The strength and the longevity of any building depend directly on its structural design, i.e. how well the project has been planned structurally. This automatically makes the role of a structural engineer a crucial one in any construction project. The tallest, strongest and the oldest buildings stand today because of the skills displayed by the structural engineers working on them.
With technological advancements we are lucky to see some very bold architectural designs these days that have turned heads all over the world. Though the number of failures has gone down considerably these days, there are still instanced when things have gone terribly wrong. Be it a small home or a large commercial building, mistakes made by a structural engineer can both reduce the life of the construction and show heavy maintenance costs all year round.
Let us have a brief look at when and how structural design goes wrong and how you can hope to avoid it.
Working with the best in the industry
Inexperience can sometimes be a big reason behind construction failures. There have been times when buildings have fallen down even when all the planning and design had been done according to the engineering books. There is more to what has been mentioned in the books. The structural design needs to be carefully optimised depending on the location where the construction is being done – and the structural engineer may have to look beyond the books.
The best way to avoid such costs would be to work with the best contractors and the most experienced construction companies in the industry.
This does not mean that you decide on working with the construction company that seems to be the costliest – paying a higher price for something does not always ensure its quality. You need to go through their portfolio of projects and may be visit a few before you start working with them.
Looking through the plans
Though you may not be the best person to go through the design plans, it is a good idea to be in touch with the engineers working on your project continuously and understand the plans they had come up with for the construction. Such regular interaction can bring out flaws in the design and may help the structural engineer to rectify such issues before it is too late.
Try to discuss the plans and the structural design the engineers have come up with regularly – without of course disrupting the work every day. Such talks help both the engineer and yourself to understand the process better and make the necessary changes for the best results.
Consultation
Sometimes design flaws can easily be identified right at the beginning before the construction is started when you get a third party structural engineer to simply go through the plan. This does not mean that you are specifically trying to find flaws in the structural design laid out by the construction company you have been working with. You are just looking for additional comments on the design to improve it further only if possible!
For more information on Structural Engineer and Structural Design please visit http://www.amphionstructuralsolutions.co.uk/
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