Structural Design
What is Structure for a House?
A Structure for any given building can be explained better with the help of the below Analogy,
For example, if we consider a Human Body we all know that it is a mass of Muscles. And this mass of muscle is basically shapeless and when we add Skeleton to the same mass of muscle, just like the way it is shown in the picture below Human Body or ( Mass of Muscle) will get its shape.
For a Human, a Skeleton will not only provide shape it also provides Strength, Stability, Mobility & accommodation for every organ to perform its duty.
Similarly if we look at a house, Architect will give the Architectural drawings which covers planned arrangements of all aspects of a house such as Living Area, Kitchen, Toilet, Room, etc.,. So now a Structural Engineer come in to picture and he provides or add Structural elements to the Architectural Plan.
Structural elements such as Footings, Columns, Beams, Slabs etc.,. when these structural elements are added to the building and these structural elements provides the building/structure with Stability, Durability, Safety, and efficient performance of every aspect of house accommodation such as Living area, Kitchen, Toilet, Room. etc.,. This group of structural elements is what known as building Structure or Structural system for any building.
Who will provide Structure details to a Building?
Structural Details for any building will be provided by a Structural Designer or a Structural Engineer. A Structural Engineer is a Qualified person with relevant experience in the field of Building Structures. And the process of providing structural elements to a building is called as Structural Designing.
What is Structural Design?
In short, Structural Designing is a method of providing the required structural Elements for a Structure. But when we look in to details Structural Designing is a Complex process which includes many calculations to be performed to arrive at a requirement size, Grade, reinforcement etc., for a single structural element to be finalized.