What is the difference between structural engineers and architects?

Question

They both feel very similar. Could a structural engineer doing design work like what an architect does?
Also is the pay different for a structural engineer and an architect? If so, how?

Answer 1

Architects are basically artists that design models and realistic plans for a specific project. Structural engineers actually have to work with the designs and make sure they work due to the laws of physics, which include loadings, forces that may affect the project, etc.



For example, architects can design a building, rooms, floors, models, decorator, etc.. for a project. They are the artists of the design, with some limitations so their imaginations dont go too far off and can have a realistic project that can actually be made.



Structural engineers work with beams, columns, floor plans that have to sustain loads such as people and weights of other forces etc... they have to work with forces that make affect the building like wind, earthquakes, etc. They have to make sure that a design is realistic and can sustain codes that will be safe for people.

Answer 2

Structural engineers are a category of civil engineers that have a lot in common with architects. They are responsible for the structural stability of a construction WHILE constructing. eg if the soil is too moist or some such thing the structural engineer will point that out. Other civil engineers like the materials engineer and the construction machines engineer know which cement to use where what paint goes where and which crane can lift which load etc etc..they too know about structural feasibility in varying amounts . An architect designs the building. He/she the one who decides if an arch will look good here. is the stule of the building indo-saracenic or post modern gothic. will this dome fit here ? etc etc..a good architect keeps the civil engineer in mind and puts forth feasible designs :). hope that helps

Answer 3

Architects design what the inside and outside of a building looks like. A structural engineer determines how strong the beams and other materials in the building have to be for the building to be safe.

Answer 4

Not all structural engineers are architects, but all architects are structural engineers.



An architect may not make as much as a structural engineer, because not all architects design big fancy buildings and there are just as many not-so-high-paying- architectural jobs as there are not-so-high-paying structural design jobs.

They also get involved in what is inside the buildings like plumbing systems, air conditioning systems, etc.

Some design tract housing, some design shopping centers, etc.