3.1 Engineering Design Process 51
difficult if not impossible to rezone the area as commercial. A change of zoning would require
public hearings and approval by the city council with recommendation from the zoning com-
mittee. The most common environmental impact issues may include noise level created by
additional traffic drawn by the new building, wet land remediation, effect on wildlife, and so
on. If a site contains archaeology artifacts, disturbance may not be permitted. Design may
have to change before construction can start. Historical knowledge of the site and construc-
tion information from projects near the potential site would help civil engineers assess the
extent of archaeology artifacts in the potential project site.
Also in this stage, the client selects an architectural firm or a contractor to initiate the
design phase. If the client selects a contractor, then the architectural firm is hired by the
contractor. It is also important to note that the architectural firm does not perform any design;
instead, they collaborate with structural engineers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers,
interior designers, drafters, and project managers to complete the project.Step 4: Schematic Design Phase
During this phase, the architect consults with the client to fully understand the intended usage
for the building and to obtain an approximate budget for the project. The architect then pre-
pares multiple schematic designs for the building. Through continuous communication with
the client, the architect then narrows down the options to one or two designs. The design would
show the layout of the space and rooms. The material type and the framing system also would
be proposed at this stage. The architect then presents the schematic design(s) to the client and
gets feedback from the client for the next design phase.Step 5: Design Development (DD) Phase
In the design development (DD) phase, the architect continues to finalize the layout of the
building. The architect consults with the structural engineer at this phase so that limits on
column size and beam size can be determined. The limitation on beam sizes is influenced by
the ceiling height and the overall height of the building. The limitation on column sizes would
affect how the rooms are arranged. This is to avoid having many columns in the middle of a
room or a space.
Once the architect has finalized the layout of the rooms and spaces, the structural engineer
then begins to perform a preliminary design for the building. Preliminary designs of the HVAC
(heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system will be done by the mechanical engineer,
while the electric design is done by the electrical engineer. Next, the interior designer provides
a preliminary design for the interior of the building. Based on the preliminary design, the con-
tractor will then provide a cost estimate for the project.
At the end of this phase, the architect who represents the engineers, the interior designer,
and the contractor would then meet with the client to present the preliminary design and seek
feedback. The client may request the rearrangement of rooms or change in the interior design
based on cost or other factors. After receiving client’s input, the next phase of design is initiated.Step 6: Construction Documentation (CD) Phase
During this phase of the project, all of the detail work is done. The construction document
includes design specifications and drawings from the architect, civil, structural, mechanical,Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).圀圀圀⸀夀䄀娀䐀䄀一倀刀䔀匀匀⸀䌀伀䴀圀圀圀⸀夀䄀娀䐀䄀一倀刀䔀匀匀⸀䌀伀䴀