Architect vs civil engineer: who do you need first?

The difference between an architect and a civil engineer in plain words

Many people starting to build a house in Amman ask the same question: do I need an architect or a civil engineer? For most projects the answer is both, but in a specific order and with different roles.

The architect designs how you live in the house: the room layout, where the windows face and how daylight enters, privacy, movement between spaces, the look of the facade, and the relationship between the house, the plot and the street. The civil structural engineer designs how the house stands: foundations, columns, beams, slabs, and the amount of steel and concrete that makes what the architect drew safe and durable.

Put another way: the architect draws the space, and the engineer draws what holds it up.

What the architect designs in your house

The architect's work starts with the plot and its zoning: setbacks, building ratio and the permitted number of floors. The family's needs are then turned into floor plans: where the entrance is, where the formal and family living rooms go, how the guest area is separated from the bedrooms, where the kitchen sits in relation to dining, and where the sun comes in morning and evening.

After the plans come the section and the elevations: ceiling heights, a double-height space if there is one, the type of stone and how it is cut, the size of windows on each facade. Then 3D visualization, so the owner sees the house before it is built. All of this is part of villa design and of residential building and apartment design.

What the civil structural engineer designs

Once the architectural design is settled, the structural engineer takes the floor plans and defines the structural system: the positions of columns and load-bearing walls, foundation sizes according to the soil, slab thickness and type, beams and spans, the reinforcement of every element, and the structural details for stairs, basement and retaining walls.

The output is the structural drawings and the calculation report, which are an essential part of the permit file and of the construction drawings the contractor builds from.

Who do you need first: the architect, then the engineer

For new construction the right order is the architect first, then the structural engineer. The reason is simple: the structure serves the architectural space, not the other way round. If you start with the engineer before you know where the rooms, openings and open spaces are, you get a column grid that fits no layout, and the architect then has to design around the columns instead of the columns serving the design.

In my work I settle the architectural design with the owner first, then hand the floor plans to the structural engineer with clear notes: where I do not want a column, where the double-height space is, where the long span in the living room is. He replies with a structural solution, and we agree or adjust together.

Coordination between architect and engineer: where mistakes happen

Most site errors I see come from a lack of coordination rather than weakness on either side. A column appears in the middle of the living room because the engineer did not see the last architectural change. A dropped beam cuts across a window. A staircase does not match the slab thickness. The basement level differs between the two sets of drawings.

Coordination means that the architectural and structural drawings come from one updated version, and that any change in one is reflected in the other before printing and stamping. Ask whoever you hire: who coordinates the two sets, and who checks that they match before submission?

Who signs what in the building permit file

The permit file at the Greater Amman Municipality or the local municipality needs the signature and stamp of an engineer registered with the Jordan Engineers Association for each discipline:

• Architectural drawings: signed by an architect.
• Structural drawings and calculation report: signed by a civil structural engineer.
• Electrical drawings: signed by an electrical engineer.
• Mechanical drawings: signed by a mechanical engineer.
• The file as a whole: submitted and stamped in the name of a licensed engineering office.

The architect cannot sign the structural set and the engineer cannot sign the architectural set. That is why every new project needs both, with the file submitted through a licensed engineering office in coordination with the architect who designed it.

Structural engineer, civil engineer or engineering office: clearing the confusion

These terms are used interchangeably in Jordan, and clearing them up saves misunderstandings.

Civil engineering is the broad university discipline that covers structures, roads, water and more. A structural engineer is a civil engineer who works specifically on the design of building structures. When people say civil engineer in a construction project, they usually mean the structural engineer.

An engineering office is not a discipline. It is a body licensed by the Association that employs or coordinates engineers from several disciplines and submits permit files in its own name. An architect may work inside an engineering office, or independently in coordination with a licensed office.

When a structural engineer alone is enough

Not every job needs an architect. If what you need is a purely structural change to an existing house with no change to the layout or the facade, a structural engineer may be enough: opening a door in a load-bearing wall, strengthening a slab, treating cracks, or a structural safety report. Here the engineer inspects the house and prepares the report and the required detail.

But as soon as the change touches the space, the facade or the number of units, such as adding a floor, splitting the house into two apartments, or changing the facade, the architect is needed as well, because the permit will require new architectural drawings. The renovation and restructuring service usually starts with a joint visit by both to define what is actually required.

How to choose the right person for your project

If you are building from scratch: start with an architect registered with the Association, and ask in the first session which structural engineer will work with them and which licensed engineering office will submit the file. If you have an existing house with a specific structural problem: start with the structural engineer. If you are not sure: one architectural consultation session tells you who you need and in what order.

If you are planning to build or modify and want to know what architectural and structural work your project needs, send the site plan or photos of the existing house and I will reply with a first consultation.