What does a structural engineer actually do?

Hardly any profession in construction is so invisible and at the same time so crucial: The structural engineer ensures that buildings stand up to their dead load, snow, wind, earthquakes and everything that everyday life brings.

From Draft to Supporting Structure

In the beginning, there is the architect's draft or the builder's wish. The structural engineer translates it into a support system: Which walls and columns are load-bearing? How do the ceilings span? How is the building reinforced? In doing so, they look for a balance of safety, cost-effectiveness and design freedom.

Calculating, Verifying, Documenting

Based on standards, the structural engineer determines the loads and verifies that every component can support them: from the foundation to the walls and columns, right up to the roof. The result is the structural integrity verification, a verifiable document that authorities and test engineers can check.

Plans for the Construction Site

The work is not over with the calculation: Formwork and reinforcement plans translate the structural analysis into concrete instructions for the shell of the building. During the construction phase, the structural engineer answers technical questions and evaluates changes that arise on the building site.

Statiker, Tragwerksplaner, Bauingenieur?

In everyday life, all three terms usually refer to the same person: a civil engineer who has specialized in structural planning. "Statiker" is the colloquial, "Tragwerksplaner" the technical German term.