The history of structural engineering was one of trial and error. Knowledge and understanding, what there was of it, was passed down from generation to generation. Today, structural engineering standards are written down, and in great detail.
One way to understand structural engineering standards is to think of a mountain of paperwork. There are codes and standards that cover almost every eventuality; fire codes, building codes, electric codes, local codes, regional codes, and national codes. There are safety codes. All of these codes establish minimum standards for construction and it is the responsibility of the structural engineer to comply with them all while at the same time actually building or designing a structure that does not require the emptying of the vaults of Fort Knox to pay for it.
This can be a daunting task for the structural engineer. The architect is given a bit more artistic leeway in design. They dream things up and say this is how it should be, but the structural engineer does not have the luxury of dreams. Their world is a practical world of what will work and what will not work. The engineer can rely on the codes, in many cases, to support his arguments because if a structure is not in compliance with them, it can not be built.
All structural engineering standards do not come from the law makers, however. The SEI, which is a community of structural engineers in the American Society of Civil engineers, and the international Institute of Structural engineers with members in 105 countries, have also helped establish standards. The structural engineering field has accepted its responsibilities as it attempts to create structures that are practical and above all safe for the humans that will use them and even live or work inside them.
The Green movement has begun to influence the structural engineering community to some degree. The need for structures that are in harmony with the environment has become an area of increasing awareness to designers. It can be expected that these environmental friendly standards will find their way into the codes and laws in the coming years and structural engineers will have to be aware of them.
The need to adhere to the standards of structural engineering is more than just a need to stay within rigid codes. There is an ethical responsibility when ever a structure is being designed to hold the value of human life higher than cutting of costs or meeting of time schedules. In most engineering programs being taught in Universities today, ethics is a required course.
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