Career Episode 2: Construction of Residential Villa

This career episode discusses the work experience of a Structural Design Engineer in the construction of a residential villa. It covers the project scope, tasks performed, engineering activities, challenges faced, and solutions implemented. The engineer worked on reviewing design documents, proposing modifications, obtaining permissions, assessing raw materials, assigning tasks, preparing project reports, and working with cross-functional teams. The engineer also reskilled themselves, worked on load calculations, designed slabs, resolved issues with cracks and water penetration, and ensured safety measures. The engineer also took care of documentation, waste disposal, and procurement of raw materials.

CAREER EPISODE 2
Introduction:
CE 2.1 I will discuss my second career episode where I will talk about the work
experience, I have earned while working on the construction of a residential villa
with certain specifications requested by the client. The project activity started in
September 2015 and was completed by August 2016. I worked as a Structural
Design Engineer in UMANG PATEL CONSULTING CIVIL ENGINEER AND
STRUCTURAL DESIGNER. The organization was headquartered in Ahmedabad,
India.
Background:
CE2.2 Umang Patel Consulting Civil Engineer and Structural Designer Company
providing professional consulting services for construction, engineering, structure
and property markets. Company giving proficient counselling’s administrations for
Architects and manager, structural engineers and cost consultants. The company
works for Indian EPC servicers, corporates, inventors, international companies,
financial partnerships, and government establishments. This company has
executed large missions in housing, marketable, and manufacturing levels. This
firm has more than 20 years of involvement and executed more than 1000
ventures nationwide.
CE2.3 The project scope included the construction of a residential G+2 villa with a
basement area that was planned to have a big swimming pool, restroom, steam
room, boiler room, kitchen and gym. The ground floor plan was prepared to have
three guest rooms, three bathrooms, two balconies, a spacious kitchen and dining
hall. The first floor was planned to have the three master kids’ rooms; the terrace
was planned to have a big master bedroom and a bathroom with a good view.
Also, the villa design included parking spaces, gardens, pavements, landscape
views, stair cases, and security rooms.
CE2.4 I performed the following tasks to carry out my project responsibilities.
 Reviewing and assessing engineering design documents as well as the
construction designs and related code such as IS 456: 2000, IS 1893-2002, IS
800: 2007, IS 13920 (1993), IS: 2212-1991, IS: 1200 (Part- III)- 1976.
 Proposing relevant and effective modifications to the designs prepared by the
architects and designers
 Obtaining the required permissions like proof of privilege, details of propose
construction, copy of plan and licenses from the local municipality authorities
by ensuring to have the approval documents ready

 Finalizing the safety rules, regulations and processes that needed to be
followed during the construction activities on the work site
 Assessing the raw materials received from the vendors to check the material
quality and strength such as comprehensive strength and water permeability
tests for concrete, yield strength tests for steel, sieve analysis tests for
aggregates and taking decisions on the usability of the materials for
constructions
 Reviewing the project specifications as agreed to validate the concrete mix,
framework, and steel works
 Assigning tasks to the labor and other engineering resources based on their
expertise and following up with them to ensure the on-time completion of the
tasks
 Preparing important project reports of concrete roads, cement, reinforcement,
bricks, wood, tilling, plumbing and documents to be archived for the reference
of the project management
 Working with cross-functional teams to ensure the timely delivery of the project
 Working with project team members from different departments that included
engineering, architecture, and project management departments.
CE2.5 I worked as a Structural Engineer in the project and my position is highlighted in
the following organizational chart.
Chairman
Chief
Executing
Department
of Civil
Engineering
Construction
Engineering
Geotechnical
Engineering
Mechanical
Engineering
Structural
Engineering
Structural
Design
Engineer
Cad
Technician

Personal Engineering Activity:
CE2.6 To work on the engineering tasks in the project, I ensured to prepare myself to be
competent enough and reskill myself. I understood the project objectives in detail
and studied through the engineering techniques and methodologies required to
achieve the targets set by the project management. I enrolled to several training
courses on AutoCAD, STAAD.Pro and ETABS to learn about the software to be
used during the projects. I also referred to numerous journals and magazines such
as International Journal of civil engineering and Technology, International journal of
Advanced Structural Engineering (IJASE), Journal of material science, magazine of
concrete Research which are related to structural engineering to derive the
required information.
CE2.7 I worked closely with my supervisor to finalize the project delivery schedule. I
ensured to allocate tasks to the project resource team considering their area of
interest and expertise in the areas. I prepared the blueprint of the project and
discussed it with the stakeholders to seek their feedback and inputs. Post
incorporating the changes to the plan, I kicked off the project activities adhering to
the agreed timelines.
CE2.8 I worked with the local municipality officials to find the most effective codes and
specifications to be used in the project. I accompanied the government officials
who were on site visit and explained them the project designs and plans. As far as
using national codes and specifications is concerned, I implemented the National
Building Code of India (NBC) to the construction activities. The mentioned code is
an inclusive building code that offers national guidelines to regulate the building
construction activities in India and we needed to adhere to the codes as mentioned
in the National Building Code of India (NBC). I read through all the chapters of
pertinent codes to make sure that the construction activities are adhered to the
codes.
CE2.9 Prior to the beginning of the engineering activities in the project, I received all the
project plans, designs, and the related engineering drawings in advance. I carried
out a thorough assessment on the received architectural drawings and project
plans. I validated the designs against the agreed codes and standards as well as
the design criteria set by the client, I carried out my assessment by calculating the
numerous loads and confirmed that the designs proposed by the architects are fine
and can support the actual construction. I proposed an effective load resistance
plan for the columns and walls. I also checked if the design would be able to
withstand the machinery and lift loads.
CE2.10 I used ETABS to define the various loads as required to design the building. I
assigned loads for external walls and internal walls after defining the loads. Then I
assigned live loads for the entire structure including floor finishing. I followed the

standard IS 875 1987 PART 5 for load combinations. I followed the standard IS
456:2000 to work on the concrete design on the structure. The following image
illustrates the building plan.
CE2.11 I used concrete slabs as the most important structural element to design the
building. I made sure that the horizontal slabs of steel reinforced concrete are
between 100 to 500 mm thickness and they are used to construct floors and
ceilings, while I ensured to have the thinner slabs to be used for exterior paving. I
considered the thickness and width of the slabs, and density of the concrete, dead
load, and live load to calculate the total load. I calculated the design moment for
cantilever beam by using the formula Mu = wl2/2.
CE2.12 I used one-way slabs to design the bedrooms, gym, restrooms, and kitchen. I
obtained the effective depth, effective span, reinforcement requirements, cracking,
defection and development length by adhering to the standard IS: 456-2000. The
following is an illustration of a one-way slab.

CE2.13 To design the parking lot and hall, I implemented the one-way continuous slab by
diving the length into equal bays by providing beams perpendicular to length. As
negative bending moment is produced in the one-way continuous slab at the top of
intermediate supports, I provided negative reinforcement over intermediate
supports. As maximum shear occurs at the support next to the end support, I
checked the slabs for shear at this support. Also, I checked for deflection at the
locations of maximum positive bending moment. I checked the slab for
development length at the end support. The following diagram is an illustration for
one-way continuous slab.
CE2.14 I encountered a challenging situation when I found the cracks being developed on
the pavements of the residential buildings and roads that were close to the
construction site at the advent of winter. I carried out a detailed analysis of the
issue and inspected the construction site as well as the neighboring areas. I
referred to the geotechnical reports again to find any clue that could have resulted
in this issue. I found that the issue occurred because of water logging. The root
cause was lack of drainage that resulted in water logging and the moisture allowed
weakening of the concrete of the pavements.
CE2.15 To propose an effective resolution and solve this issue, I had a discussion with my
supervisor to seek his approval to plan an effective and permanent solution for it.

After receiving the approval, I worked on finding an effective alternate to ensure
that the pavement does not crack in the future. I implemented my engineering
expertise to find that actual problem lied with the foundation of the building. This
encouraged me to propose a resolution to make a divider of reinforcement
concrete rib at a distance of 3 meters to ensure that the pavement relates to the
retaining walls. The following illustration is representational for the reinforcement
ribs.
CE2.16 To succeed in the plan, I instructed the workers to dig a deeper area that would be
able to carry larger aggregates and, to allow installing a bridge of reinforcement
concrete which could be larger than the measurement of the pavement blocks. The
resolution was the best suited to deal with the issue and, I obtained the required
approvals from my supervisor and project owner.
CE2.17 I encountered another challenging situation after the completion of the project. I
could see that the side walls of the constructions were having water penetration.
After a close inspection, I found that the walls of the construction on the ground
floor started absorbing moisture though there was no rain for the whole month.
Upon inspection and sample tests, I found the water penetration to be a result of
the construction runoff through the gutter channel design. To stop the walls from
further being moisturized, I considered the different wall types to be constructed on
the first and second floors. I ensured to design a water-resistive wall if even though
some water would penetrate the outer surface, the moisture could be controlled to
penetrate the wall. I designed the Barrier wall systems as it includes walls filled
with mortar or grout collar joints and offers adequate of the masonry and the
integrity of the mortar or grout to prevent moisture from reaching the interiors.
CE2.18 I worked on properly designing, detailing, and constructing the barrier wall
systems. The following is a presentation of the barrier wall model I constructed.

I worked on the construction of the barrier walls by focusing more on the integrity of
the collar joint, as well as the bed and head joints between units. I filled these joints
solidly with mortar to avoid creation of gaps that may later result in pathways that
could allow water to the interior and bypass the storage capacity of the wall
assembly. I ensured to completely fill the collar joints by following grouting. Also, I
took care that spaces less than ¾ in (19.1 mm) are not grouted. I performed purge
coating to the face of the inner masonry Wythe and buttered the back of brick in
the exterior Wythe to fill the collar joint. I integrated flashing into barrier walls to
ensure that the water that penetrates the exterior Wythe is well controlled.
CE2.19 To finalize safety measures, I scheduled multiple meetings with the stakeholders
and discussed the safety measures thoroughly. I ensured that the designs are
correct as faulty construction or overloading might have hampered the safety of the
building. Also, I checked the stresses for the designs to ensure that there is no
threat to the stability of the building post construction. I made it mandatory for the
site workers to be equipped with the Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as
helmets, glasses, and safety vests. I ensured adhering to the proposed legal
guidelines, environmental directions, and health requirements.
CE2.20 I met with my supervisor twice a week to discuss the project progress and the
challenges encountered in the project. The discussion agenda was also to find the
best possible resolutions to the challenges. I regularly met with my team members
to seek the status of their assignments. I planned my daily project activities based
on the completion status of the project engineering activities daily. I worked with
cross-functional teams such as Architects, Geotechnical Engineers, Mechanical
Engineers, and Electrical Engineers and so on. I communicated the project
requirements well to them so that they could provide me with the required
assistance. The clarity in my communication saved a lot of time.

CE2.21 I took up the additional responsibility to take care of the documentation activities. I
prepared numerous reports and documents to be presented to the project
stakeholders. The reports mostly included the site inspection, material estimation,
and labor estimation reports. I used Microsoft Office to prepare the reports. I
archived all the reports for future reference.
CE2.22 I took care of the disposals of the wastes occurring during the construction
activities. I considered the environment while disposing the waste and ensured to
perform waste segregation prior to the disposal. I ensured that the labors are well
trained not to mix the wastes and hamper the environment.
CE2.23 I closely worked with the suppliers and vendors to procure the required raw
materials for the construction activities. I invited quotations of the materials prior to
finalizing the suppliers. I analyzed the quotations based on the cost and usability of
the materials and selected the best available material at feasible prices and
awarded the bid to the relevant vendor. I could save a good amount of cost by
procuring the materials this way.
CE2.24 The project offered a lot of challenges and it was tough to complete the project
activities within the tight schedule, I ensured to work hard and complete the project
within the decided deadlines. I ensured that the project cost does not exceed the
allocated budget. I tracked the project proceedings and prepared progress reports
every day to be sent to the key project stakeholders. I tried my best to resolve the
issues with effective team contributions as well as individual contributions from the
project team and all the stakeholders. I made sure to provide effective resolutions
to the challenging situations faced in the project through regular discussions with
the stakeholders. I was able to execute the project plan with effectively and
delivered the best quality work.
Summary:
CE2.25 The project was very challenging as the scope was very huge and several activities
had to be carried out to complete the project activities. As the project was planned
to be executed in a populated area, the safety of the residents was quite a big
challenge to deal with. Disposal of construction waste was also quite challenging
as there were no disposal area nearby. By working on implementing innovative
ideas to resolve these issues offered me a lot of confidence and helped me grow
as an efficient Structural Engineer.