Author - Stephen Olutola

Inspections are a way of determining the condition of an item. In our cases as engineers that item will most likely be a built asset.

When planning a consultation with a professional engineer to assist you with your projects it is important that you are able to interpret their proposals. The engineer should be trained to communicate their ideas in both a drawn format and a written format.

Structural Engineers are trained to design with a wide range of materials, including steel, masonry, timber, and concrete. When an engineer specifies a steel beam to be used in a structural system, that element was carefully designed to work in that application. In other words, the steel beam is bespoke.

However, to create individual steel beams for every client would be very cost to the steel fabricators and the client buying the steels. The blue book of steel was developed to list all of the standard sizes for steel beams that the steel companies produced. The reason why steel beams are produced in standard sizes is to help speed up the concept design of Built Structures. The major differences in steel beams are their steel cross sections parameters. The cross sections themselves are standardized.

BIM Utilisation

What is BIM? Building Information Modelling is a concept where by project information is gather and represented in data abundant digital forms such as a three dimensional model with digital datasheets attached to each asset so that the model becomes data rich, useful for the long term management and maintenance of the asset.

How can I benefit from incorporating it into my projects? BIM can be used on any and all projects within the Building Environment Industry.