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What is an Engineer anyway?

By E. W. Bob Boulware, Design-Aire Consultants, www.design-aire.com

People are often confused about who an engineer is and what he or she does. Engineers are sometimes mistaken for architects and vice versa. To add to the confusion, contractors sometimes can be engineers, and sometimes they’re not.

Generally speaking, an engineer can be described as someone who uses the tools of the mathematician, the scientist and the physicist to create a product for the betterment of humanity.

Civil engineers use these tools to design bridges and highways for improved transportation and to design water and wastewater treatment plants. Aeronautical engineers have made it possible for the space shuttle to fly to the limits of our imagination. Industrial engineers create the machinery used to manufacture products for our daily needs. Electrical engineers design electrical power and lighting systems that allow the industrial world to function. And mechanical engineers design the climate systems that provide our comfort, and the plumbing to provide us with clean water and sanitation.

An Architect on the other hand can assist you in the overall organization of a project, particularly if aesthetics are an issue to embellish the appearance of the project.

In commercial building construction, or work affecting public safety, it is necessary to obtain an engineer’s or architect’s certification in order to obtain a building permit. Their involvement in the design is required if the proposed modifications change the use of the facility, the change is over 30,000 cubic feet, the structure of the building is affected, or the design requirements are complex.

For an engineer to certify public work, he or she must become a registered professional engineer, or PE. After graduating from an accredited engineering school, and serving an “apprenticeship” learning a specialty under the supervision of another professional engineer, the engineer is allowed to take the professional registration examination.

Architects and contractors similarly must be licensed to do public work. The architect’s exam covers all aspects of building planning and design, but in a more limited extent than covered by the more specialized engineer’s exam. The contractor’s examination, on the other hand, is more specific to covering installation mechanics with limited knowledge of system design required.

To illustrate the relative roles: A prospective builder wishing to construct a new building would likely first contact an architect. The architect would use imagination and artistic talents to create a building concept blending aesthetics with utility.

Once the concept is established, the architect includes the engineers to complete the building design. Structural engineers design how the building will support itself; mechanical engineers design the systems that maintain indoor climate, water and sanitation requirements; and electrical engineers design systems that provide lighting and power for office equipment and machinery. Only after the various teams complete their assigned tasks is the building “designed”. When this is done, it becomes the task of a contractor, similarly trained in specific areas, to build the building.

In renovating an existing building, the rules change slightly. Considerable savings can be achieved by contracting directly with an engineer trained in the area to be renovated. When contractors have in-house engineering, the term “contractors and engineers” is used in the firm’s name. This means a registered PE is on staff, usually in an ownership role. These firms can both design and install, offering one-stop-shopping in the solution of your project.

The caution here is that the buyer needs to be aware of what he or she is buying as well as how much he or she is paying. Too often, the zeal for a low price can cause increased maintenance and early replacement costs. Suddenly, a low-cost building becomes expensive to own. It’s as true in construction as in anything else: You get what you pay for.

Objectively evaluating the available options is where the role of the independent consulting engineer has value. The consultant has only his or her knowledge of a particular specialty to sell, with no particular allegiance to any one product. When you hire a consultant, you are buying someone who will objectively represent your interests.

Most engineers follow the motto of the U.S. Air Force when they say, “The difficult problems we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.” Problem solving through imagination and ability is what engineering is all about.

Boulware is a professional engineer and president of Design-Aire Consultants.