Sometimes clients seem rather confused by the difference between Architects and Engineers and I thought it would be a good idea to shed some light over the differences and similarities between the two professions.
Both Architects and Engineers, in particular Civil and Structural Engineers, deal with the built environment. Their main role is that of the designer although they deal with widely different realms.
In broad terms Architects overlook the entire design process from the early concept till construction, while Structural Engineers take care of the structural design only, which is a very specific part of the design process.
When it comes to home project and renovations both professionals play different, but essential roles. Potential clients should get in touch with an Architect in first instance, the Architect will then inform the client when the Structural Engineer will be needed.
Although in some cases Architects design some simple structures, I tend to believe that structural design should be treated as a very specific subject and therefore should be addressed by a specialist.
This doesn't mean that Architects can afford to ignore the structural design, on the contrary Architects have a duty to understand any proposals that come from a Structural Engineer (and in some cases even challenge them), but the two fields are very different and in my opinion it's always a better to leave the design of the structure to a qualified Engineer.
Any Architect should be able to guide the client through all the stages of the design process and approximately around stage 4 of the RIBA Plan of work (also called Detail Design) the Structural Engineer will come into play.
Following an initial inspection and discussion with the Architect, the Engineer will provide one or more structural options which may have architectural implications. These solutions always need to be discussed with the Architect. Following this, the Architect will integrate the structural design within the drawings package.
The structural design will come with some associated calculations that will then be submitted to building control for a structural check.