Impact of three-dimensional parametric modeling of buildings on productivity in structural engineering practice

The transition from two-dimensional drafting to three dimensional modeling of building structures is likely to influence structural engineering design practices in numerous ways. The immediate impact in the early stages of adoption in any design practice will be an increase in productivity in design documentation. On the basis of a benchmark of hours for structural engineering design and detailing of reinforced concrete building structures, and two sets of three-dimensional modeling experiments, the potential productivity gain is conservatively estimated to be in the range from 15% and 41% of the hours required for a project due to improvements in drawing production alone. Unlike two dimensional computer-aided drafting, parametric three dimensional modeling is particularly useful at the early stages of design, where engineering skills are required. Both these effects point to an expected decline in the number of drafting staff in proportion to engineering staff. While overall hours expended will decrease, engineers may account for a greater share of the overall workload, or a new professional role – the structural modeler – may emerge.