Architectural engineering

• 1. The Engineers Of The Built World

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  Architectural engineering, also called building engineering, is the discipline that handles the engineering and construction of buildings. It draws on environmental, structural, mechanical, electrical, computational, and embeddable research domains. The source places its practitioners at the forefront of two opportunities defining the present world. One is rapidly advancing computer technology. The other is the parallel revolution of environmental sustainability. From reducing greenhouse gas emissions to building structures that can withstand stress, these engineers face several major challenges of the 21st century. The field is young as a licensed profession. It emerged only in the 20th century, born from rapid technological developments. Yet a question runs underneath that brief history. Why did a profession take so long to separate itself from the older disciplines it grew beside? Architectural engineering sits next to architecture, civil engineering, computer engineering, and aerospace engineering, yet it is distinct from each. It is also separate from interior design and from architectural design as an art. The chapters ahead trace how this discipline splits buildings into systems, how it earned formal recognition, and why the very name means something different depending on which country you stand in.

• 2. Architect Versus Engineer

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  Architectural engineers specialize in the technical and structural aspects of a building, ensuring it stays safe, efficient, and sustainable. Their education blends architecture with engineering, concentrating on structural integrity, mechanical systems, and energy efficiency. They design and analyze building systems, conduct feasibility studies, and work with architects to fold technical requirements into the overall design. Architects approach the same building from a different angle. They emphasize the aesthetic, functional, and spatial elements. They develop design concepts and detailed plans to meet a client's needs and comply with regulations. Their education centers on design theory, history, and the artistic side of the work. Architects also oversee construction to make sure the design is implemented correctly. Both roles are described as crucial to building design and construction. The difference lies in where each one's attention falls, and that division of labor reappears in how the technical work itself is carved into specialties.

• 3. Systems Inside The Walls

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  Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, abbreviated MEP, is the name used throughout the United States for the building design work done by mechanical and electrical specialists. In the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia the same work is called building services engineering. Mechanical engineers often design and oversee heating, ventilation and air conditioning, known as HVAC, along with plumbing and rainwater systems. Plumbing designers frequently include specifications for simple active fire protection systems. On more complicated projects, fire protection engineers are retained separately instead. Electrical engineers carry a long list of responsibilities inside a building. They handle electric power distribution, telecommunication, fire alarm, signalization, lightning protection, and control systems, as well as lighting systems. Structural engineering takes a wider view of the built environment, covering not only buildings but bridges, equipment supports, towers, and walls. Those who concentrate on buildings are sometimes informally called building engineers. Structural engineers need expertise in strength of materials and structural analysis. They must predict structural load from the weight of the building, its occupants, and its contents. They must also account for extreme events such as wind, rain, ice, and the seismic design that is referred to as earthquake engineering.

• 4. The Outer Shell And Its Specialists

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  Building enclosure and façade engineering covers the outer shell of a building, the barrier between its interior and exterior environments. This shell includes walls, roofs, windows, doors, and other components that together protect the building from air, water, heat, light, and noise. The envelope controls temperature, humidity, and airflow to keep the inside comfortable. It also supports energy efficiency by limiting heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Engineers in this field must make the envelope structurally sound, pleasing to look at, and effective at meeting functional demands. Fire protection engineering takes a different threat as its subject. It is a subfield of building engineering focused on systems and practices that prevent, control, and reduce the impact of fires. Its aim is to protect people, property, and the environment through preventive measures, detection systems, and response strategies. Fire protection engineers analyze potential fire scenarios and model how fire and smoke spread. Acoustical engineering controls sound within and around buildings to create a comfortable auditory environment. Acoustical engineers use modeling and simulation tools to predict how sound behaves in different spaces. They then employ various materials and techniques to reach the acoustic performance a building needs. Sustainable engineering ties these efforts to a longer horizon, designing systems that use energy and resources so future generations can still meet their own needs.

• 5. Becoming Licensed In America

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  In April 2003 a specific architectural engineering registration examination was first offered through the NCEES, the body that administers Professional Engineering exams. That examination, established in the 1990s, marked the point at which architectural engineering became recognized as a distinct engineering discipline in the United States. Formal education in the field had developed much earlier, in the late 19th century, following the engineering model of earlier disciplines. It became widespread across the United States by the mid-20th century. A licensed architectural engineer is usually a graduate of an EAC/ABET-accredited university program. Such programs prepare students for whole-building design in competition with architect-engineer teams, or for practice in the structural, mechanical, or electrical fields. Some states require a BS degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program with no exceptions. About two thirds of the states accept BS degrees from ETAC/ABET-accredited architectural engineering technology programs instead. Graduates of technology programs often pursue an MS in engineering or a NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture to be licensed as both engineer and architect, which requires passing state licensing exams in both disciplines. New Jersey runs a notable arrangement. A registered architect there may sit for the PE exam, and a professional engineer may take the design portions of the Architectural Registration Exam to become a registered architect. A current NCEES account lets engineers apply for another state's PE license by comity. Even so, architectural engineers in most regulated jurisdictions cannot practice architecture unless they are also licensed as architects.

• 6. One Word, Many Meanings

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  In Japan a first-class architect performs the dual role of architect and building engineer, though buildings over a certain scale require a licensed structural design first-class architect, written 構造設計一級建築士. The phrase architectural engineering shifts meaning sharply as it crosses borders. In some countries the practice of architecture, including planning, design, and overseeing construction, is itself called architectural engineering. In Korean and Arabic the word architect translates literally as architectural engineer. In Italy a figure called the ingegnere edile is entitled to practice architecture and is often referred to as an architect, and such individuals are often also structural engineers. In Germany, Austria, Iran, and most Arab countries, architecture graduates receive an engineering degree, the Dipl.-Ing. or Diplom-Ingenieur. In Spain an architect holds a technical university education and the legal power to carry out building structure and facility projects. Brazil shows how these boundaries can move over time. Architects and engineers there once shared one accreditation process under CONFEA, the Federal Council of Engineering, Architecture and Agronomy. Brazilian architects and urbanists now have their own body, the CAU, the Architecture and Urbanism Council. Brazilian architecture courses still teach structural, electrical, hydraulic, and mechanical engineering. A Brazilian architect can take responsibility for a whole small building, except for electric wiring, where the architect's autonomy is limited to systems up to 30kVA and the work must be done by an electrical engineer.

• 7. Diplomas And Chambers

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  More than 100,000 members belong to the Technical Chamber of Greece, the body that spans every engineering discipline along with architecture. In Greece, licensed architectural engineers graduate from architecture faculties within the Polytechnic University and obtain an Engineering Diploma. They study for five years and become fully entitled architects once they join the chamber, known by its initials TEE. Membership requires a license as a qualified engineer or architect and a degree from a Greek university engineering and architecture school, or an equivalent school abroad. The chamber awards licenses only after examinations, which take place three to four times a year. The Engineering Diploma equals a master's degree at 300 ECTS units under the Bologna Accords. Other countries set their own academic gates. In Canada, a CEAB-accredited engineering degree is the minimum requirement for registration as a professional engineer, or P.Eng, anywhere in the country, and it is the standard against which all other qualifications are measured. A graduate of a non-accredited program must show that their education is at least equivalent. In Vietnam the engineer's degree is the Bằng kỹ sư, the first degree earned after five years of study. The architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical branches each carry their own well established requirements, usually met by completing a university program.

• 8. An Integrated Field

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  Its multi-disciplinary engineering approach is what sets architectural engineering apart from architecture itself. Architecture, the field of the architect, is described as an integrated, separate, and single field of study when compared with other engineering disciplines. Architectural engineering instead pulls many systems together under one design. It includes HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, electrical, lighting, architectural acoustics, and structural systems. Through training in and appreciation of architecture, the field seeks to integrate these building systems within the overall building design. University programs handle this breadth in two ways. In some, students are required to concentrate on one of the systems. In others, students can earn a generalist architectural or building engineering degree. That choice between specialist depth and generalist range mirrors the larger tension the discipline carries, a field that asked to be recognized on its own only after the NCEES examination's first offering in April 2003.