What is structural engineering?

The engineering discipline series continues. In this post, we’re going to take an in-depth look at structural engineering. In the world of engineering, structural engineering is considered a subspecialty of civil engineering. As its name says, it focuses on the design and framework of structures. Their mission is to ensure that structures are safe and able to withstand the stresses and pressure their environment places on the structure. It’s their responsibility to make sure buildings, bridges, tunnels, etc., don’t fall down and are safe for the public.

In this article by Live Science, “Structural engineering is among the oldest types of engineering, dating back to the first instance of tree branches being lashed together with vines to make a shelter. Throughout recorded history, people have been designing and building increasingly larger and more sophisticated structures, from primitive huts to the International Space Station.

The names of the earliest practitioners of structural engineering are lost to antiquity. We will never know who designed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Parthenon , or the aqueducts of the Roman Empire. Some of the latter-day practitioners in this field are known, although often not as well as the structures they designed. Prominent structural engineers include Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty) and Eero Saarinen (Gateway Arch). However, most designs for famous modern structures such as the Large Hadron Collider and the James Webb Space Telescope are attributed to companies and government organizations.”

What does a structural engineer do?

As we mentioned, structural engineers are a subspecialty of civil engineering. They are a part of the construction team and work alongside civil engineers and architects. “In a nutshell,” according to the Institution of Structural Engineers, “if a structure was a human body, then the architect would be concerned with the body shape and appearance, and the structural engineer would be concerned with the skeleton and sinews.”

The article in Live Science on structural engineering says, “Structures must be able to deal with the conditions in which they are built. A house in Canada must have a roof that can bear the weight of heavy snow, and a stadium in California must be able to withstand earthquakes, for example. When building bridges, designers must take into account the conditions of terrain, wind, water, and traffic volume. Structural engineers consider all of these factors and provide technical advice about the project.

“Structural engineers battle gravity, wind, snow, and rain every day to provide the world with outstanding structures,” Kate Leighton, a structural engineer, said in “Careers in Structural Engineering, a publication of the Institution of Structural Engineers. “They are experts at solving problems, meeting challenges, and providing creative solutions.”

Structural engineers “design roof framing (beams, rafters, joists, trusses), floor framing (floor decks, joists, beams, trusses, girders), arches, columns, braces, frames, foundations and walls,” according to the National Council of Structural Engineers Association. “In bridges, they design the deck — or riding surface, girders or stringers, and piers. The materials they use include steel, concrete, wood, masonry, and aluminum. Engineers design the structure to resist forces from gravity, earthquakes, high winds, water, soil, collisions, and blast explosions.”

According to MyMajors.com, a structural engineer’s job includes:

• Analyzing blueprints, maps, reports, and topographical and geological data;
• Estimating the cost and quantities of materials, equipment, and labor;
• Computing load and grade requirements, water flow rates, and material stress factors in determining design specifications;
• Inspecting project sites to monitor progress and ensure the project is being constructed according to design specifications;
• Conducting studies of traffic patterns or environmental conditions to identify potential problems and assess how they will affect the project.

Critical skills that a person needs in structural engineering include an in-depth understanding of physics and mathematics. A structural engineer must also know.”

What services do structural engineers provide?

Structural engineers are involved in many different construction projects, from residential to state and local government to commercial. Their work can be found in new and existing residential building projects. They also work with government agencies to ensure bridges, tunnels, streets, and water supply systems are safe for the public and can withstand constant use and stress.

Landmark EPC’s Structural Engineering Team

At Landmark, we have more than 50 years of structural engineering experience. Our team works on residential, commercial, industrial, bridges, and institutional structural engineering projects in Colorado. The team is unique in that not only do our Structural Engineers talk with our Survey and Geotechnical departments to build designs that best suit the land a structure is built upon, but they also communicate with construction and municipalities to makes sure every inch of a building follows Colorado’s and its regions guidelines.

Our structural engineering services include:

• Foundation Design
• Beam/Header Design
• Post and Column Sizing
• Lateral Load Analysis/Design
• Floor and Roof Layouts
• Rafter/Roof Beam Design with Glu-Lam Beams, LVL Beams, Tough Sawn Lumber, and Logs
• Concrete Structural Floors (Garage and Basement)
• Concrete Retaining Wall Design
• Pipe Supports
• EZ Lines

As you can see, structural engineers are a big part of what keeps the infrastructure and buildings we benefit from safe and sound. Next time you drive across a bridge or take the elevator to the 25^th floor of a building, take a minute to think about the structural engineers that played a massive part in your ability to safely cross the bridge and arrive on the 25^thfloor.

About Landmark EPC

Landmark EPC is a multi-disciplined engineering firm based in Colorado. With expertise in civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture and land planning, geotechnical services, land surveying, subsurface utility engineering, and construction management, Landmark provides clients with one source for all your development project needs from design and engineering to project management. To learn more about Landmark EPC, click here to schedule a call with our team.

What is civil engineering?

We’re continuing our deep dive into the different engineering disciplines. Up next is civil engineering. According to Columbia University, “Civil engineering is arguably the oldest engineering discipline. It deals with the built environment and can be dated to the first time someone placed a roof over their head or laid a tree trunk across a river to make it easier to get across.

The built environment encompasses much of what defines modern civilization. Buildings and bridges are often the first constructions that come to mind, as they are the most conspicuous creations of structural engineering, one of civil engineering’s major sub-disciplines. Roads, railroads, subway systems, and airports are designed by transportation engineers, another category of civil engineering. And then there are the less visible creations of civil engineers. Every time you open a water faucet, you expect water to come out without thinking that civil engineers made it possible. New York City has one of the world’s most impressive water supply systems, receiving billions of gallons of high-quality water from the Catskills over one hundred miles away. Similarly, not many people seem to worry about what happens to the water after it has served its purposes. The old civil engineering discipline of sanitary engineering has evolved into modern environmental engineering of such significance that most academic departments have changed their names to civil and environmental engineering.”

What do Civil Engineers do?

Now that we understand what civil engineering is let’s look at what civil engineers do. The role of a civil engineer is to help solve challenges related to the design, construction, and maintenance of the physically and naturally built environment. Civil engineers are involved with all phases of projects that range from buildings, transportation, and water.

What services do civil engineers provide?

Civil engineers provide a broad spectrum of services given the scope of their responsibility. In this blog post by Leverageedu.com, the services civil engineers offer are as follows:

• Construction and Management Engineering
• Geotechnical Engineering
• Structural Engineering
• Transport Engineering
• Water Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Coastal Engineering
• Earthquake Engineering
• Forensic Engineering
• Highway Engineering
• Civil Engineering with Architecture

Civil Engineers’ Impact on History

When you think back in history, civil engineers have had a significant impact. In an article by The Guardian, we’re reminded of the many areas of life their work is known.

“When we think of famous civil engineers from the past, we think of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Joseph Bazalgette, the great engineer of the Victorian age who saved London from cholera by constructing new sewers.

Nowadays, we associate civil engineering with the world’s most jaw-dropping structures, such as Sydney Opera House, the Shard, and China’s Jiaozhou Bay bridge. But civil engineering is also about maintaining and adapting the infrastructure that we depend on every day – our roads, railways, bridges; energy and water supply; waste networks, and flood defences. Civil engineers have to keep this infrastructure running effectively and adapt it to meet challenges, such as population growth, climate change, and natural disasters.”

Civil engineers are responsible for creating the infrastructure we all benefit from every day. Civil engineers have left their mark in society, from bridges and roads to the systems that bring us clean water.

Landmark’s Civil Engineers

Landmark EPC provides a wide range of civil engineering services in Colorado for residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional projects. Our team brings more than 50 years of experience in civil engineering in Colorado.

We specialize in:

• Municipal Roadway & Infrastructure Design
• Residential Roadway, Utility, & Lot Design
• Commercial & Industrial Site Design
• Structural Design
• Foundation Design
• Roads & Bridges
• Utility Planning & Design
• Water/ Wastewater Systems
• Septic System Design
• Hydraulic Drainage Studies
• Oil & Gas
• Renewable Energy

About Landmark EPC

Landmark EPC is a multi-disciplined engineering firm in Colorado. With expertise in civil and structural engineering, landscape architecture and land planning, geotechnical services, land surveying, subsurface utility engineering, and construction management, Landmark provides clients with one source for all your development project needs from design and engineering to project management. To learn more about Landmark EPC, click here to schedule a call with our team.

What is Subsurface Utility Engineering?

First, up in our series on engineering disciplines is Subsurface Utility Engineering often referred to as SUE. This engineering discipline is lesser-known than many of its counterparts, such as civil engineering or structural engineering. While it may be less familiar, it plays a crucial role in land development and construction projects. As Landmark’s SUE Leader Skip McIntosh points out, “The lack of reliable information on the location of underground utilities during construction activities can result in costly conflicts, damages, delays, utility service disruptions, redesigns, claims, injuries and, even, lost lives.”

Now that we understand the critical role of Subsurface Utility Engineering in development projects let’s dive into what exactly it is they do. Subsurface Engineers’ primary function is to identify any and all underground utilities to avoid expensive and dangerous mistakes during the construction process. SUE is an engineering discipline that, according to the US Department of Transportation, has evolved significantly over the past several decades and is a process that combines civil engineering, surveying, and geophysics. As Subsurface Engineering continues to grow, the adoption of technology, including vacuum excavation and surface geophysics, is becoming more common and, in some states, is a requirement. That being said, while technology is essential, The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Standard Guideline for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data was published and distributed in 2003. The ASCE standard makes it very clear that SUE is a process, not a technology. It defines SUE as a branch of engineering practice that involves managing certain risks associated with:

• utility mapping at appropriate quality levels,
• utility coordination,
• utility relocation design and coordination,
• utility condition assessment,
• communication of utility data to concerned parties,
• utility relocation cost estimates,
• implementation of utility accommodation policies, and
• utility design.

These responsibilities are often combined with traditional records and site surveys while also leveraging new technologies like surface geophysical methods and vacuum excavation to provide information on quality levels.

Let’s take a look at the most common and largest Subsurface Engineering activities in more detail. According to the Federal Highway Administration, the major SUE activities are as follows.

Scope of Work – The process of developing a written project-specific work plan package that consists of scope of work, levels of service vs. risk allocation, project schedule, and desired project delivery method. This SUE work plan package is agreed upon by the SUE provider and the client, describing the SUE work to be performed.

Designating – The process of using a surface geophysical method or methods to interpret the presence of a subsurface utility and mark its horizontal position on the ground surface or on above-ground surface markers.

Locating – The process of exposing and recording the precise vertical and horizontal location and providing utility size and configuration of a utility.

Data Management – The process of surveying, designating and locating information to project control and transferring it into the client’s CADD system, GIS files, or project plans.

Conflict Analysis – The engineering process of using a conflict matrix to evaluate and compare depicted designating information with proposed plans (highway, bridge, drainage, and other) in order to inform all stakeholders of potential conflicts, potential resolutions, and costs to cure.

Within the significant activities, the Colorado Department of Transportation recommends SUE tasks are performed in the following order.

SUE Task Order Procedures 

1. The CDOT Region Utility Engineer (RUE), in coordination with (as appropriate) the CDOT project manager, resident engineer, and region survey coordinator, must develop a project-specific Scope of Work and send it to the SUE consultant on CDOT letterhead. Examples for previous projects may be obtained either from other RUEs or the Headquarters Utilities Unit.Also, each of the two SUE NPS contracts that have been established includes the original Scope-of-Work for the NPS contract. The NPS Scope-of-Work can be used as a starting point for developing the project-specific Scope-of-Work. Copies of the NPS Scope-of-Work can be obtained either from the RUE, or the HQ Utilities Unit.
2. The RUE, working with the project manager, must prepare a CDOT cost estimate for the work described in the project Scope of Work. Examples of previous project cost estimates are also available from the RUE or Headquarters Utilities Unit.
3. The consultant must review the Scope of Work scope and prepare a Task Proposal with their own cost estimate. It may be necessary to negotiate work items and/or costs. Once agreement on the work and costs is reached, the consultant must submit three original signed copies of the Task Proposal.
4. The RUE must obtain written approval of the Task Proposal from the regional transportation director (RTD); an email is sufficient.
5. A CDOT standard Task Order Letter must be filled out to the extent possible (some items must be completed by the Headquarters Agreements Office later on), and the Region Business Office must generate a PG document. The standard Task Order Letter form may be obtained from the Region Business Office.
6. The following items must then be sent to the CDOT HQ Agreements. Three copies of each of the following:
   • The original CDOT Scope of Work and cover letter that was sent to the consultant on CDOT letterhead
   • The CDOT RUE/Project Engineer cost estimate of the work
   • All three original signed copies of the consultant’s Task Proposal
   • The partially completed Task Order Letter
   • The PG document
   • Unless an approval email has already been forwarded to Mike Como, written approval from the RTD
7. The Headquarters Agreements Office will process the Task Order for all final approvals. Once such approval is obtained, the Agreements Office will coordinate issuance of the Notice to Proceed letter with the Region. The consultant may not proceed with any work until the NTP letter has been sent out.

 

In addition to SUE activities and processes, quality plays a significant role in executing SUE service services. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has developed an important standard of care guideline, Standard Guideline for the Collection and Depiction of Existing Subsurface Utility Data, CI/ASCE 38-02.

This standard guideline describes four quality levels of utility depiction:

Quality Level D – Information derived from existing records or oral recollections.

Quality Level C – Information obtained by surveying and plotting visible above-ground utility features and by using professional judgment in correlating this information to Quality Level D.

Quality Level B – Information obtained through the application of appropriate surface geophysical methods to determine the existence and approximate horizontal position of subsurface utilities.

Quality Level A – Precise horizontal and vertical location of utilities obtained by the actual exposure and subsequent measurement of subsurface utilities, usually at a specific point.

 

What industries need SUE services?

At Landmark, our Subsurface Utility Division works with a number of different industries. Our services are typically availed by Engineering firms, Utility companies, State and local governments, Drilling companies, and Excavation companies

We hope this helps provide a greater understanding of Subsurface Utility Engineering. If you’re in need of SUE services, click here to schedule a call to discuss your project.