Engineering

Designing a structural frame, submitting plans for licensing, and structural supervision are “reserved actions” permitted only to a licensed engineer registered in the building-engineering division, under the Engineers and Architects Law. A licensed engineer is a registered engineer who has gained practical experience and met further requirements, and performing a reserved action without a license is a criminal offense.

The structural engineer is responsible for the frame design, the calculations, and the rebar detailing, and has the authority to stop work that deviates from the design and to determine the building’s fitness for occupancy. This is a responsibility that extends far beyond the drawing.

• Frame design is only for a licensed engineer in the right division
• Performing it without a license is a criminal offense
• The engineer is responsible for calculations and rebar detailing
• Has authority to stop work and determine fitness for occupancy

The Israeli standards system is the skeleton of the law. IS 466, the concrete code, designs every element by “limit states”: an ultimate limit state for safety against collapse, and a serviceability limit state for deflections, vibrations, and crack widths. IS 1225 does this for steel, and IS 940 for foundations and piles.

Loads are set in separate standards: dead and live loads, and wind loads based on the regional wind speed. All of these combine into a single model that ensures the building will carry whatever is placed on it throughout its life.

• IS 466: concrete design by ultimate and serviceability states
• IS 1225: steel structure design and stability
• IS 940: foundations, piles, and bearing capacity
• IS 118: concrete production and compressive-strength control

IS 413 is built on “graded protection” whose ultimate goal is saving lives: in a strong, rare earthquake the building may be damaged, but it will not collapse and will allow evacuation. The standard divides the country into risk zones by ground acceleration, with the Jordan Valley and Tiberias the highest.

For the building to absorb energy without collapsing, the standard requires precise ductility detailing: bending stirrups at a 135-degree angle, denser stirrups at joints, and avoiding rebar laps in critical zones. These are small details that save an entire building.

• A graded-protection, life-saving philosophy
• Division into risk zones by ground acceleration
• Ductility detailing: 135-degree stirrups and dense joints
• Anchoring non-structural elements against falling

Design starts at the ground. A soil report by a founding consultant determines the soil type and the founding method: shallow founding in bearing soil, or piles in weak or clay soil. Pile capacity is calculated as the sum of friction along its length and bearing at its tip.

The calculations are performed in three-dimensional finite-element models, in static analysis and in dynamic analysis for earthquakes and wind. The model follows the path of forces from the slabs, through the beams and columns, to the foundations and the ground.

• A soil report determines the founding method
• Shallow founding versus piles by the soil
• A three-dimensional finite-element model
• Static and dynamic analysis for loads and earthquakes

Beyond the design, the control-institute mechanism adds an independent review layer: residential buildings over four units, public buildings, and complex structures require engineering control of the design and execution. The structural engineer performs the supervision and is present at significant pours.

Inter-disciplinary coordination with the architect and the other consultants (soil, plumbing, HVAC, electricity) ensures the engineering solution integrates with all the systems, without clashes discovered too late on site.

• Design and execution control by an independent body
• Supervision and presence at significant pours
• Coordination with the architect and all consultants
• Stability approvals on completion

Bringing the structural engineer in already at the early design stage saves real money. A change on paper is far cheaper than a fix on site, and efficient design optimizes concrete and steel quantities and prevents budget overruns. The cost of early engineering is negligible against the savings it generates throughout construction.

On the other hand, flawed design is the most severe engineering risk: from cracks and settlement to the collapse of retaining walls and structures. With us, engineering sits at the heart of the project from day one.

• A change on paper is cheaper than a fix on site
• Optimizing concrete and steel quantities
• Preventing budget and schedule overruns
• Flawed design is a safety and financial risk