The construction of any structure involves many steps. Although the structural designer is not responsible for each of these steps, he should be involved in most of them so that the resulting structure is safe, stable, serviceable, durable, and is economically viable and aesthetically pleasing, and does not have an adverse impact on the environment. The necessary steps may be listed as follows:
- receiving the plan and elevation of the building from the architect and the soil report from the geotechnical engineer, the structural engineer estimates the probable loads (dead, live, wind, snow, earthquake, etc) that are acting on the structure. Normally, the material of construction is chosen by the owner in consultation with the architect.
- The structural engineer arrives at the structural system after comparing various possible systems. In a building, heating and air-conditioning requirements or other functional requirements may dictate the use of a structural system that is not the most efficient from a purely structural viewpoint, but which is the best bearing the total building in mind.
- A suitable structural analysis, mostly with the aid of computers, is done to determine the internal forces acting on various elements of the structural system, based on the various loads and their combinations.
- the critical loading conditions, the sizes of various elements are determined following the provision.
- detailed structural drawings are then prepared once again following provisions and approved by the structural engineer.
- estimator arrives at the quantities involved and the initial cost of construction.
- contractor, based on the structural drawings, prepares the fabrication and erection drawings and a bill of quantity of materials (BOQ). The structural engineer again approves these drawings.
- contractor constructs the building based on the specifications given by the architect/project manager.
- The structural engineer, with the help of quality control inspectors, inspects the work of the fabricator and erector to ensure that the structure has been fabricated/erected in accordance with his or her designs and specifications.
- After the structure is constructed and handed over to the owner, the owner, by appointing suitable consultants and contractors, maintains the building till its intended age.
From these steps, it may be clear that accurate calculations alone may not produce safe, serviceable, and durable structures. Suitable materials, quality control, adequate detailing, good supervision, and maintenance are also equally important
While executing the various steps, the structural engineer has to interact with the architect/project manager and also with others (electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, surveyors, urban planners, estimators, etc.) and incorporate their requirements into the design (e.g., load due to mechanical and electrical systems)
