7/23/2019 Practical Design: A Supplement to Academics

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/practical-design-a-supplement-to-academics 1/2

BY EMILY B. LORENZ AND AMY REINEKE TRYGESTAD

This point of view article is presented

or reader interest by the editors.

owever, t e opinions expresse

are not necessarily those of the

merican oncrete nstitute.

 Reader comment is invited.

For the NoviceConcrete Designer Only:

 A Series Introduction

 wise engineer once sai , n y o w at you nee to

now was taught in the classroom—the other 90%

comes wit experience. you re res out o co ege an

eager to conquer the world, the statement probably

soun s exaggerate . owever, it oesn t ta e muc

experience before you realize that the statement is

rig t on target.In an ideal world, design firms could expect new

ra uates to e pro uctive rom ay one. n rea ity,

any new graduates have had exposure to only a

ew structura esign courses. n act, some may

take only an introductory course that combines

tructura stee an rein orce concrete esign.

Many won’t take advanced design courses

an , t us, may e un ami iar wit terms suc

s “two-way slab,” “pan-and-joist,” or “lateral

esign. ose w o o ta e a vance

oursework may have been introduced to

o ern structura esign so tware.Although software can be a great tool for

on ucting case stu ies in or er to

develop a better understanding of

system e avior, it a so can create

additional challenges for instructors.

n particu ar, so tware as imite

7/23/2019 Practical Design: A Supplement to Academics

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/practical-design-a-supplement-to-academics 2/2

oncrete international  2005  61

value if the student learns only to be proficient using it,

wit out necessari y gaining a asic un erstan ing o

the theory behind the computer code. Without thatun erstan ing, ar age n, ar age ut app ies

ll too well.

e new engineer requires mentoring. n ortunate y,

n the fast-paced world of design and construction, with

t e con icting eman s o tig t ees an ever-evo ving,

omplex code requirements, it’s difficult for seasoned

ngineers to in t e time or mentoring. n a um e

(and probably humbling) attempt to help, we’ll be

resenting t e tructura ovice eries in uture e itions

f Concrete International .

ur primary goa is to provi e a it o gui ance to

young engineers. However, as we readily acknowledge

t at t e mentor-apprentice re ations ip as no su stitute,

we also hope to stimulate our more experienced readers

to ecome stronger mentors y using t e series as a

onversation starter or even by submitting their own

iscussions or artic es or pu ication in . ong t e

way, perhaps this series of articles will bridge a few gaps

n e p to ma e t e transition rom aca emic i e to

rofessional life a little smoother (it won’t hurt our

ee ings i it rings a ew aug s an groans as we .

Some of the topics for articles include:

oa s sources, resources, an ca cu ations ;

Sizing of members (schematic design);

atera systems; Detailing (standard as well as case specific);

c e u ing o eams an co umns, not your time ;

Bond and development (how it’s really communicated

in t e rawings ;

Specifications (it’s not just 4000 psi concrete);

ans an coor ination ca it, ommunication ;

Who is the design team? (You re part of a team, so

et s get to now t e ot er mem ers ;

Constructibility (someone has to build your project);

o tware w at s avai a e, w at you can expect it to

do, and what you shouldn’t expect it to do); and

ervicea i ity it s more t an crac ing an e ection,but that’s a good start)

o you ave anot er topic t at mig t e wort y o

n article? As a young engineer, is there something

t at you in con using easone engineers— o you

emember the problems you had when you were an

nexperience esigner ease sen your i eas—we re

ooking for additional topics.

 Acknowledgments

This article, and subsequent series, is made possible with the support

and direction of Bill Semioli and Ward Malisch. The authors thank Rex

Donahey for his help and guidance in this article series development.

Emily B. Lorenz is t e Engineering E itor for

Concrete Internationa . Lorenz comp ete

er BS in structura engineering at Mic igan

ec no ogica University, Houg ton, MI,

an after receiving t e Civi Engineering

epartment Fe ows ip at Mic igan Tec ,

s e earne an MS in structura engineering.

er primary researc interest was materia s-

re ate istress in concrete. Lorenz was

previous y emp oye as a structura engineer an is a icense

engineer in t e state of Mic igan.

 Amy Reineke Trygestad is t e Centra

Unite States Regiona Structura Engineer

or t e Port an Cement Association PCA .

rygesta provi es tec nica assistance in

a areas of ui ing esign to engineers,

arc itects, contractors, owners, an

universities t roug out t e U.S. Prior to

joining PCA, s e practice structura

engineering for 7 years. Trygesta as an

MS in civi engineering from t e University of Minnesota. S e is

an active mem er of ACI an ASCE, an is on t e Boar ofDirectors for t e Minnesota Concrete Counci . Trygesta is a

icense engineer in t e state of Minnesota.

Selected for reader interest by the editors.