What is Structural Engineering?

Structural Engineering is a specialty within Civil Engineering which deals with the design, construction and maintenance of our surrounding infrastructure, such as buildings, bridges and tunnels.  Contrary to popular belief, a structural engineer is not an architect.  Rather, a structural engineer takes the vision of the architect, building owner, or project leader and creates a structural system, or ?skeleton? to physically support the intended loads. The end goal of the structural design is to resist loads such as gravity, seismic, and wind loads. 

What does a Structural Engineer Do?

A Structural Engineer designs the physical elements that allow a building to exist, provide shelter, and safely resist forces.  These elements are designed to meet the requirements of the governing building codes.  The day-to-day tasks of a structural engineer entail creating construction documents, performing calculations and evaluations, as well as coordinating with a general contractor before and while in construction phase.