Читать книгу Construction Management JumpStart - Barbara J. Jackson - Страница 69

Engineers are usually the lead designers for heavy civil and industrial projects. Engineers are regulated by professional licensing requirements that include a four- or five-year college program, a specific number of years of experience, and the passing of a professional licensing exam. However, in building design, they are most often hired as consultants by the architects. In this scenario, they have no direct contact with the owner.

There are many different engineering specialties; the most common ones associated with construction activities are described next:

 Structural engineers Structural engineers design the timber, concrete, or steel structural systems that support a building and basically hold it up to withstand the forces of wind, gravity, and seismic activity. They design the foundations, beams, girders, and columns that make up the skeleton of the structure.

 Mechanical engineers Mechanical engineers design the heating, cooling, ventilating, plumbing, and fire suppression systems within a building. They coordinate their efforts with the architectural design, the structural design, and the electrical design.

 Electrical engineers Electrical engineers design and calculate electrical loads and determine the circuitry, lighting, motors, transformers, and telecommunications needed for a building. They typically work closely with the architect to ensure that the owner's expectations are met and often coordinate their efforts with the mechanical engineer.

 Civil engineers Civil engineers design roads, bridges, tunnels, dams, site drainage, parking lots, runways, and water supply and sewage systems. Civil engineering, considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, encompasses many specialties. Civil engineers are the ones who take the bare land and excavate it, move it, drill it, and shape it to meet the needs of the architectural design and the construction. Site work is one of the most unpredictable and expensive aspects of any construction project, and good design makes all the difference in the world.