Constructive collaboration between architects and engineers is often cited as the single most valuable commodity in bringing any building from the sketch table to the site and on to completion. When pressed, architects and engineers will always resort to very diplomatic—and seemingly very rehearsed—reasons how they could not have achieved what they did without the other.
Architects and engineers will usually laud the other’s unique ability to provide solutions where none existed before. Fair enough. They work together; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; there’s no ‘I’ in TEAM and so forth and so on.
If we can move away from the campfire and kumbaya for a moment and get down to brass tacks, let’s deconstruct the relationship. While ARCHITECT would never try to drive a wedge between what most people in the industry consider an essential relationship, architects and engineers bring separate skills to the table, and we’re here to examine those skills. In the first of a two-part series on architects versus engineers, ARCHITECT outlines 25 ways engineers can add value to the building process. In no particular order, the top 25 ways engineers can add value to the building process are…
1. BUILD HIGH
The fact is, on high-rise projects, developers often seek the advice of engineers before they consult architects. The industry is changing with regard to high-rise structures. Clients want signature supertalls that are streamlined in terms of materials, efficient in terms of constructability and comfortable on the highest floors. Wind engineers use a battery of tests to directly address all of these concerns and make sure VIP owners aren’t becoming very ill in their very high, very expensive flats.
2. GO GREEN
Speaking from a purely design perspective, using orientation, shading, narrow walkways and natural light, architects can design a building to achieve an efficiency rating of around LEED Silver. After that, making a building function at any higher a level will require engineered solutions.
Building codes in the region are as complex and changeable as the sands of the surrounding desert. When local authorities are unfamiliar with large-scale projects, they will often interpret the existing codes in the simplest way possible. A quality structural engineer can bring together local authorities and consultants and find ways to ensure safety and control cost.
4. EDUCATE CONTRACTORS
Many contractors in the region are up-and-comers that are far too inexperienced to be bidding for the projects they’re after. Contractors new to the region are often overwhelmed by the size and scale of the projects and, in an effort to meet tight deadlines, fail to deliver quality. Structural engineers are often consulted when a contractor finds itself out of its depth.
5. MAKE ‘EM STAND UP
Structural engineers analyse and design structures to support or resist loads. Applying physical laws and using empirical knowledge of how different materials perform under different circumstances is the keystone to ensuring a building—whether it’s G+3 or G+300—remains upright.
6. TAP RENEWABLE RESOURCES
Unlike parts of Asia and Scandinavia, the Middle East doesn’t enjoy a great deal of geothermal activity beneath its sands. Solar energy production is reduced by dust and humidity. The region’s wind is very weak until great heights are achieved and there is little use of waves/water to generate power. With the exception of architects designing supertall masts for wind, any improvement in these limitations will come largely from engineered solutions.
7. CREATE A LUXURIOUS SPACE
Hotels are a good case in point. Facilities within a hotel need to be fully operational to create the sense of luxury and hospitality guests expect. Mechanical engineers can make sure all facilities run smoothly and simultaneously, which is crucial, considering with the level of competition for guests in cash-strapped cities around the Gulf.
8. ENSURE STAND SAFETY
Stadium engineers can evaluate the structures by way of sensitivity and parametric studies for structural strength and maximum load assumptions while assessing the properties of the foundation rock.
All of this ensures that spectator stands perform safely, as well as they can, as often as they can. With tens of thousands of lives at stake on any given match day, the potential cost of spectator stands malfunctioning is incalcuable.
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