'It is a multidisciplinary field,' said Arthur Yung Hung-tat, chairman of building discipline advisory panel at the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) and director of Arthur Yung & Associates.

From planning to construction to maintenance, this 'engineering sense' comes from a thorough technical knowledge accumulated through experience in all aspects of the construction process, including structural and building services, said Francis Tong Man-kan, former chairman of the building division of HKIE.

Professional building engineers oversee all aspects of a construction project including planning, design, cost, electrical and mechanical issues, plumbing, lifts and maintenance issues. Hong Kong building engineers are well placed to offer their expertise in co-ordinating between these different areas.

Building engineers are highly attentive to the environmental side of their projects and stress the importance of health and safety requirements. They think about how their buildings might affect people and the surroundings.

'Building engineering provides a much broader foundation and perspective to approaching projects. The field is also a good way towards a path of future specialisation and employment prospects,' Mr Tong said.

There are only two accredited degree courses in building engineering offered in Hong Kong; at the Polytechnic University and City University. Both courses are honours degree programmes lasting three years. Hong Kong building engineers are highly sought after across the globe, especially in places where there are construction booms, such as in the mainland and Dubai.

'For a mainland project that takes three years to complete, Hong Kong building engineers can tell clients the precise stage of construction at a given time whereas mainland engineers could not,' said Charles Leung Yu-wah, chairman of the building division of the HKIE and technical director of Paul Y. Builders.

'There are other developments in Malaysia and Singapore where local Hong Kong experience and expertise is needed for high-rise and complex building projects,' said Mr Leung, who has been involved in planning and bidding for the main contract for the Burj Tower in Dubai, which despite not yet being completed is already the world's tallest building.

There was good demand for building engineering graduates, especially in Macau and the mainland, Mr Yung said. The Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement between Hong Kong and the mainland has given a boost to construction and building projects on the mainland, allowing Hong Kong companies to get involved in various professional service sectors there, including construction and building services.

'In Macau, the supply of building engineering expertise is not up to the same level as that of Hong Kong. Macau generally lacks the fast track experience of big projects that Hong Kong has,' Mr Tong said.

'Often companies in Macau will hire Hong Kong engineers because of their professional knowledge,' Mr Leung.

Mr Tong said: 'There are opportunities for development and consulting for Hong Kong building engineers locally and in the mainland.'

For example, Siemens, a global electronics giant, has initiated a Hong Kong and China joint-venture construction project in Beijing. More developers hire Hong Kong building engineers as consultants and building construction managers for mainland projects because of their high quality control procedures.

'The requirements and qualities necessary to be in this profession are very broad-based. Building engineers need to take up responsibilities, be clear thinkers and show initiative. They also need to be organised, be able to manage and lead and demonstrate good technical ability as well as good communication skills. A good balance of all these areas is necessary,' Mr Leung said.

A building engineer has to juggle various concerns to complete a successful project. 'An engineer needs to have very good technical skills,' Mr Tong said. The cost of a project also needed to be taken into account, said Mr Yung, who emphasised the financial astuteness of a building engineer as an important attribute.

Building engineers will also need to look closely at tendering and post-contract follow-up, as well as project management, which all fall under the scope of this profession. In addition, engineers in this profession need a general knowledge of structural engineering, with a thorough understanding of construction management and safety considerations as well.

Leading construction companies in Asia employ many HKIE members who are building engineers.

'Most graduates this year will have few problems finding jobs while a few years ago this was a problem,' Mr Yung said.

This article is part of a series on engineering trends and development, produced in association with The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. It is published on the last Saturday of every month.