Civil and Structural Engineering Drafting in Land Removal and Reclamation Projects

Rugged and hostile terrains offer a unique set of challenges for public works, land development, and marine construction projects. The issues inherent with the unpredictable nature of waterways and the resilence of mountainous rock makes it incumbent upon civil and structural engineers to use every tool and technique available to solve complex conceptual problems that arise when designing quarries, reclamation areas, flood control projects, ports and harbors, seawalls, breakwaters, jetties, and wharfs.

Projects such as these require unparalleled resourcefulness, along with originality, initiative and industry knowledge to overcome obstacles that are specific to construction projects located in marine, quarry, and reclamation developments:

1. mitigating land movement, surface and subsurface water and other geologic conditions prior to construction activities
2. removal of unstable soil and replacement with engineered performance materials
3. installing ground surface erosion protection, sea walls, slope breakers, and trench breakers
4. Structural measures to support unstable slopes, such as retaining walls, soldier piles, sheet piles, and other mechanical structures.
5. heavy equipment operations such as drilling, blasting, loading, hauling, and crushing through all igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock
6. engineering and design of structures used to berth, moor, and repair ocean-going vessels – including foundations, slopes, bulkheads and retaining structures, and solid-fill structures

From Concept to Detailed Design Construction Drawings

When choosing an outsourced engineering service to assist with heavy equipment construction projects, it is crucial to partner with a firm that has an in-house staff of civil and structural engineering drafters with the right technical skills and specific industry knowledge to produce the hundreds of drawings required to support earth removal and land filling, earth and facility structural support constructions, and the associated highway, underground, and employee infrastructure.

Projects that have an immense impact on the environment and landscape such as quarries, harbors, and reclamation areas will require careful planning and conceptual design models to fulfill environmental and public safety requirements, restrictions, and regulations before acceptance. Civil and structural drafting of 3D models and terrain maps provide an enhanced view of physical and environmental issues and offer alternate designs to counteract negative land removal and land fill issues.

Civil and structural engineering work hand-in-hand, from land removal to land stabilizing, especially in shoreline construction which not only alter the effect of currents but also increase land erosion. Subsequent shoring and the redirection of streams of water will require sound solutions involving massive underwater concrete and structural steel assemblies.

Transforming conceptual design models into working construction drawings become the task of civil and structural drafting teams who also help provide solutions to the unique challenges of rugged terrains and marine construction projects.

Civil Drafters with Skills to Support Difficult Projects

Experienced civil drafters will have worked on a wide range of major construction projects including highways, bridges, pipelines, and sewage and water systems; along with the creation of relief maps, GIS base maps, and topographical maps. This varied experience provides a sound foundation for the unique solutions required when documenting large-scale projects in marine or rugged terrains.

One needs only to examine the 10 most amazing civil projects from around the world, and realize the thousands of precise and highly detailed drawings that were drawn by skilled civil drafters in order to construct these civil engineering wonders of the modern world.

Aside from a working knowledge of civil drafting and design standards and principles, civil drafters possess an aptitude for critical thinking which is required to visualize complex terrain models and convert that real-world information into detailed layouts and construction documentation. The following are common drawings frequently drawn by civil drafters for a multitude of projects:

1. Plan and Profiles
2. Site Plans
3. Grading Plans
4. Erosion Control Plans
5. Water/Waste Water
6. Pump Stations

CAD technology is at the forefront of design and engineering for construction which requires specialized heavy equipment and earth removal. Most civil drafters will have created project documentation using Microstation or AutoCAD Civil 3D or Revit. The engineering tasks for the civil drafter begins with a drawing set creation and ends at quantity take-offs for advanced bill-of-materials software, which means the drafter acts as project administrator, data entry of accurate and reliable information, and detailed design development and coordination (acting as another set of eyes).

Structural Drafters are Key to the Success of Complex

As a response to shoreline construction, steel or concrete seawalls are constructed to harden the coastline and reduce erosion. Additionally, the design of shallow, raft, and pile foundations for reclamation and marine projects are required to to successfully transfer building loads to stable earth or bedrock. Structural drafting involves the detailed description of hundreds to thousands of steel and concrete components, sub-assemblies, and fabrication or shop drawings required to successfully complete earthwork projects.

Work with an outsourced structural drafting service that consistently produce precise documentation of each steel element or concrete structure and the required connections between them with accurate dimensions and industry-standard symbology.

1. Fabrication Drawings for Steel H-Piles and Steel Pipe Piles
2. Shop Drawings for Precast Concrete and Cast-In-Place Concrete
3. Mandrel-Driven Pile and Timber
4. Welded, Riveted or Bolted Steel connection details
5. Anchor Setting Plan
6. Steel erection drawings, erection diagrams

Tekla Steel has risen as a powerful and flexible structural steel 3D modeling and 2D detailing software program that can significantly reduce costly infield erection conflicts. The 3D steel model is the base for not only for design development, but also detailed fabrication, erection drawings, and project estimations. The intelligent interface provides for the inclusion of structural analysis data, component and construction material specifications, supplier and vendor data, and can be translated into other software programs for coordination and clash detection of other installed systems.

Five Business Models of Outsourced Civil and Structural Engineering Drafting

Outsourced engineering services have become a strategic partner in the successful completion of large-scale and complex construction projects involving rugged terrains and marine construction, such as ports and harbors, jetties and wharfs, quarries and reclamation areas, and break waters and sea walls. There are many options in which to enter into a successful outsourced collaboration:

1. Project-based – used to complex projects or those that require specific drafting skills and CADD software. When engineering consultants and A&E firms are awarded an irregular or pilot project, they will often use project-based outsourcing to gain access to specific talent and knowledge.
2. Staff Augementation – to handle one-time large scale projects that require substantial manpower. Usually, staff augementation only addresses those areas where the A&E firm is operationally inefficient and requires specific staff to complete these projects on time, within budget, and to specification.
3. Out-tasking – contracting specific portions of project tasks (such as shop drawings documentation and transmittal) to contractual services to gain a competitive edge at a lower cost.
4. Off-shoring – partnering with a dedicated resource within another country where top talent is leveraged at a lower cost while maintaining control over over the project process.
5. Managed Services – third-party management of backend functions such as drafting support or IT help desk services. A managed service provider allows the engineering or architectural firm to remain current with technology and skilled staff without taking on the associated risks and costs.

Outsourced civil and structural engineering drafting can connect your firm with low-cost CAD drafting and access to the latest technology required to complete shoreline and rugged terrain projects. Architects, engineers, and land developers take advantage of a global marketplace and gain a competitive edge over the competition with taking the burden of additional staff or the risk of hardware and software expenses.