No margin for error

May 2010 — "I've always been fascinated with breaking complex puzzles into smaller, more manageable pieces," says Joe Roach, project manager and mechanical engineer in AECOM's Richland, Washington, office. "Engineering offers these kinds of opportunities with every new project."

Richland borders the Hanford Reservation, where the first atomic bomb was developed. The local area has an operating nuclear power plant and provides thousands of jobs in cleaning up the nuclear waste generated during the 1940s as the United States raced to develop the bomb.

This historical backdrop underlies much of Joe's work. With projects such as the Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (RLWTF) in Los Alamos, New Mexico, there is no margin for error. Joe and his colleagues in the Richland office used 3-D modeling software to assure that all piping and equipment in the system were located precisely.

Joe is also working on the Quiet Wing laboratory addition to the Battelle Campus in Richland. This building will have vibration, acoustic, and structural isolation from the surrounding facility to house some of the world's most complex microscopes. AECOM experts from seven offices are collaborating on this fast-track project.

Like Quiet Wing, many of Joe's projects are delivered on short deadlines. "It is essential to rapidly identify the best method to communicate with your team to be able to meet these tight deadlines efficiently," says Joe. Establishing communication across the team is a vital first step, as team members may be drawn from all over the world. "Nearly any project can be successfully completed because we can create a team of experts from any field, and any location to meet the client's demands," says Joe.

The need to incorporate sustainability into all design aspects is the most important trend facing building engineering according to Joe. "It is becoming a government mandate, and I think that this age will be known for the advances and mainstreaming of energy efficiency, alternative energy sources, and sustainability," says Joe, who has earned his LEED AP accreditation as well as his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. "Being an engineer in these times is exciting, and I look forward to telling my children that I contributed to these positive changes."

Joseph.Roach@aecom.com