Maria Arielle Johnna Veronica G.

Del Rosario
MatE 197
Reaction Paper The Work of the Design Professional: Choosing Building Systems
The first thing that I noticed in the article is the part where the author recognizes the
importance of the work of the architect and the engineer and treats them with equal importance.
There is a growing controversy and/or rivalry between architects and engineers about who is
more qualified to design and make buildings. I often hear architects complaining that they are
better than engineers because they are more experienced in design and engineers retort and say
that they are far more qualified in making structurally sound buildings. It is therefore refreshing
to see a body of text reconciling the two professions and saying that for a desired building, both
magnificent and structurally sound, to be realized, the talents and skills of architects and
engineers are essential. The relationship between architects and engineers, together with the
cooperation of contractors and building inspectors can be paralleled to one of the four
components of Materials Science, that is, its structure. This construction team, like the structure
of a NaCl crystal makes it possible for table salt to exist, makes the existence of such building
triumphs like the Eiffel tower, the Empire State building, the San Juanico Bridge and even our
houses possible. In turn the success of the construction team is reflected in the performance and
sustainability of the resulting structure amidst the onslaught of natural and man-made disasters.
This relationship also mirrors the relationship of the performance of a material on its structure
and properties.
I was also pleasantly surprised and somewhat challenged by the existence of a great
number of laws and ordinances that ensure the soundness of buildings and that also protect the
future inhabitants of these structures. I was surprised because honestly I thought that you could
just do whatever you want as long as the lot is your property. Sometimes people still build on
lands that arent theirs and those that arent even intended for any kind of structures (because
they are highly prone to disasters) especially here in the Philippines. While I was going over the
presented fire resistance rating requirements and allowable height requirements of buildings, it
made me question whether such requirements are implemented in the Philippines. It seems to me
that the quality of most structures, especially public ones funded by the government, have been
sacrificed for a lower cost. Sometimes it feels like they are using a bundle of pasta noodles as
beams instead of concrete! There are materials that exhibit properties that are suited for certain
purposes (characterization and properties). These purposes are served well if they undergo the
right processing techniques (processing and performance). If one of these components are taken
for granted the soundness of the structure cannot be ensured.
When I decided to take the Materials Engineering Program I was sure Id go to forensics
but after reading this article I realized the importance of materials science and engineering in the
construction of sound buildings and structure and it made me consider the possibility of going in
this direction instead.