How to become a Great Structural Consultant? "Beginner Level" Structural Analysis & Design

Kushal
Feb 8, 2021
Structural Consultancy is understanding the basics of Structural Analysis and design. An Engineer who has the best grasp on the basics is the one who becomes a Great Structural Consultant.

Knowledge of Structural Analysis & Design software like STAAD Pro, ETABS, etc. will never make you a great structural designer.

There are 03 key aspects of Structural Design. Although these 03 pillars of design seem simple, true creativity and knowledge lies in understanding the balance between each.

These 03 pillars of design are Functionality, Structure, and Economy. Before we talk about these concepts we must first look at some of the most prominent and iconic structures of the past. These iconic buildings shall be rated in terms of greatness based upon these 03 factors as well as the era and technology at the time it was built.

We shall be looking at:
  1. The Brooklyn Bridge
  2. Firth of Forth Bridge
  3. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
  4. CN Tower, Toronto
  5. Burj Khalifa, Dubai
  6. Eiffel Tower, Paris
  7. Guggenheim Museum
  8. Taj Mahal, India

These structures are some of the Greatest structures of their time and vary between the different aspects of Functionality, Structure, and Economy.

  1. Functionality
    A great structure is functional. This functionality can be the aesthetics of The Taj Mahal or long spans of the Akashi Kaiyoko Bridge or the weird architecture of the Guggenheim Museum. Functionality in essence is dependent upon aesthetics, architecture, or functional use of the building.
  2. Structure
    A great structure must be stable. This greatness is tested by creating stability against demanding heights and lengths or creating structures that require new concepts and technologies.
  3. Economy
    A Great Structural consultant not only has to look at the functionality and stability of the structure without losing sight of the economy. In fact, the present scenario is heavily focused on creating economical structures.

A Great Structure holds different definitions at different times based upon the most important pillar on which it was created. A Great Structural Consultant on the other hand must have great command over the inter-relationship between Functionality, Stability, and Economy. Based upon the type of creation A Great Structural Consultant must be able to quickly adapt his design to accommodate any circumstance forced upon him.

Check out the YouTube video on this topic:
https://youtu.be/iMysutlXGgM


Thanks,
Kushal

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Engineer Sk
Dec 24, 2022
hi..
Engineer Sk
Dec 24, 2022
There is one doubt... no teacher is able to answer it...

During final year course of RCC design, the question paper of many universities is asking to design the main beams as continuous beams with moment distribution method, ignoring the columns.
But actually any framing plan of building should be done using frame analysis (already analysis is taught in detail in 3rd year). Or the internal forces of frame can be given in the problem if it is time consuming...

But why the main beams are analyzed as continuous beams compared to structural frame analysis even today in final year?? And then the design and drawing sketches is done to get the full marks in final year. 

Is that a tradition? in the past when there was no computer program, do structural designers used continuous beam analysis for design of building frames?? 

Did they ignore monolithic action of beam with column?? What is the situation in IIT/NIT?
No one is able to answer this question... 

Thanks in advance..
Kushal
Dec 24, 2022
Very well said. 

That is such a wonderful analysis of everything that is wrong with the education system. Even though we have come so far ahead in terms of technology, awareness, and knowledge, we are still trying to honor the traditions of the past which now seem redundant.