Strategic engineering
The RIBA Plan of Work published by the RIBA in 2020 defines strategic engineering as:
‘Engineering information which is crucial to the development of the Architectural Concept, including plant room or riser information, or required to develop the Cost Plan or for the consideration of Project Risks.’
It suggests that during stage 2 (concept design), civil, structural and building services engineers should not undertake detailed engineering analysis, but should provide general rule of thumb strategic engineering contributions to the architectural concept. The depth of engineering contributions will depend on the robustness of the architectural concept.
This might include consideration of; floor-to-floor heights, the structural grid, the location of plant rooms or risers and issues that might influence the cost plan.
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