Designing the structure of a commercial building involves a combination of other profession experts in the field of construction. The key stakeholders in the process of structural design include architects, structural engineers and construction managers.

Architects

In most cases, the architect is responsible for the first phase of the construction, which is the design of the building and the structural plan.

Their role involves:

- Consulting with the client in order to assess the specifications and limitations of the building to be constructed including its use, cost, location and appearance.

- As a result, it becomes possible to develop an overall building concept and layout.

- Defining preliminary dimensions of structural members

- Development of concept sketches and models to illustrate the proposed building design

- To enhance and demarcate the structural system, liaising with engineering consultants.

While the spatial design is a primary concern of architects, they remain involved in the structural plan decision-making process. For instance, the building geometry and layout proposed by the architect affects structural decisions. Structural engineers are part of the design team and are responsible for the endorsement of the technical design while architects are responsible for delivering the initial structural design scheme.

Structural Engineers

The architect also designs schematic frames, from which the structural engineer assumes responsibility for the structural design in the project.

Their essential duties include:

Analysing Loads

- A case of estimating dead loads from walls, floors, roofs

- Determination of live loads in relation to occupancy and use of space in buildings

- Evaluating environmental loads such as wind, seismic, and snow.

Material Evaluation

- Choosing appropriate construction materials for structural members

- With regards to strength, durability, cost, and the ease of obtaining the materials.

Analysis and Calculations

- Building up structures of analysis of the structure

- Carrying out stress tests with different loads applied

- Designing structural members to have strength to avoid getting to stresses that are beyond the code limits

Documentation

- Providing elaborate drawings of structures accompanied by member dimensions and characteristics

- Preparing specifications for materials, tests, inspections, and quality assurance

- To support its reasoning, a company offers additional information regarding design approach

The structural engineer is more crucial to the structure and is responsible for the structural integrity of the building. The construction documents they produce are the blueprints of the actual structure of the building.

Construction Managers

Construction managers supervise the construction process to provide the designed construction economically and qualitatively.

Their duties related to structural aspects include:

- Organising and scheduling of construction operations in a rational sequence

- Supervising and coordinating with contractors on structural installation 

- Supervision for defects and non-compliance problems

- Overcoming changes and rework for site conditions and site enhancements

- Offering periodic inspections and quality assurance audits

However, construction managers do not always perform structural design but have an impact on buildability, corrections, and improvements. They may also be helpful in presenting ideas for the value engineering of the structural frame.

Other Contributors

Specialty structural consultants and contractors complement the architect, structural engineer, and construction manager:

- Geotechnical engineer – Advises on the appropriate foundations depending on the soil type

- Steel fabrication and construction – Constructs the structural elements of the building

- Third-party reviewer – Quality assurance audit of structural design as performed by any other person different from the structural designer.

- Building official – Examines construction documents and approves them to issue a permit.

As seen, the structural design and construction process therefore call for integrated working of architects, engineers, managers, reviewers and city officials. The structural engineer though prepares the actual structural layout.

Advanced Software Usage

Although major structural design decisions require the assistance of experts, modern technology is invaluable in the construction industry today.

Some critical applications include:

Building Information Modeling (BIM) – This is a model that architects and engineers develop and use in their work for it to contain geometric representations of the design along with other engineering analysis data.

Finite Element Analysis – structural engineers apply FEM to synthesize structural models of the building construction and analyze the stress fields resulting from different loads. They generate a lot of detail which is usually derived from numerical results.

Applications for construction management – These tools enable construction managers to schedule activities, monitor and review progress, oversee quality issues, and control communication.

Conclusion

The process of designing structures of commercial buildings is not done by an individual but through a group of people. While the architect is responsible for conceptual design, the structural engineer is responsible for analysis and specifications of structures in question, and the construction manager is involved with the actual physical construction based on the engineered design. Software enhances the level of design detail, construction scheduling, and organization of relationships between the diverse stakeholders.