Growth, change and evolvement

Stacey Lucas outlines her aims and objectives as the BCIA’s new Vice-President.

Over the past 20 years I have worked in different roles within Sontay and gained exposure and a wider understanding of the building controls industry.

I strongly believe that as an industry we are stronger by working together and supporting each other to bring the best for everyone. The building controls industry is a community in itself and it is the army of members who take part in the working groups and events that make a true difference.

It has never been a more exciting time to be part of the building controls industry. We are in the middle of the biggest transformation that I have seen in my time in the sector and the transition from using traditional analogue signals to transmit information to real-time specific data is rapidly occurring. IT services and software now play a vital role in the operation of building management systems and this is only set to grow.

Over the years the BCIA has been a voice for the industry and has been instrumental in making change and raising standards. I aim to use my voice to support the association’s aims, as well as ensure we are providing excellent service and value for our members.

Our sector is relatively niche and unknown compared to other trades. Everyone has heard of an electrician or plumber, but not a building controls engineer. Over the past few years, our industry has begun to gain prominence through focus on topics such as air quality, smart buildings and energy efficiency. Through the BCIA I aim to continue to grow awareness of the various career paths in the industry and demonstrate that this sector is an exciting career option for school, college, and university leavers.

As our industry grows and changes, its trade association, the BCIA must evolve too. There has been some amazing work to address all sorts of issues that affect the industry and our membership. As Vice-President I will strive to ensure the views, opinions and needs of our members are listened to so that the association can develop a roadmap to keep up with the rapid progression in our sector.

The future for building controls and the BCIA is very exciting indeed and as Vice-President, I really want to play my part in ensuring we can bring every one of our members on the journey with us.