Structural Safety

A structurally safe design is paramount

It goes without saying that our first and foremost task is to design a safe structure. The design must work in terms of engineering forces, but it also has to have a high level of reliability with regard to the duplication of critical components or functions (also referred to as redundancy). One failing column cannot be permitted to bring the whole building down, after all. Our chief structural engineer inspects all drawings and calculations made by third parties. This allows us to safeguard the structural design as a whole.

Structural safety is not limited to the design

We know that the greatest risks arise during the execution phase, when multiple parties become involved with the different elements of a structure. This is when we, as an engineering coordinator, like to take the initiative in taking over some of the contractor’s responsibilities in terms of coordination. That allows us to keep a close eye on the calculations made by the suppliers’ various sub-contractors. Of course, we also ensure that all the relevant agreements are met when we take on this supervisory role.

Engineering coordinator

When SWINN acts as an engineering coordinator, we also coordinate the engineering work performed by the contractor and suppliers in terms of the technical aspects concerned. A kick-off meeting is held to discuss the project and the approach with the suppliers and subcontractors, in which we ensure the expectations of all parties involved are in line before the engineering work commences. This coordination helps to properly align the basic principles and the results, safeguarding the coherence of the various elements.