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This document discusses structural engineering practice in Nigeria. It covers the scope of structural engineering, career options, and the social and economic impact of structural engineers. It also examines the role of structural engineers in practice as technical solution providers, entrepreneurs, and socio-economic change agents. Finally, it analyzes challenges in the Nigerian environment, noting that while engineering skills are necessary, vision, innovation, and entrepreneurship are also missing limitations have led to a proliferation of average firms and inability to handle complex structures.
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NISTRUCTE lecture on structural engineering practice.
This document discusses structural engineering practice in Nigeria. It covers the scope of structural engineering, career options, and the social and economic impact of structural engineers. It also examines the role of structural engineers in practice as technical solution providers, entrepreneurs, and socio-economic change agents. Finally, it analyzes challenges in the Nigerian environment, noting that while engineering skills are necessary, vision, innovation, and entrepreneurship are also missing limitations have led to a proliferation of average firms and inability to handle complex structures.
This document discusses structural engineering practice in Nigeria. It covers the scope of structural engineering, career options, and the social and economic impact of structural engineers. It also examines the role of structural engineers in practice as technical solution providers, entrepreneurs, and socio-economic change agents. Finally, it analyzes challenges in the Nigerian environment, noting that while engineering skills are necessary, vision, innovation, and entrepreneurship are also missing limitations have led to a proliferation of average firms and inability to handle complex structures.
by Engr. K.A Adeola, Managing Director, CPMS Ltd SCOPE OF PRESENTATION 1. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING PROFESSION 1.1 Scope of Structural Engineering 1.2 Career Options for the Structural Engineer 1.3 Social and Economic Impact and Recognition 2. THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER IN PRACTICE 2.1 As a Technical Solution Provider 2.2 As an Entrepreneur 2.3 As a Socio-Economic Change Agent 3. THE NIGERIAN CHALLENGE 3.1 Engineering Skills Necessary but Insufficient 3.2 Vision, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Missing Structural Engineering Profession Scope of Structural Engineering At its core, the practice of structural engineering is centred around: • the understanding of structural elements, • conceptualising of structural frames, • analysing and designing these frames to ensure safety stability and serviceability, and • monitoring and/or supervising the fabrication as may be required. Structural Engineering Profession Scope of Structural Engineering These disciplines manifest most commonly in • building structures, including high or low rise buildings and warehouses; • transportation structures including bridges, tunnels, structural pavements, observation towers, jetties and ports; • hydraulic structures including dams, water tanks, drainage channels and aqueducts; • power plant structures including silos, pressure tanks, transmission lines and nuclear reactors. Structural Engineering Profession Scope of Structural Engineering • Structural engineering scope extends to dynamic structures including parts and bodies of motor vehicles, air planes and space ships, rails and engines. Structural Engineering Profession Career Options in Structural Engineering Three broad career options may be identified for the structural engineer as follows: • As a structural engineer in an organisation providing structural services for itself, including government, construction, oil and gas, power, telecoms, etc. • As a research engineer in the academics and research institutes • As a design engineer in private firms providing structural services for fees, as a business Structural Engineering Profession Social & Economic Impact & Recognition There seems to be a strong mismatch between impact & recognition of the structural engineer: • The engineer often has reasonably high self worth, and the society seems to have reasonable respect for his training and intellect • The earning power of the structural engineer, however, does not support his ego or the impact of his services • He feels frustrated that the enabling environment for professional and financial fulfilment is absent Structural Engineer in Practice As a Technical Solution Provider This is the first of three business strategies for the engineer in consulting practice: • In this option, he provides structural engineering solutions to concepts developed by others including building structures, bridges, dams, drainage systems, concepts of which are developed by others • In this role, he depends on others to produce the concepts, and legislation to enforce the use of his services • He needs to develop a marketing strategy to achieve business sustainability with this option Structural Engineer in Practice As an Entrepreneur This is the second of the three business strategies for the engineer in consulting practice: • In this option, he goes beyond providing technical solutions to others and develops business concepts of his own centred around structural and other engineering skills • Examples include multi-disciplinary consultancy, construction, project management, materials testing, etc. • This requires vision, business strategy and drive in addition to structural engineering skills Structural Engineer in Practice As a Socio-Economic Change Agent This is the third of the three business strategies for the engineer in consulting practice: • In this option, he conceives of developmental programmes that can significantly change society for the better and strongly promotes these programmes within his sphere of influence • This effort will give him visibility, relevance and voice in the larger society and allow him to positively influence events. • This is the most challenging option of the three and it is where structural engineers are least prepared The Nigerian Challenge Engineering Skills Necessary but Insufficient The 1st peculiarity of the Nigerian environment is that structurally demanding structures are few: • The first implication of this is that sophisticated and high calibre engineering skills are not required for the typical 5- storey building available in abundance • This leads to the proliferation of consulting firms and cost based competition. • Having a business strategy to survive in such an environment is key The Nigerian Challenge Engineering Skills Necessary but Insufficient The 2nd peculiarity of the Nigerian environment is the frequent collapse of low rise structures: • The cause of this is not only incompetent design, but the whole processes of design, construction and regulation • What is required to manage this problem is influencing the regulatory system to institute effective processes for managing construction the construction processes • The structural engineering community has not been effective in this process and the leadership is being taken over by others The Nigerian Challenge Engineering Skills Necessary but Insufficient The 3rd peculiarity is that structural engineers have largely limited themselves to building structures with no innovation: • One of the implications of this is that there is not much to choose between a five and a ten years’ experienced engineer, given the lack of challenging structures • This has led to the mushrooming of firms of just average competences and experiences and limitation in inspiring confidence in being able to handle complex structures The Nigerian Challenge Engineering Skills Necessary but Insufficient There are a few other peculiarities but the last one for this paper is the lack of vision, strategy and innovation in structural engineering practice. Unless this is corrected, structural engineering practice will remain small and mediocre.