What I do
Initially, I was hired at my current job location as an assistant to a construction engineer. What you see above you is called a floor plan. It is basically a schematic that lays out strategically placed joists and beams in the ceiling of the first floor and the floors of the second floor so that any and all probable weight that is applied onto the second floor won’t make it collapse into the first. What we do is basically:
- Digitize the two or more story floor plan by redrawing it in AutoCad
- Strip down the floor plan until it is just the walls, bathtubs, toilets, and showers
- Stack the floors on top of each other
- Add beams and joists to where the second floor won’t collapse onto the first
We do over 500 of these through the year. Particularly complex plans like this one can take several days to complete, and much frustration. Now I myself do not do the structural design of these, but I do do a lot of drawing of these plans making me very proficient in AutoCad.
What this has taught me
One thing I’ve learned is to be realistic, and I don’t mean this in a cynical sense where you should limit yourself. Its important to have lots of creativity, and to be able to imagine wondrous creations, but it is equally as important to keep it grounded and keep it realistic.