Commercial Building Engineers are like Doctors for Commercial Buildings (Infographics)
Commercial building engineers are professional engineers who specialize in diagnosing properties other than residential houses – such as office buildings, retail spaces, warehouses, churches, and medical centers. This profession might sound straightforward enough, but many property owners lack a general understanding of what they do. This is probably because commercial building engineering is a broad area for engineers and requires a diverse set of skills and knowledge – not just of the science and mathematics necessary for all engineering – but also of the needs and concerns of businesses and prospective clients.
In many aspects, buying and maintaining commercial building costs more than other types of real estate properties. Because these buildings are intended to generate profit – either from capital gain or rental income – it must be ascertained that all systems are up and running as efficiently as possible. Otherwise, whenever the building is closed for extended periods due to lengthy repairs and maintenance, it can cost the owner not only time and money but even their longest staying tenants as well.
In that regard, commercial building engineers can find the most significant issues that could cost property owners thousands of dollars to repair, including, but not limited to:
- Foundations and support structures
- Exterior structures such as roofing and parking lots
- Interiors such as building walls, floors, bathrooms, offices, and similar areas.
- Damp proofing
- Electrical systems
- Plumbing
- Centralized Heating, Ventilation, and Cooling (HVAC)
Similar to a patient, a real estate property owner or manager needs to know if these systems are still in good condition or will need to be replaced in the coming years. Similarly, like a doctor, commercial building engineers inspect the condition of these systems and components and then provide their clients with a building audit report. The resulting report will ultimately advise the owners about the necessary solutions that must be taken to keep the building at its peak efficiency.
When to Consult a Commercial Building Engineer
Just like when a person needs to consult a doctor when trying a new fitness program, supplement, or when they feel ill, a commercial building engineer should be the property owners’ first point of contact when starting a new building project, or if they notice structural issues that could hamper their daily operations.
Constructing a new building
Like a doctor, a building engineer must ensure that the proposed building can resist the elements that it is exposed to for a long time before repairs will be required. A licensed commercial building engineer in New Jersey will review proposed plans and make sure they follow NJ building codes and regulations. They will also check the lot and surrounding area of the proposed building to ensure that the project integrates factors such as slope, existing features, and the surrounding environment.
Constructing additional floors or rooms
When adding new floors or rooms to the building, the load that it must carry will change. A commercial building engineer will be able to tell how the structure and its foundation will be affected by the added weight of a new room, an additional story, or an expanded room, as well as recommend solutions for their client’s unique situation.
When retrofitting, a building engineer can tell if the wall that is planned to be demolished is load-bearing or not and suggest what to do if it is. Similar to how a doctor can view a patient’s previous medical history, commercial building engineers can review all the previous retrofit, repair, and maintenance projects done in the building. By doing so, they will know how the upcoming project will affect the structural integrity of the building and what steps the owners can take to strengthen it further.
Retrofitting for improved energy efficiency
Over the past few decades, commercial buildings have been highlighted as having great potential to reduce global emissions if efforts are made to make them more environmentally-friendly.
As it is essential to consult a physician before trying a new eating regimen or workout, it’s also crucial to consult a commercial building engineer when searching for ways to achieve energy efficiency in the building. With the help of a professional commercial building engineer in NJ, building owners in the Garden State can achieve the following standards for an energy-efficient building:
- Install energy-efficient insulation in all cavities and around all the joints in the building shell.
- Avoid making unnecessary holes and seal all those that are unavoidable to ensure efficient ventilation and heating.
- Use Energy Star-rated equipment for heating, cooling, water heaters, appliances, and light fixtures.
- Replace old boilers with modern, more efficient models to reduce gas bills.
- Utilize innovative materials that have long life spans so that they do not need to be thrown away or replaced for many years. According to Inhabitat, these new “green building” materials include:
- Straw bales
- Grasscrete
- Rammed earth
- HempCrete
- Bamboo
- Mycelium
- Ferrock
- AshCrete
- TimberCrete
- Design the exterior spaces of the building with porous materials to allow rainwater to soak into native plants.
- Block all pathways for moisture to enter walls and ceilings from the exterior.
- Ensure that the foundations and basement are insulated and waterproofed on the exterior to avoid subsurface water from entering the building.
- Ventilate adequately with a continuously running mechanical ventilation system.
- Control air pollution and moisture at the source. Additionally, make sure that the exhausts in common moisture sources such as laundry and bathroom are vented.
Spotting structural damage
Doctors spend years to be able to identify and understand the underlying causes of a variety of health issues, more years to learn how to treat them, or at least alleviate their symptoms. In a similar fashion, commercial building engineers are trained to detect structural issues, identify their root cause, and ultimately provide the proper solutions to address the problems.
Some common signs of structural damage include cracks in the walls or foundation, sticking doors and windows, sagging or uneven floors, and persistent moisture, puddles, or humidity. Any of these could mean there is damage to the foundation or structural supports.
In any case, it would be wise to contact a commercial building engineer to inspect the property and identify the cause of the damage. They will provide a written report that includes possible solutions to fix the problem in an unbiased, objective way. This can be particularly useful when their client is buying or selling the building, as a structural problem may be discovered during the inspection. Hiring a commercial building engineer to verify the damage and propose solutions can streamline the sale process and save money in the long run.
Hiring the Right Commercial Building Engineer in NJ
Having the right doctor is critical for a person’s well-being and quality of life. Similarly, for commercial property owners, having the right professional building engineer in NJ is not only crucial to ensure their compliance with various building regulations, but with a professional and experienced commercial building engineer, they can also find new opportunities that could help extend the life of their building systems and components, thus maximizing the return on their investment in the long run.
If searching for a commercial building inspector in NJ, owners or prospective buyers should hire a licensed building inspection engineer that follows the National Academy of Building Inspection Enginners (NABIE) Standard of Practice, as they can ensure a detailed inspection process and produce a report that complies with the format and content standards of NABIE. Engineers at Lockatong Engineering perform commercial building inspections, often referred to as Property Condition Assessments (PCA) per the NABIE Standard of Practice and following ASTM E2018, which is the industry standard for baseline Property Condition Assessments.
Contact Lockatong Engineering to learn more about the service offerings of our commercial building engineers in NJ.
