Engineering glossary

A written statement of what the building must do: how it will be used, the spaces and how they relate, the budget and the timeline. The architect designs to it, and it is agreed before the concept begins.

Read moreWhat an interior designer delivers, stage by stageHow a villa is designed: the stages from first brief to construction drawingsWriting a design brief your architect can work with

The stage where the first ideas take shape: plans, massing and the character of the elevations, usually presented with visualisations so the owner can judge the design before it is detailed.

Read moreDesigning a villa for the UAE climate: shade, orientation and glazingHow a villa is designed: the stages from first brief to construction drawings

The stage after the concept, where spaces, materials and the coordination of structure and services are refined until the design is settled and can be drawn for approval and construction.

Read moreHow a villa is designed: the stages from first brief to construction drawings

The overall shape and volume of a building: how its blocks sit on the plot, how high they rise and how they relate to each other, before any detail.

Read moreHow a villa is designed: the stages from first brief to construction drawings

A drawing of one face of a building seen straight on, showing its height, openings and materials. Interior elevations do the same for a wall inside a room.

Read moreAs-built drawings: what they are and why legalization and maintenance need themClassic or contemporary: choosing the character of a villaWhat an interior designer delivers, stage by stage

The distance a building must keep from the boundaries of its plot. The applicable setbacks are part of the plot's planning conditions and shape where the building can sit.

Read moreBefore you build an annex or extension: getting it right the first time

Which way a building and its rooms and openings face. In a hot climate it decides how much direct sun enters, and with shade and glazing it is the first tool for a cooler building.

Read moreClassic or contemporary: choosing the character of a villaDesigning a villa for the UAE climate: shade, orientation and glazingHow a villa is designed: the stages from first brief to construction drawings

The contractor's request to use a specific product, sent with its data sheets and samples before it is ordered. The consultant checks it against the drawings and specification and approves, comments or rejects.

Read moreMaterial submittals and approvals: why they matter before anything is installed

The check made before concrete is poured: reinforcement, cover, formwork and supports, and everything to be cast in. Once the concrete is placed, none of it can be seen or corrected.

Read moreInspections before a concrete pour: what the consultant checks

The depth of concrete between the reinforcement and the surface. It protects the steel from corrosion and fire; too little cover is a common cause of spalling.

Read moreInspections before a concrete pour: what the consultant checksSpalling concrete and corroding reinforcement: causes and proper repair

The temporary mould, with its props and supports, that holds fresh concrete in shape until it can carry itself. Its line, level and strength are checked before the pour.

Read moreInspections before a concrete pour: what the consultant checks

Keeping newly placed concrete moist and protected for its first days, so it gains the strength and durability it was designed for. In heat, poor curing causes cracking.

Read moreInspections before a concrete pour: what the consultant checks

The point where the contractor delivers the finished building to the owner, after a final inspection, the correction of outstanding items and the hand-over of documents.

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Concrete breaking away from a beam, column, slab or balcony, often with rusty steel behind it. It is usually a reinforcement problem: rust takes more space than steel and pushes the concrete off.

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Salts from sea air, groundwater or contaminated materials that attack reinforcement directly, one of the main causes of corrosion in coastal buildings.

Read moreSpalling concrete and corroding reinforcement: causes and proper repair

A repair in which resin is pumped under pressure through ports fixed along a sealed crack, filling it through the depth of the element. It treats the crack, not its cause, so it follows a diagnosis.

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A rigid, strong injection resin. In a dormant crack it can restore the bond between the two sides of the concrete.

Read moreCrack injection: what it treats, what it doesn't, and when to use it

A flexible injection resin, some types of which react with water. It suits cracks that leak or still move a little, where sealing matters more than strength.

Read moreCrack injection: what it treats, what it doesn't, and when to use it

Giving a structure more capacity than it had, for new loads, new openings or capacity lost to damage. Repair puts back what was there; strengthening always starts with calculation.

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Strengthening a column or beam by adding reinforced concrete around it. Robust, but it takes space and adds weight.

Read moreStructural strengthening: when a building needs more than repair

Carbon or glass fibre sheets and strips bonded to concrete to strengthen it. Thin and light with little disruption; they need careful surface preparation and attention to fire.

Read moreStructural strengthening: when a building needs more than repair

The layers that keep water out of a roof, a wet room or a basement. Damaged or aged waterproofing is a common source of leaks, and leaks keep corrosion going.

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