WW:Academy
WW:Academy
Following the launch of WW:Academy and initial sessions for all levels in 2022, we are delighted to continue this key initiative with the next sessions for all levels in January and February 2023, supported by our structured WW:Academy platform. The site, hosted on our SharePoint and accessible to all staff, provides full details of the programme at each level, along with supporting information and documentation.
Academy Manager Paul Hargreaves leads this Learning and Development programme and works closely with our Quality and Standardisation Manager, Raymond Kelly. Supported by the Management and Operations Boards, Paul and Raymond ensure that all our staff are nurtured and supported, and that the future of Wallace Whittle is in safe hands, while we deliver against our key objectives of Quality of Product, Quality of Service and Standardisation.
Our WW:Academy programme offers:
Structured Learning and Development covering all levels and all areas of our business
Degree Apprenticeships, with part time university leading to full professional qualifications
Technician Apprenticeships, with part time college, leading to technician professional qualifications and subsequent university entrance
On the job supported learning in all aspects of our business
An allocated personal mentor and regular reviews
Specialist training from our in-house experts in a broad range of aspects including:
• Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health Engineering
• Sustainability Consultancy
• CAD and BIM services
• Software and Technology
• Finance
• Business Development
• Marketing
• Communication, presentation and report writing skills
• Digital Engineering & Quality Management
• Construction and contract law
• People and team management
• Social responsibility
• Environmental responsibility
• Site based experience with our Main Contractor and MEP Contractor partners
• Complementary professional experience with Architect, C&S and QS partners
• Involvement in STEM outreach activities and supporting others
• Varied social activities at office and company level
Our WW:Academy also provides career long continued professional learning and development opportunities to support every aspect of career progression for all our staff, and comprises four levels as outlined below:
• Level 1 – All staff
• Level 2 – Junior / Graduate staff
• Level 3 – Aspiring staff
• Level 4 – Next generation staff
Levels 1 and 2 are as described, with levels 3 and 4 being focused on the mentoring and development of our current mid-level engineers and management to evolve into future management and business leaders and winners.
Scottish Building Regulations
At Wallace Whittle we understand that there are fundamental design questions that need answering at an early stage.


The upcoming changes to the Building Standards Technical Handbooks, specifically Section 6, will require improved energy performance of all new buildings with carbon emissions targets reduced by 32%.
Please contact our Sustainability team who will be happy to discuss in more detail and advise what this update means for your projects.


WWe've Moved
e've Moved!
We have hit the ground running post management buyout in April 2021. From bringing onboard many new clients to investing heavily in our staff, we’re putting our big orange stamp on the Environmental Building Services market.
And now, our Glasgow and Edinburgh offices have moved to new premises - upgrading facilities and working environments for our staff and placing us right in the heart of the cities. We have further plans to modernise all other existing offices across the business, with Aberdeen to begin an upgrade in early 2023.
Location Director Barry McKeane enters his 19th year with Wallace Whittle and leads a team with a wealth of experience and technical ability covering all elements of MEP and Sustainability design.
Our Glasgow head office has a new home in the historic Garment Factory building in Merchant City.
The new 3500sqft office space will allow up to 50 staff to work collaboratively across 32 fixed workstations and 18 soft collaboration seats, in an inspiring environment with everything they need to deliver quality – and of course a cracking coffee machine. Our new neighbours include Threesixty Architecture, Reid Mitchell, Shoosmith, Incremental Group, Autorek and Channel 4.
This historic, category ‘B’ listed building sits on the corner of Ingram and Montrose St and was once home to the J&W Garment Factory. The building underwent a significant and sympathetic refurbishment in 2017, maintaining many original features whilst creating modern, light, working spaces.
As the Head Office, it was important in Glasgow that we had a space that reflected our culture and vision for the business as well as providing a flexible, welcoming and collaborative environment for our staff and visiting clients.
Our focus on ‘practicing what we preach’ is visible within our services design for the space. Maximising the fabric whilst utilising low energy, highly efficient equipment, natural ventilation and air quality monitoring systems, all linked to an interactive front end which allows us to review the ongoing performance of the office in accordance with our route map to Net Zero Carbon. Active travel is also encouraged by the provision of shower, changing, bike and locker facilities.
If you would like to pop in for a visit and a coffee, get in touch with Barry McKeane.
Photos from left/top: Barry McKeane, Glasgow Office
Allan McGill, Managing Director commented:
“Quality, flexibility and modern office space was key to rebranding post MBO and was very high on my personal agenda as a key area we felt the business should invest in as soon as it could.
With existing leases running out it gave us the push we required to look at suitable space across the city and in the Garment Factory we simply found a fantastic space in an even better location.
With the company already embracing hybrid working it allowed us to downsize slightly while investing in better quality space and a much higher level of fit-out than we have in previous years, which in turn has provided us with a space that will simply be a pleasure to work out of for staff and clients alike.”
Having established and grown the Edinburgh office, Location Director Stephen Osborne will continue to develop and lead the team in the new space.
Having outgrown our office at Lochrin Square, the Edinburgh team have expanded into new premises at 38 Thistle Street.
Planned in 1767 and named after the national flower of Scotland, Thistle Street runs parallel to George St in the very heart of the New Town and is packed with independent shops, bars and coffee spots.
Edinburgh has been designed in the image of our Glasgow head office. With dynamic collaborative workspaces, a relaxed meeting room, private soundproof pod and glorious natural light from the original windows – the new space will provide a new home for the Edinburgh team to grow further and work closely together. Our new neighbours include Gardiner & Theobald, Cuthbert White and Quattro Consult. There are several great restaurants on our doorstep and a fantastic pub right across the street!
Stephen and his team, including all aspects of MEP and Sustainability design, are working on a variety of projects across various sectors and warmly invite you to pop in and say hello, if you’d like to visit get in touch with Stephen here.
The flexible, agile space of 1600sqft allows up to 20 staff to occupy at any time, with 12 workstations, 6 soft collaboration seats and plenty of staff amenities. Active travel is encouraged by the provision of shower, changing and locker facilities, and we will be actively minimising energy use, monitoring air quality and reducing waste in accordance with our route map to Net Zero Carbon.
Photo from left/top: Stephen Osborne, Edinburgh Office
Allan McGill, Managing Director commented:
“Location and the type of space was key to our decision making and we lucked out again by finding this space in another fantastic building within an iconic area of Edinburgh. We have invested heavily in the fit-out and went all out to provide a mirror image of Glasgow by following a very rigid company branding criteria, that sees very similar features across both offices that in time will be rolled out across all 6 of our offices, with Aberdeen already planned for early 2023.”
It really has been all consuming since the MBO and to be able to deliver two new offices to such a high quality within the first 18 months of business is simply a fantastic achievement by the Board, who should be very proud of the progress they have made in such a short period of time.
Feedback from staff has been incredibly positive across both offices and we look forward to inviting in our clients and friends to the spaces soon.
Finally, special thanks to Form Design, our fantastic lead designer, and to FES, our ever reliable fit out contractor, who have delivered two fantastic, modern, quality offices.
If you’d like to pop in for a visit and a coffee, get in touch with Barry McKeane, Glasgow or Stephen Osborne, Edinburgh.
All photography: David Cadzow

Leading to Prevent Training Sessions
Leading to Prevent Training Sessions
We strive to build a positive culture and working environment at Wallace Whittle; through training, management, setting examples and empowerment.
Ensuring our staff are equipped to deal with behaviours, attitudes or situations that clash with our organisational or societal values is key to not only their development, but also the development and growth of our company.
Through our Academy, our Senior Management team and Level 4 Associate Directors completed an in-depth training session with external trainer, Graham Goulden of Cultivating Minds.
Photo: Graham Goulden
Graham Goulden, BA, is an experienced and committed leadership and violence prevention trainer. For thirty years he was a Scottish police officer and Chief Investigator specialising in criminal investigation, drug investigation, training and crime prevention.
Ensuring our staff are equipped to deal with behaviours, attitudes or situations that clash with our organisational or societal values is key to not only their development, but also the development and growth of our company.
Through our Academy, our Senior Management team and Level 4 Associate Directors completed an in-depth training session with external trainer, Graham Goulden of Cultivating Minds.
He was involved in developing the recent Police Scotland campaign, ‘That Guy’ which asks men to consider their attitudes towards sexual violence. You can find out more about that campaign here: That-guy.co.uk
The session encouraged discussions on a range of social situations that can have a negative impact on the culture and performance in any organisation. It also explored the concept of the ‘bystander’ and provided the tools and practical strategies needed to both challenge and support colleagues in difficult situations.
After some pre-session ‘homework’, the team got together online with Graham to discuss the roles of leadership in the prevention of workplace abuse and harassment, motivators and inhibitors to bystander intervention and how to support a productive, positive workplace culture.
Feedback from the sessions has been encouragingly positive and staff left the sessions feeling empowered to lead.
Find out more about our academy here WW:Academy or get in touch [email protected]
Intermediate Electrical Engineer, Warrington
Job Description
Job Title: Intermediate Electrical Engineer
Directly reports to: Senior Engineer / Associate
No of Direct Reports: 0
Location: Warrington
Position Summary:
To support the Senior / Associate Engineer(s) in producing robust design solutions including drawing and written deliverables with moderate supervision.
Responsibilities and authority:
- Produce Electrical Design drawings, calculations & reports, specifications and schedules.
- Contribute to BREEAM or equivalent legislation
- Witness test the proving and commissioning procedures of final installations
- Work to internal and external project programs effectively
- Work to company Quality Assurance management systems
- Support Senior/ Associate Engineers and Management
- Communicate effectively with internal and external design team member
- Undertake non-intrusive surveys of existing installations
- Undertake main plant area spatial allowance exercises
- Ensure industry knowledge is kept up to date with new legislation, standards and regulations, product development and new technology
- Attend and contribute to design team and project meetings
- Study towards chartership and maintain CPD requirements
- Liaise with lead and/or support engineers to ensure that discipline designs are completed to expected quality and programme
- Collaborate and work effectively with all others affecting or affected by your work
- Carry out all personal management duties including weekly timesheets
- Comply with all security procedures and commercial in-confidence restrictions associated with work duties
Education and Experience:
- Engineering Degree preferred.
- Minimum Engineering HNC/D or equivalent qualification
- Alternatively suitable Construction site based experience with a recognised completed electrical apprenticeship
Specific skills, knowledge, competencies and training
Essential:
- Self-motivated individual with good team ethic, looking to excel and aspire.
- Computer literate
- Good inter-personal skills
Desirable:
- Chartered or working towards Chartership
- Revit capability
- CAD skills
- CIBSE/IET Membership
Electrical Engineer, Edinburgh
Job Description
Job Title: Electrical Engineer
Directly reports to: Senior Engineer / Associate
No of Direct Reports: 0
Location: Edinburgh
Position Summary:
To support the Senior/Associate Engineer(s) in producing robust design solutions including drawing and written deliverables with moderate supervision.
Responsibilities and authority:
- Produce Electrical Design drawings, calculations (Amtech, Hevacomp, IES, Relux, Dialux), reports, specifications and schedules
- Contribute to BREEAM or equivalent legislation
- Contribute to Building Regulations Section 6 compliance modelling
- Witness test the proving and commissioning procedures of final installations
- Assist the development of trainee engineers
- Work to internal and external project programs effectively
- Work to company Quality Assurance management systems
- Support Senior/ Associate Engineers and Management
Education and Experience:
- Engineering degree preferred. Minimum Engineering HNC/D or equivalent qualification.
- Previous experience in a Building Services consultancy required
Specific skills, knowledge, competencies and training
Essential:
- Competent in AutoCad and knowledge of Revit
- Communicate effectively with internal and external design team members
- Undertake non-intrusive surveys of existing installations
- Undertake main plant area spatial allowance exercises
- Ensure industry knowledge is kept up to date with new legislation, standards and regulations, product development and new technology
- Attend and contribute to design team and project meetings
- Collaborate and work effectively with all others affecting or affected by your work
- Carry out all personal management duties including weekly timesheets
- Comply with all security procedures and commercial in-confidence restrictions associated with work duties
Desirable:
- Study towards Chartership and maintain CPD requirements
- Quality checking/review of trainee staff work and equivalent grade engineers
- Liaise with lead and/or support engineers to ensure that discipline designs are completed to expected quality and programme
Mechanical Engineer, Belfast
Job Description
Job Title: Mechanical Engineer
Directly reports to: Senior Engineer/Associate
No of Direct Reports: 0
Location: Belfast
Position Summary:
To support the Senior/Associate Engineer(s) in producing robust design solutions including drawing and written deliverables with moderate supervision.
Responsibilities and authority:
- Produce Mechanical Design drawings, calculations (Hevacomp, IES), reports, specifications and schedules
- Contribute to BREEAM or equivalent legislation
- Contribute to Building Regulations Section 6 Part L compliance modelling
- Witness test the proving and commissioning procedures of final installations
- Assist the development of trainee engineers
- Work to internal and external project programs effectively
- Work to company Quality Assurance management systems
- Support Senior/ Associate Engineers and Management
- Communicate effectively with internal and external design team members
- Undertake non-intrusive surveys of existing installations
- Undertake main plant area spatial allowance exercises
- Ensure industry knowledge is kept up to date with new legislation, standards and regulations, product development and new technology
- Attend and contribute to design team and project meetings
- Study towards chartership and maintain CPD requirements
- Quality checking/review of trainee staff work and equivalent grade engineers
- Liaise with lead and/or support engineers to ensure that discipline designs are completed to expected quality and programme
- Collaborate and work effectively with all others affecting or affected by your work
- Carry out all personal management duties including weekly timesheets
- Comply with all security procedures and commercial in-confidence restrictions associated with work duties
Specific skills, knowledge, competencies and training
Education and Experience:
- Engineering degree preferred. Minimum engineering HNC/D or equivalent qualification.
- Competent in AutoCad and knowledge of Revit
Desirable:
- Ambitious, self-motivated individual with good team ethic, looking to excel and aspire. Computer literate, good inter-personal skills.
Electrical Engineer, Belfast
Job Description
Job Title: Electrical Engineer
Directly reports to: Senior Engineer / Associate
No of Direct Reports: 0
Location: Belfast
Position Summary:
To support the Senior/Associate Engineer(s) in producing robust design solutions including drawing and written deliverables with moderate supervision.
Responsibilities and authority:
- Produce Electrical Design drawings, calculations (Amtech, Hevacomp, IES, Relux, Dialux), reports, specifications and schedules
- Contribute to BREEAM or equivalent legislation
- Contribute to Building Regulations Section 6 compliance modelling
- Witness test the proving and commissioning procedures of final installations
- Assist the development of trainee engineers
- Work to internal and external project programs effectively
- Work to company Quality Assurance management systems
- Support Senior/ Associate Engineers and Management
Education and Experience:
- Engineering degree preferred. Minimum Engineering HNC/D or equivalent qualification
Specific skills, knowledge, competencies and training
Essential:
- Competent in AutoCad and knowledge of Revit
- Communicate effectively with internal and external design team members
- Undertake non-intrusive surveys of existing installations
- Undertake main plant area spatial allowance exercises
- Ensure industry knowledge is kept up to date with new legislation, standards and regulations, product development and new technology
- Attend and contribute to design team and project meetings
- Collaborate and work effectively with all others affecting or affected by your work
- Carry out all personal management duties including weekly timesheets
- Comply with all security procedures and commercial in-confidence restrictions associated with work duties
Desirable:
- Study towards Chartership and maintain CPD requirements
- Quality checking/review of trainee staff work and equivalent grade engineers
- Liaise with lead and/or support engineers to ensure that discipline designs are completed to expected quality and programme
Dagenham Dock
Dagenham Dock
Wallace Whittle are proud to be involved in the Dagenham Green project for Dagenham Dock Limited/Peabody, which has recently received approval for an outline planning permission for a mixed use development of up to 3502 new homes, of which a minimum of 47% will be affordable.
Wallace Whittle have provided Energy, Utilities, MEP and Vertical Transportation services for both the masterplan and the first phase of the development which Dagenham Dock Limited/Peabody are looking to bring forward in the coming months.
We are delighted to be working on this exciting project with a vision to create a new sustainable neighbourhood with placemaking and the local community at the heart of the design development.
The mixed-use development will also provide:
- Over 10 acres of public realm and landscaping, including a central 5-acre urban park and 15,000 sqm of playspace
- New local shops and restaurants
- 5 acres of land for a new Secondary School
- A Heritage Trail that will signpost visitors to different aspects of the area’s history including the 1968 Sewing Machinists Strike and the biodiverse Thames Marshland.
Paul Dean, Director at Wallace Whittle “We share Peabody’s principles to provide a housing development for a connected community comprising open space with sustainable homes for the future. It is a great opportunity for Wallace Whittle to help design and be part of creating Peabody’s great estates for the future, delivering the principles of the masterplan for Barking and Dagenham”.
Major Projects: Data Centre MEP Design
Major Projects: Data Centre MEP Design
The optimum design and installation of MEP services is essential to the smooth operation of any building however in the 365/24/7 data centre environment it is even more vital that the MEP design incorporates robust and reliable solutions that fulfil business objectives. The infrastructure also impacts on energy efficiency and operating costs so we must explore every opportunity to be energy efficient and considerate of the environment.
Our Stephen Phimister, as an Uptime Institute Accredited Tier Designer, is a recognised leader in the design of data centre MEP. We asked Stephen to share some of his current thoughts on Date Centre MEP design.
Resilience of every service within a data centre is fundamental. Over the past two years this need has been brought into sharp focus as the Covid-19 pandemic saw organisations move rapidly from centralised to decentralised working. Many companies whom had previously resisted cloud services found themselves deploying them very quickly to enable remote working. This was observed by data centre operators who saw increased demand right from the initial few weeks of lockdown as services were modified to cope with the changing environment. As businesses continue to adapt to new ways of working there will be increased global demand for data centre space.
Data centre demands
The demands of a data centre MEP design are considerably greater than those required for a standard building and normal pressures on designers are intensified. For example, physical space is always a key factor to take into consideration with each rack having a rental value attached to it. Obtaining more rack space can make a considerable difference to revenue levels over the lifetime of a data centre therefore optimising plant space is a critical aspect of design.
Data centres can have a particularly high energy density. Consequently, the sheer amount of power and critical nature of the loads being served require significant expertise in the design and delivery of the solution. This is not just to support the immediate power needs of the IT systems. Multiple voltages levels, Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), large standby generators, fuel storage, transformers, metering and power usage effectiveness are just a few of the multidimensional electrical design considerations. However, of equally critical importance is the cooling solution and although significant improvements have been made in recent years designers still strive to reduce energy demand. The challenges of targeting Net Zero Carbon apply to data centres as well!
As energy efficiency of the electrical and mechanical systems is critical, from both an environmental and commercial perspective, innovative design can minimise the power required to run a data centre. In view of the energy density, small improvements in design efficiency can have dramatic effects in reducing carbon footprint and running costs.
From compressor free cooling, to hot/cold aisle containment solutions, to increased server operating temperatures, no stone should be left unturned when it comes to reducing energy consumption. However, all these good design measures can be ineffective if the operator cannot monitor, and therefore control, the energy use in operation. Metering is therefore vitally important, and this is delivered through a comprehensive metering solution or may be combined into an Integrated Data Centre Infrastructure Management (IDCIM) system, which combines the MEP and IT operating conditions of the facility.
In terms of site selection, from an engineering perspective power and communications are key. Some clients may try to manage risk through geographical remoteness however, without network capacity, what may seem like an ideal site may render it impracticable for data centre use. It is therefore vital that early feasibility and investigations are commissioned prior to a data centre build project commencing, to mitigate or minimise the risk associated with these potentially expensive fixes.
Setting the standard
There are many different standards that clients may choose to follow. For example, the Uptime Institute is one that is recognised globally for the creation and administration of data centre design, construction, and operational sustainability certification. Its Tier rating, which defines the standards required for different resilience levels, is probably the most quoted (and often misquoted) reference in data centre design. There is also a plethora of further specialist standards which must also be considered by the MEP design team.
Local and National legislation can introduce complexities, and the designers must be skilled at juggling the sometimes diverging business, build and regulatory requirements. In terms of meeting client expectations, it is vital to identify early on any gaps between their aspirations and regulatory or design restrictions. Of course, every client has unique requirements for their data centre facility. So, to deliver a successful project, the MEP design team must be skilled in extracting this information and harnessing a client’s knowledge about their business operations.
For any building services project, effective communication is the key element as this will highlight potential issues early on in a project, saving costly changes further down the line. Due to the levels of resilience demanded by a data centre, effective project communication is even more vital. Given the importance of MEP services within the operation of a data centre it is therefore imperative that building services engineers are involved from the earliest stages of design to help inform a successful final building layout and configuration.
We will be delighted to offer our considerable expertise in any of your Data Centre or business critical MEP design requirements.