Detailed discussion of realistic constraints

1. Safety: The project adheres to standards of safety by designing the

structural system of this twenty-story office building by adhering to

design standards and practices as laid out in the International Building

Code, the ASCE 7 Standard publication on loads, and the American

Concrete Institute Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete.

This project also aims

2. Security: Security on this project is considered from a blast-resistant

perspective. Because of the recent terrorism activities and threats to

the United States, buildings of this projects size can become a hazard if

blast resistance is not considered in the design.

3. Reliability: Reliability in structural design refers to the performance of

the structural system by using analytical tools and methods to design.

The aim here, is to design for

4. Aesthetics: The aesthetics of this building would be seen in the

architect’s choices for the building façade. Therefore aesthetics as a

major consideration is beyond the scope of this project.

5. Ethics: As a person hoping and working towards becoming a Professional

Engineer, my discussion of ethics begins with the Engineers’ Creed and

the Engineering Code of Ethics. In order to uphold the Creed and pursue

the Code:
 a. The student designer ensured that all necessary Codes applicable to

the design were followed, including but not limited to the

International Building Code, ASCE Standard Minimum Design Loads

for Buildings and Other Structures, and the ACI Standard Building

Code Requirements for Structural Concrete.

b. The project was ensured of being correct and up to professional

standards under the supervision of two licensed Professional

Engineers, one in industry, and one in academia.

6. Power Requirements: Power requirements are dependent on the choices

of the Architect, Mechanical, Electrical, and Lighting designers.

Structurally, this project would be expected to factor in the load-bearing

capacities of members of the structure that will carry these

components.

7. Size and weight: In order to reduce the size of the building the designer

preferred to use two-way flat slabs, as opposed to beams and girders, in

order to use less concrete, and spend less time in construction. Reducing

the size also translated to reducing the cost of the building.