Pakistani expert highlights major engineering trends – INTERVIEW
Baku, August 12, AZERTAC
“In my view, one of the most important priorities in engineering today is making our systems more sustainable and energy efficient without compromising reliability or performance. This requires greater integration of renewable energy, efficient HVAC and building systems, energy storage, water conservation, smart monitoring, and better use of available resources. Sustainability is not only about introducing new technologies. It is also about designing systems with their complete life cycle in mind and using real time data to continuously improve their performance,” Muhammad Saad Khan, Pakistani mechanical engineer at the Meinhardt Group, told AZERTAC.
According to him, as the cities become smarter, traditional engineering standards also need to evolve.
“Engineering standards have historically focused on physical design, performance, and safety, and these principles will always remain essential. However, modern infrastructure increasingly includes sensors, automation, building management systems, smart meters, centralized monitoring, and other connected technologies. Standards therefore need to address interoperability, cybersecurity, data management, system integration, and long-term maintainability as well. The goal should not simply be to make infrastructure smart, but to make it intelligent, reliable, secure, and practical to operate,” he said.
Khan believes that the next generation of engineers will need a combination of strong engineering fundamentals and digital capabilities.
“Skills in automation, data analytics, AI, simulation, and intelligent monitoring will become increasingly valuable across engineering disciplines. At the same time, critical thinking and engineering judgment will remain extremely important. Engineers should use technology as a tool rather than depend on it blindly. They need to be able to validate results, question assumptions, understand risks, and make responsible decisions,” the expert noted.
Overall, he said, the engineering profession is becoming increasingly multidisciplinary.
“Engineers who can combine traditional engineering knowledge with sustainability, digital technologies, and data driven decision making, while maintaining a mindset of continuous learning and adaptability, will be best positioned for the future,” Khan concluded.
Other news in this section
