Value Engineering
Value engineering for structures: reviewing member sizes, construction method and concrete and steel quantities before they turn into cost on site.
Every structure can be built another way. The question is whether the alternative is cheaper, faster or lighter – and what it costs somewhere else.
Where there is usually something to find
- Slab thicknesses and span directions
- Reinforcement ratios in the more heavily loaded areas
- Changing the construction method in parts of the building, for instance precast instead of in-situ concrete
- Foundations, where the ground will take more than was assumed
When it pays
Most during the design and approval stages. Once detailed design has started, any change costs more than it saves – unless it affects a section that has not been designed yet.
Structural Engineering