past was often comparable to using a hammer on a thumb tack. In recent years the pendulum has swung the other way and the trend for designers has migrated towards ultra efficient designs and minimum use of resources.

We here at Ellis Consulting Engineers understand that designers must bridge the gap between the communal need for sustainable, efficient design and the client’s need for working dependable solutions. That requires a project team that forays from their traditional cubby holes of discipline and has a more prescient view of the client’s interaction with the Built Environment, and Ellis Consulting Engineers can be an integral part of that team.