Do You Need to Hire a Structural or Civil Engineer? Or Both?
The word “engineer” is a very broad term, so much so that if someone simply says they’re an engineer, there’s no way to determine what industry they work in or what type of work they perform.
The good news for project owners taking on a new construction project is that the engineer you’ll need usually falls into one of two disciplines:
Civil engineering and structural engineering.
So what is civil engineering?
What is structural engineering?
How are you to know which type you need?
The following is a comparison of structural engineering vs civil engineering to help project owners determine if they need to hire a structural engineer, civil engineer, or both.
Structural Engineering Vs Civil Engineering: What’s The Difference?
Civil engineers and structural engineers have some similarities, in that all structural engineers are civil engineers, at least in terms of education.
Civil engineering is one of the major engineering disciplines. In fact, it’s the oldest engineering discipline. Structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering, so both civil and structural engineers have a civil engineering degree.
It’s the type of work they do day-to-day that makes them very different professions.
Structural engineers design structures such as buildings, dams, and bridges. They are responsible for ensuring that the structure is stable, built to code, able to bear the load required, and safe to occupy.
Civil engineers focus on elements around or outside the structure, focusing on site design, drainage, utilities, and site grading.
Whereas structural engineers focus strictly on building structures, civil engineers work in all construction types, including those that could affect all of the people in the surrounding area as opposed to only the people occupying the specific structure.
Some specific types of civil engineers include:
Environmental engineers
Geotechnical engineers
Water resource engineers
Transportation engineers
In every new construction project, both structural and civil engineers play an integral role.
Hiring one or the other is not an option. Any new build will require the expertise of both.
What It Means To Be A Civil Engineer
Civil engineers are crucial to the success and safety of many different types of construction projects, including those in infrastructure:
Roads
Bridges
Buildings
Dams
Retaining walls
Airports
Tunnels
Pipelines
Wastewater treatment plants
Regardless of the type of work, there are many project components that all civil engineers do. The first two tasks happen long before a construction project can begin.
Site Analysis
Site analysis is research. It includes testing soil, stormwater patterns, computing load, and grade requirements, and surveying the land to establish grades or elevations before the actual construction process.
Civil engineers assess the climate, wildlife, utilities, access, and other geographical features of the site to determine if the site is suitable for the project.
Feasibility Studies
Civil engineers also perform feasibility studies. A feasibility study assesses the site to determine if the project is even viable and if any remediation will be needed to erect the structure.
Feasibility studies assess the risk of a project and consider a variety of geological hazards and potential conditions, such as:
Flooding
Seismic hazards
Slope and ground stability
Water resources
Groundwater conditions
Environmental impact
In some cases, a feasibility study may result in the site not being suitable for the project.
Other times, a feasibility study will produce results on how to remedy the site for a successful, safe build.
The feasibility of a project directly affects the cost of the project, so civil engineers also provide cost estimates for construction projects during this phase of the pre-design process.
Material Proposals
Another factor that affects the cost of a project is the materials used. Civil engineers typically provide material proposals, giving the project owner options to choose various materials that will work for the project.
Cheaper materials mean a cheaper build, but it cannot be to the point of sacrificing the building’s structural integrity.
On the other end of the spectrum, elaborate materials might be overkill. Or they might not be worth it, depending on the area’s climate.
Construction Documents
Civil engineers work with the entire design and build team (including the architect, general contractor, and structural engineer) to create construction documents for the actual build.
These documents are necessary to the subcontractors for the following areas of expertise:
Excavation
Masonry
Carpentry
Plumbing
Electrical
HVAC
They’ll need the construction documents to know exactly where the owner and design team want all their associated materials and components to go in and on the project.
Additionally — and even more importantly — these documents are used to secure building permits, which are necessary before any construction can begin.
What It Means To Be A Structural Engineer
Structural engineers are responsible for every structural element on a construction site. They create a full building structural design and analysis to ensure a successful build.
From skyscrapers to water treatment plants to commercial buildings, structural engineers play a critical part in every construction project.
Though they have the same educational background as civil engineers, those specializing in the structural engineering field are called upon for a very different type of expertise than their civil engineering counterparts.
Structural engineers must make sure that every element of a project is safe, stable, and appropriate for the project. This includes the materials used for and the design of:
Foundations
Girders
Rafters
Beams
Trusses
Columns
Besides building new things, structural engineers also work on existing structures to investigate potentially hazardous issues. This includes handling construction material evaluations, build code implementation, inspections of existing structures, and demolition management.
Whether it’s a new build or an existing one, structural engineers solve structural problems to ensure that a building is stable and safe for occupancy.
Construction Material Evaluations
Because one of the major responsibilities of a structural engineer is to ensure that a building is erected safely, construction material evaluations are essential.
During this process, they assess every type of material slated to be used in construction — including the cement or concrete and the steel to create concrete reinforcements.
This ensures that all the materials can safely sustain the load they’re intended to bear.
Build Code Implementation And Inspections
When there is structural damage or failure, a structural engineer can assess the situation and provide a remedy as to how, or if, the structure can be repaired and brought back to code and safety standards.
In a new construction project, structural engineers work to prevent damage and failures by ensuring that all elements meet up-to-date building codes.
In existing structures, engineers perform inspections to remedy obvious or potential structural issues.
Demolition Management
Tearing a structure down requires just as much care and expertise as putting one up, so structural engineers also handle demolition management. Whether a building is leveled to the ground or only partly demolished in preparation for a remodel, a structural engineer must be involved.
During demolition management, structural engineers perform a variety of different duties, including:
Conducting pre-demolition surveys
Determining the demolition method
Determining disposal methods for the materials
These are important parts of the process, and they allow the structural engineer to create a demolition plan that adheres to all health and safety standards as required by OSHA.
Construction Documents
Structural engineers also bear responsibility for creating construction documents.
To complete this portion of the architectural design process, structural engineers work closely with civil engineers, architects, and contractors to create thorough construction documents that then get submitted for building permits.
Do Structural Engineers And Civil Engineers Work Together?
Structural engineers and civil engineers often collaborate, both in office settings and on construction project sites.
While the civil engineer is usually the first of them to access the site and test for feasibility, both have an equally important part in the construction of any new structure.
Civil engineers create and present their initial designs to the architect. The structural engineer then works with the architect and civil engineer to ensure that the design is stable and code-compliant.
The structural engineer focuses primarily on load-bearing design and material inspections and evaluations. While they do some initial planning, their role becomes more relevant further along in the design process.
Both types have a hand in design and construction, and both can be found on site. There they monitor and evaluate the construction process to ensure that all safety standards and relevant building codes are met.
Because structural engineering is a sub-discipline of civil engineering, some structural engineers handle a few of the tasks that civil engineers do.
For this reason, the duties of a structural engineer may overlap with those of a civil engineer.
For new construction projects being built from the ground up, a project owner should expect to hire both a civil engineer and a structural engineer.
Despite the educational similarities between these two professions, the work they perform is different, and both are necessary to ensure that a building is erected to meet code and provide long-lasting integrity.
An Architectural Firm Can Ensure You Have The Right Engineer For Your Project
Contacting engineering firms to find the right type of engineer for a new project can be time-consuming and complicated.
This is one reason many project owners choose to work with an architecture firm that serves as a full-service design firm. Full-service design firms can either have professional engineers on staff or work closely with them in a consulting capacity.
In addition to drafting building plans and handling all the design elements of your build, a full-service architecture firm also tackles both structural and civil engineering tasks.
Having architects and engineers that regularly work together can make communication on the project run smoothly and help to keep the construction schedule on track.
Conclusion
Construction engineering is complex, so it’s important to hire the right types of engineers to handle various parts of a project. Choosing a full-service architecture and engineering firm to handle a new design and build is the best way to ensure that the right professionals will be working on the project every step of the way.
Every new construction project requires the expertise of both a civil engineer and a structural engineer. For project owners wondering about needing structural engineering vs civil engineering, the answer is simple: both.
You’ll need a civil engineer to make sure you’re building in the right spot and won’t run into environmental issues, for instance, but you’ll need a structural engineer to design a structure that will stand the test of time.
