Architect Vs Structural Engineer

A structural engineer plans the house to help withstand the construct wind, storm, earthquake and other natural forces

vijay jandhyala

Ever wanted to build your dream home, but couldn't because you didn't know whom to approach or didn't have the resources to build your dream house because the architect quoted you a huge sum of money. But there is one person who can help you realise your dream by economising and making optimum use of the available resources. The Structural Engineer is a professional with knowledge to give you the best house with strong foundation.

It is a common misconception among people that an architect and structural engineers have the same role to play. Most often, people feel that it is the ingenuity of the architect alone that leads to a stunning building, but it is the structural engineer without whom the building cannot see the light of the day. A If the architect's design fails, the maximum that will happen is that the building may not be aesthetically appealing or certain spaces may be badly designed. But, a structural engineer's job is a serious one and of great responsibility.

The slightest mistake by the structural engineer may lead to the collapse of the building, in turn leading to loss of human lives. A A structural engineer's work involves structural design which is a delicate balance between stability, reliability and economics. Structural engineering deals with assessment of various forces of nature and their impact on various structural systems.

The work further involves using the physical properties of various materials like cement, sand, steel, timber, aluminium, etc, and designing buildings using various materials to resist and overcome the effect of forces of nature.A building needs to be designed for many parameters or factors like load's acting on the building, intended purpose of the building like residential, institutional, industrial purpose etc, the importance of the building (Government, public or public property), intended life of the building. A residential building may have a lesser load requirement than an institutional building.

So, next time when you want a property built, look for a structural engineer to help you realise your dream.

(The writer is the Director of Jandhyala Infrastructure, Hyderabad)