ES050 – Introductory Engineering
Design and Innovation Studio
Civil Engineering Design
Prof. Jon Southen
November 12, 2008
Goals and Objectives of this lecture
Provide introduction to engineering design
as practiced in Civil engineering
 Provide context regarding the environment
in which Civil engineering design takes
place
 Provide examples of engineering graphics
used in Civil engineering

Civil Engineering Design

The Civil engineering project
 Types of project
 Principal players
 General design process

Design considerations
 Codes, regulations, guidelines
 Constructability
 Validation techniques

Design delivery
 Drawings
 Specifications
Civil Engineering Projects

Civil Engineering oldest discipline
 Civil-Military

distinction
Wide variety within Civil
 Structural
 Environmental
 Geotechnical
 Wind
 Etc.

Basic design considerations, techniques
common
CIVIL ENGINEERING WORLD
(IDEALIZED)
CIVIL ENGINEERING WORLD
(REAL)
Urban planners
Civil Engineering
Elect. Eng.
Mechanical Eng.
Politicians
Economists
Architects
Lawyers
Bankers
Civil Engineering Design


Project-Based
Physical nature of the product




Ultimate use of the product





Large, heavy, and expensive
Each project is unique
A large part of the components are manufactured elsewhere
a means to further production
an addition to or improvement of the infrastructure of the economy
a social investment (e.g. hospitals)
an investment for direct enjoyment (e.g. housing)
Demand for and price of the product
The Construction Project
A project (construction or otherwise) is
defined by the following characteristics:
 A defined goal or objective
 Specific tasks not routinely performed
 A defined beginning and end
 Defined deliverables
 Resources being consumed
Categories Of Construction
Projects
Building Construction Projects
• Office buildings, large apartment buildings,
shopping malls, etc.
• Large segment of market, but heavily
dependent on local economy
• Designed by architects with engineering
support
• Built by general contractors
• Privately funded
• Greater technical and investment
requirements than residential projects
Categories Of Construction
Projects
Heavy Construction Projects
• Infrastructure – roadways, bridges, dams,
tunnels, canals
• Designed by civil engineers
• Built by heavy construction contractors with
engineering background or support
• Typically publicly funded
• Long duration – less sensitive to economy
Categories Of Construction
Projects
Industrial Construction Projects
• Steel mills, petroleum refineries, chemical plants,
automobile plants, etc.
• Defined more by the production activities than by the
facility itself
• Privately funded
• Quality and time are most important
• Very technical – few companies, cooperation important
throughout the project
Principal Players
1)
2)
3)
Owner
Design Professional
Constructor
Principal Players
1)
Owner
 Also called the client
 Pays the bills and receives the benefit
 Determines scope, schedule and
budget (either in-house or with outside
assistance) – i.e. defines need
 May be public or private
Principal Players
2)
Design Professional
 Engineers, architects, consultants
 Assists the owner in developing the
scope, schedule and budget
 Prepares construction documents that
are used to build the project
 Responsible for the physical integrity
of the project (licensed)
Principal Players
3)
Constructor
 Contractor, general contractor, prime
contractor, builder, construction
manager
 Interprets the contract documents and
physically constructs the project
 May employ subcontractors
Linear Project Life Cycle
Project
Formulation
Phase
User
Requirements
Awareness
of Need
Planning
Process
Project
Feasibility
and Scope
Project
Concept
Formulation
Engineering
And Design
Process
Project
Engineering
and Design
Project
Scope
Definition
Construction
Process
Use
Management
Process
Project
Field
Engineering
and
Construction
Facility
Use and
Management
Full
Project
Description
Project
Completion
and Acceptance
for Use
Disposal
Process
Facility
Demolition
or Conversion
Fulfillment
of Need
Civil Engineering Design Sequence
Civil Engineering Design

The Civil engineering project
 Types of project
 Principal players
 General design process

Design considerations
 Codes, regulations, guidelines
 Constructability
 Validation techniques

Design delivery
 Drawings
 Specifications
Civil Engineering Design
Considerations
Owner requirements basis for problem
definition – refined by feasibility study
phase
 Objectives and constraints influenced by
owner requirements as well as outside
factors – codes, regulations, guidelines
 Constructability also a key factor

Building Codes



Used locally to regulate building construction
Intent is to protect public health and safety
National Building Code
of Canada 2005
 “Model”

building code
Ontario Building Code
 Regulated
building code
based on NBCC
Building Codes
Set minimum standard of construction
quality
 Includes definition of occupancy groups
and construction types, with corresponding
limitations on building size, components,
construction methods, etc.
 Other codes pertain to specific building
systems (e.g. plumbing)

Canadian Highway Bridge Design
Code
CAN/CSA-S6-06 Canadian Highway
Bridge Design Code
 Used in all Provinces to
design bridges over 3m
span

Design Guidelines and Manuals



Various organizations have developed
guidelines and design manuals to assist
engineers in designing components not
covered in general building codes.
E.g. Concrete Design Handbook
(Canadian Cement Institute), Canadian
Foundation Engineering Manual
(Canadian Geotechnical Society)
Provide specific guidelines for designing
various civil engineering components
Regulations
Civil engineering designs often directly
related to public activities
 Regulations may dictate many aspects of
design, especially environmental
 E.g. landfill design – Ontario Regulation
232/98

O.Reg. 232/98 – Landfill Design –
Groundwater Protection
O.Reg. 232/98 – Landfill Design –
Groundwater Protection
O.Reg. 232/98 – Landfill Design –
Groundwater Protection
O.Reg. 232/98 – Landfill Design –
Groundwater Protection

Alternatively, a site-specific design for
groundwater protection may be used,
provided it can be demonstrated that the
design meets the Ontario Reasonable Use
Guidelines pertaining to groundwater
resources
Civil Engineering Design




Specific elements of the overall project are
designed with due consideration of applicable
codes, guidelines and regulations
Engineering judgment required to assess what is
applicable and whether the proposed design
meets requirements
Engineering science principles not expressed in
codes, etc. must be adapted and applied to
specific design constraints
Goal is to ensure project objectives are met
while ensuring safety
Cost Analysis
Often primary basis for choosing among
several viable design alternatives
 Preliminary designs offer basis for
estimating construction costs – estimating
 Value engineering takes cost implications
into consideration throughout the design
iteration process

Constructability
Constructability (how easily the proposed
design can actually be built) is often a key
factor in project cost
 Often the involvement of a construction
manager is incorporated in the design
phase to ensure constructability is
considered and thus enhance the value
engineering process

Civil Engineering Design

The Civil engineering project
 Types of project
 Principal players
 General design process

Design considerations
 Codes, regulations, guidelines
 Constructability
 Validation techniques

Design delivery
 Drawings
 Specifications
Design Delivery
Client (owner) retains designer (engineer)
to prepare bid package for constructor
(contractor)
 Bid package (final design) fully describes
project such that contractor can construct
the design and estimate cost to do so (i.e.
prepare bid for owner)
 Final design consists of drawings and
specifications which fully describe design

Civil Engineering Drawings
Civil engineers typically use twodimensional representations to describe
designs
 What must be described and the level of
detail is dependent on the current phase of
the project

Civil Engineering Drawings

Topographic Base Maps
 Created
based on site investigations and
surveys
 Used during feasibility and conceptual
planning stages of project
 Shows contours (grade), control points,
natural and artificial features, etc.
Topographic Base Map
Civil Engineering Drawings

Planning-level drawings
 Used
early in project to describe concepts
 Limited engineering analysis to support
 May be simple sketch, or include key
dimensions where cost information necessary
 General plan and typical section views
Planning-level Drawing
Civil Engineering Drawings

Conceptual-level drawings
 Developed
to compare costs, evaluate
relative advantages/disadvantages and
identify flaws so a preferred concept can be
selected
 Drawings more detailed than planning-level,
but not suitable for construction
 Plan and one (or more) cross sections
Conceptual-level Drawing
Civil Engineering Drawings

Final design drawings
 Used
by contractor to construct design
 Contain all necessary information (with
specifications) to bid and build project
 Used to support permit applications
 Used to prepare accurate estimate of costs
 More detailed and more drawings typically
required
Final Design Drawing
Final Design Drawings

Typically a set of drawings is required to fully
characterize the project, e.g.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Title Sheet
Abbreviations / Legend / General Notes
Existing Conditions
Subsurface Conditions
Group Drawings (Civil, Structural, Mech., etc.)



6.
General Layout Plans
Detailed Layout Plans
Sections and Details Sheets
Miscellaneous Details Sheets
Design Controls


A set of benchmarks, coordinate grids, control
points, baselines, centrelines, etc.
Used to
 determine
the design alignment and dimensions
 avoid interference between different members of the
design team
 enable the surveyor to establish line and grade
Plan of Design Controls
Civil Engineering Drawings



A number of typical 2-D views are used by Civil
engineers to represent a 3-D design
3-D views (e.g. isometric, oblique) are usually
not used in Civil drawings
Various views are used:
 Plan
View
 Section View
 Elevation View
 Profile View
 Detail View
Plan View


Typically most
important view
– all others are
supplemental
Depicts the
design in
context with the
existing site
details
Section View



Also called a cross section, basically a cut
through a structure
Shows the internal relationships among various
components of a structure
Adequate number required to show all internal
features
Elevation
View



Shows the vertical
relationship of
various features
Is an external view of
the side – not a cut
like a section view
More common for
concrete and
mechanical
structures
Profile View



Essentially a long section view along an entire
structure
Useful for highways, tunnels, pipelines, etc.
Usually has different horizontal and vertical
scales (exaggerated vertical)
Detail View


Show design features and
requirements when
overall plan, section and
other views do not have
proper scale and
resolution to do so
Essentially enlargements
of design features,
included in other views
Technical Specifications



Used in conjunction with drawings to fully
describe all of the technical requirements
necessary to complete a project
Should not overlap information with drawings
Includes things like material requirements,
testing requirements for quality control,
installation procedures and tolerances, schedule
requirements, safety issues and responsibilities
etc.
Civil Engineering Design

The Civil engineering project
 Types of project
 Principal players
 General design process

Design considerations
 Codes, regulations, guidelines
 Constructability
 Validation techniques

Design delivery
 Drawings
 Specifications