Unexpected and Unfortunate Events Leading to Structural Failures

The role of structural design professionals is often complex, starting early in the conceptual phase and continuing until after project completion. From the onset, they knead architects’ visions for space and form into a stable reality. Throughout, they are navigating imperfect sites they did not select, maintaining restrictive budgets they did not create, and meeting aggressive schedules they did not approve. Nevertheless, structural professionals press forward to deliver successful structures meeting the owner’s needs and architect’s dreams. To consistently deliver reliable solutions, despite challenging circumstances, structural professionals rely on proven design processes to tactfully advance from concept to construction. Though no universally applicable workflow exists to capture the nuances of every design procedure perfectly, specific steps generally describe the typical process (Table). …