What Engineers Bring
-- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 1/1/2001
In the grand scheme of building projects, engineers offer an impressive array of technical skills, but analytical abilities seem to be on top of the list.
"Having a technical background and the ability to think like an engineer is an asset," claims Raj Gupta, P.E., president of Environmental System Design, Chicago. "With all these new things coming out, to be able to analyze all these alternatives is critical."
Similarly, Norman Kurtz, P.E., president and CEO of Flack & Kurtz, New York, states, "An engineer can take different things, put them into a 'food processor' and come out with something that you make a business decision with. The engineer has the skills whereas most people in the building industry don't. To the extent that the engineer makes people aware that he can do that, he becomes more valuable."
Gupta also points out that often building owners are not in a position to take advantage of new technology because they are not fully aware of the benefits. Consequently, the engineer's ability to proactively bring different options to the table is a valued service.
For example, in the arena of fire-protection engineering, Martin H. "Mickey" Reiss, P.E., president of Rolf Jensen & Associates, Framingham, Mass., suggests that the technical expertise of engineers specializing in fire protection adds great value to any project.
"We know the technology and we can design for greater reliability in a cost-effective manner," he states.
