Now we enter the world of structural engineering! Unsurprisingly, there are also several practices unique to structural engineers however, they all rely on the same core knowledge that all civil engineers learn in school. I'm going to break down the fields that I am most familiar with so this list is not all inclusive, rather it is a list of the most common practices you will find when looking for a structural engineering job. All photos below are my own!

NEW CONSTRUCTION

ONGOING CONSTRUCTION OF 1 VANDERBILT PLAZA IN NYC

One of the most common practices that most people are aware of is the engineering of new buildings. For this type work, structural engineers work alongside architects, who design the aesthetics of a building and how people interact within the space. The engineer's role in this relationship is to design the frames that help bring an architect's vision to reality.

Once the architect creates a model of the developers vision, a structural design team is hired to review the feasibility of the design. At this point, the architect and engineers revisit the project several times to come to a schematic design that can be engineered on a basic level for price estimating. A cost analysis is then performed to come to an acceptable budget and then the design development phase occurs. This phase includes the fine details needed to create a set of drawings that can be formally sent out to bid.

Once the bids comes in, the team performs a bid analysis to determine which is the best suited general contractor to take on the job. With the job now awarded, the construction process begins and the design team is often, but not always part of the construction administration team, where they assist with problems to their design during construction. Most of these problems stem from the phasing of the construction and changes to the original design. In rare cases, a mistake is found and revision is needed.

The skills relating to this particular practice relate heavily on the design of the new structure, be it a high rise or a technically challenging structure to build.

Another subset of structural engineering is the one I work in which involves existing structures.

RENEWAL ENGINEERING

In this practice, engineers work with existing buildings and modify them for future needs. This can be anywhere from changing the structural capacity of a building's framing, adding additional floors, or to repair an existing structure that has been damaged by a variety of reasons.

In this role, an engineer may work alongside an architect who is redesigning the use of a space and needs to modify the buildings layout. Perhaps a new stair or elevator is needed, or the architect is changing the use from office space to event space and the building is in need of reinforcement to handle the additional weight.

Another common function we often perform is to work independently with a building to repair their structural frame if it has been damaged by corrosion (often weather related), physical damage (explosions, impacts etc) or due to mistakes (caused by contractors or previous engineers).

The skills relating to this particular practice relate heavily on the age of the building and the type of damages you may encounter. Most renewal engineering work deals with the logistical challenges of working around occupied spaces, so we often have to employ various techniques to permit phased construction.

THIS SLAB WAS CUT OPEN AND A NEW STAIR CASE WAS INSTALLED TO PROVIDE TENANT ACCESS FROM THE GROUND LEVEL INTO THE BASEMENT

FORENSIC ENGINEERING

Forensics is a practice that deals with determining the cause of structural failures. Before you think "OH S($!", the word failure specifically refers to a designs inability to meet its intended use. It does not always mean collapse! For example, one of the job's I've worked on involves a 20+ year old moving roof structure and a sports stadium. The rail and boogie system that the roof tracks on was elongating with the roof. Our job was to determine the cause and solution to the problem. More often, the projects we're involved are with things such as why a wall has cracked, or why a beam has crippled along its cross section.

IN THIS PHOTO, I'M POINTING AT A WOOD LINTEL THAT WAS BURIED IN A WALL WHEN A NEW WALL WAS BUILT IN FRONT OF IT. THE NEW WALL IS CRACKING AND WE ARE TRYING TO DETERMINE WHAT IS CAUSING THE FAILURE

PROPERLY LOSS AND CONSULTING

This is a practice that involves direct contact with lawyers and there is significantly less engineering design work involved. PLC engineers employ forensic and structural knowledge to come to conclusions on the nature of structural damage. In situations such as natural disasters, PLC engineers assess the structural damage to determine if it was related to the disaster or if there was an underlying problem with the structure, pre loss (an insurance term that identifies the state of the insured prior to a claim). When working in this capacity, a structural engineer must be familiar with how structures are built.

For legal reasons, I can't share any of my photos in this capacity.

HOW THEY ALL RELATE

Even though our functions can vary greatly, it is extremely important to have the essential core skills that make us structural engineers. Among them is the skill of problem solving and communication with non engineers which makes engineering such a versatile career path. The skillset can be translated to many areas of work.

In the next blog, I'm going to share my experience in a project that I am involved with that reuses an existing building. Our role involves everything I discussed include structural reinforcement, re framing, and dealing with the effects of corrosion damage. I can't be specific about the location, so I'll be keeping things super vague but as interesting as it can be.

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if you enjoy these post, comment below and interact, ask questions! I am here to share my knowledge with you! If you have any questions on construction within your home, I can also give you free advice on which way you should lean towards. If you need full engineering services, you can also reach me for work inside NYC. I will accept STEEM and SBD as payment too!