Structural Design Services

At ZFI Engineering, we do more than engineer structures; we impact our communities through creative problem solving. Our comprehensive approach to structural design marries innovation with precision. We are a team of seasoned professionals who collaborate with architects, contractors, and owners, skillfully navigating the complexities of the construction process. Our expertise includes design-build, design-bid-build, construction management, and integrated delivery projects, ensuring every set of plans is a testament to our commitment to excellence. In Oklahoma City, where the landscape is as diverse as the architectural demands, structural engineering becomes not just a technical discipline but a cornerstone of community safety and innovation.

Structural Engineer of Record / Building Design

Schematic Design and Design Development

ZFI Engineering collaborates in early design phases, aligning closely with architects to shape project goals and structural concepts. Our team engages in rigorous brainstorming to offer multiple design solutions. Throughout design development, we provide assistance to preliminary cost estimates, ensuring the structural system is both economical and robust.

Construction Documents

In the construction document phase, ZFI Engineering actualizes designs for project construction. Key contributions include:

  • Crafting detailed construction documents, including comprehensive drawings and specifications.
  • Ensuring seamless coordination across various design disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, plumbing, architecture and civil engineering.
  • Skillfully integrating a variety of specialty systems into the design, the team covers essential aspects such as railing, glazing, and vertical transportation systems like elevators and escalators, thereby enhancing the project’s functionality and aesthetics.

ZFI Engineering is committed to supporting the project team with accurate estimating information and budget guidance throughout this critical phase.

Construction Administration / Construction Services

ZFI Engineering provides critical on-site services during the construction phase to ensure the project adheres to approved plans, building codes, and safety standards. Our services include:

Regular site visits with key stakeholders to oversee project progression.

Enhancing project flexibility by integrating proprietary materials and methods, optimizing design performance and cost-efficiency.

Managing inquiries and submissions to prevent discrepancies and ensure seamless construction progress.

Assess and coordinate change requests to maintain project scope integrity.

We work with the construction team to navigate complexities and maintain project fidelity.

Revit / Building Information Modeling (BIM)

Embracing the future of construction design, ZFI Engineering incorporates advanced Revit/BIM technologies to elevate our design process. Our specialized use of these tools ensures precision, efficiency, and collaborative integration across all project stages.

Modeling

Our modeling capability transforms architectural visions into tangible, interactive 3D models. Revit/BIM allows us to visualize complex structures, providing an immersive planning and review experience long before the ground is broken.

The advantages of Revit/BIM:

Revit/BIM allows the entire project team to preview and interact with the structure, promoting a shared understanding and vision.

Efficient detailing streamlines the development of intricate details, enhancing the precision and quality of the construction documents.

Enhanced coordination offers improved collaboration with other disciplines, ensures that all design aspects align perfectly, reduces rework, and facilitates a smooth construction process.

Clash Detection

With BIM’s intelligent clash detection, we preemptively resolve potential design conflicts, minimizing costly on-site errors. This proactive approach promotes seamless integration of all design elements.

STRUCTURAL DESIGN SERVICES FAQs

A structural engineer specializes in designing and analyzing structures that support or resist loads, ensuring structural integrity. Their expertise is critical in the planning and construction buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure. Key responsibilities include:

  • Assessing the strength, stability, and rigidity of built structures.
  • Calculate the pressures, stresses, and strains each component, such as beams and columns, will likely encounter.
  • Consider the safety of proposed facilities and determine the economic and environmental feasibility.
  • Liaising with construction contractors to ensure that newly erected buildings are structurally sound.

While both fields are branches of civil engineering, there are distinct differences:

  • Civil Engineer: Focuses on the conception, design, development, and maintenance of the natural and physically built environment.
  • Structural Engineer: Acts as a specialty within civil engineering. The structural engineer focuses intensely on the structural elements of design and ensures that structures can endure all applied loads and forces.

The term “building engineer” can vary in meaning by region, but generally, a structural engineer is a type of building engineer who deals explicitly with the structural aspects of buildings. They ensure that a structure’s skeleton is safe and capable of handling the loads it will face over its lifespan.

Structural engineering has various specialties, including but not limited to:

  1. Building Structures: Designing commercial, residential, and industrial building structures.
  2. Civil Structures: Focusing on public works like bridges, dams, and tunnels.
  3. Mechanical Structures: Dealing with mechanical components, such as chassis of vehicles.
  4. Aerospace Structures: Specializing in the structural elements of aerospace designs.

The primary difference lies in their areas of focus:

  • Structural Engineer: Concentrates on the framework of structures, ensuring they don’t collapse, bend, twist, or vibrate in undesirable ways.
  • Design Engineer: May work across various industries and focus on designing products or systems that incorporate aesthetic and functional aspects.

A design engineer might be responsible for a system’s overall layout and look in the construction industry. In contrast, the structural engineer ensures that the designs are feasible from a strength and durability standpoint.

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