According to the great structural-turned-geotechnical engineer Ralph Peck, "Engineering projects don’t exist in the classroom or in the office; they exist in the field, in society. Real projects are out there on the job site." He advised young engineers, "To be a good designer or leader in the engineering profession, you must understand the methods and problems of the builders—and how things are customarily done. And the best way to gain this understanding is through on-the-job construction or fabrication experience." A structural engineer designing steel structures, for instance, needs to know how steel is fabricated and erected; and to understand how poor detailing can ruin a project.

To obtain experience in this area, Peck believed that early on, structural engineers were wise to work for a contractor or a manufacturer of structural components or for an engineering organization that designs and supervises construction. Doing this, Peck allowed, may be "a little inconvenient and time-consuming"—especially for those in a hurry to make their mark as great designers of grand structures. However, having such a background is increasingly valuable to engineers as they rise to the top of their profession.

When I received my engineering degree in 1960, only a few in my graduating class had ever worked for a contractor, fabricator, or engineering company. Many graduates didn’t exactly know what they’d be doing as engineers or even what engineers did day-to-day. Most, however, knew that beginning engineers received some of the best starting salaries, and that they would be entering a profession that almost guaranteed them upper-middle-class status and a white-collar job.

Even the small handful of students who had actually done construction work for a general contractor, me included, were eager to say goodbye to doing get-your-hands-dirty, blue-collar activities. Suggestions such as Peck’s seemed ill placed and flawed to many of us. Since then, though, especially because I’ve had my own firm for 40-plus years and have had to train countless inexperienced engineers, I’ve changed my mind.

Today, I wholeheartedly agree with Peck’s statement that the "real problems of engineering design include both concept and detail." With the increasing blind reliance on computer printouts and the latest and greatest software programs, the percentage of engineers who know how to detail something properly that can be built within a budget is waning. So is having the intuitiveness truly to understand how structures behave. Looking at images on monitors is taking the place of reality in today’s engineering world.

For example, seeing a No. 11 rebar depicted as line-work on a small screen can be quite deceiving. Many young designers (if they ever get to the job site to observe their work) are shocked to discover how much space a bar that size actually takes up in confined formwork space, especially if it has an alleged 90-degree bend in it. Another eye-opener is seeing that construction work isn’t perfect, and that fabricated components are sometimes crooked or imperfect, not the right length, and as-built connections often faulty.

In addition, the 3-D computer modeling programs that many in our industry rely on for locating interferences, and so forth, don’t pick everything—items such as improperly fabricated or built structural elements, or the bearing support of a beam being significantly less than what is specified on the drawings. These types of defects can result in major structural failures and costly lawsuits. Adding to such situations, many structural engineers are inter-pros who serve as consultants to others—architects, contractors, design-build groups, or large A/E firms. Frequently, the inspection of their work gets omitted from their contracts, leaving no opportunity to observe mistakes, whether design or construction created.

These trends will likely continue and increase as engineering work, more and more, gets treated as a commodity rather than a service. Modern-day computers can play a big role in helping structural engineers better design and produce documents. However, they will never be able to replace the insight gained into the world of the builders from working in the field or a fabrication plant, as advocated by Peck.

If you’re a newly graduated engineer, I suggest heeding Peck’s advice before you get too far along in your career. If you’re well into it and haven’t spent time gaining how-designs-are-built construction experience, you may want to focus on increasing the level of your intuitive skills. Or take a sabbatical, don construction clothes, go into the field, and build things with your own hands. Then, you will not be completely at the mercy of computers when it comes to having the confidence that your designs have taken into account the variables present during the building stage.

Most importantly, make sure your services include adequate time at the construction site to verify that your plans are being properly followed.

Richard Weingardt, P.E., is CEO and chairman of Richard Weingardt Consultants, Inc., a Denver-based structural engineering firm. He can be reached via e-mail at rweingardt@gostructural.com.