Why did you make the steelwork so heavy?

Bigger is Better

It’s the most common question asked of every engineering design firm when they provide their E-house design submission for review. The moment the client  believes the steelwork has too much in it, or the fabricator thinks all the steel beams are bigger than they’re supposed to be, the engineer is immediately targeted with being over cautious or too conservative.

The reality is the experience of the Design Engineer or Design Firm is what drives the Switchroom design outcomes.  Unfortunately, more often than not the client and fabricator are correct and the structural component of the E-House is overcooked.  

Being over-conservative with our designs or using overly-conservative factors of safety, the presumption is that design firms are risk-averse and too busy protecting themselves rather than designing efficient structures. The  design engineer is criticised if a structure is too thick or too heavy – and yet he’s liable if the floor deflection requirements don’t meet spec, or – worse still – jailed for criminal negligence if the structure collapses and a fatality occurs.

You can appreciate where the “bigger is better” when it comes to steelwork has crept into the design industry.

Enter EQ-House:

EQ-House has the tools and specialised experience to help you get the correct balance between overly-conservative and efficient structural design using the latest technologies and identifying the most suitable steel materials dependent on project requirements and location on the globe.  The EQ-House 3D BIM software not only produces your for manufacture set quickly it identifies the most suitable materials from an engineering perspective that will not overcook your design.  .

So next time your firm submits a design for review and your met with “Why did you make the steelwork so heavy?”, give it some thought, and if you are unsure give EQ-House a call. Happy to help.