BENAIAH JAMES BUENAFLOR BS AR3A

Like a high-school graduate looking for which path to take, Civil

Engineering or Architecture, sadly most people cant differentiate which is
which between these two independent fields of building-related courses.
They mostly say that Engineers are the one who builds buildings and
Architects are just there for add-ons and aesthetic. If you are one of those,
who cant tell between what works do Engineers do from Architects, well
please do open your mind to facts and information, for you to understand
and internalize which is really which.

Before we go into the laws and implementing rules and regulations of

each of the profession, we must first understand what the process is before
they work as architects or civil engineers, or what the educational
backgrounds of these two professions are.

Engineering students do a lot of math and theory-related subjects to

help them in analysing problems critically and precisely, with some addition
of minor subjects as a requirement for their college degree, but on the other
hand, Architecture students unlike the Engineering students, have a lot of
art-related subjects starting from their first year until their last year, not only
that architecture students also study math, most schools offer the same
engineering mathematics subjects to architecture programs, this just shows
that the term Architects are Engineers who cant do math is absolutely
false. They think the same as engineers, maybe not that mathematically but
they never forget to put mathematics and science in their work. Architects
do a little math, a mix of psychology, a bunch of art and history, material
science, landscapes, mechanical, structural, sanitary systems, construction
technology and years of space analysis of habitable buildings. These
differentiate them from the field of Engineering, who we can give the credit
in doing the heavy analyzation and computation.
 Architecture involves planning how space can be utilised to meet the
requirements of the client, keeping in mind the aesthetics as well as the
mathematics. It in fact, involves a lot of research on the existing and
evolving patterns of space utilisation plus a lot of physics and math that can
make even small places appear much bigger.

Civil Engineering focuses mostly on the physics that enable a building

to stand tall for decades and more. It covers material science, fluid science
plus concepts of force, to determine what substances will suit best, the
structure in question.

Both sciences are dependent on each other and work in unison.

Architects are responsible for designing a structure along with its

finishes. The engineers job is to follow the architects lead and make the
design work. Architects need to be familiar with all the legalities and codes
involved with building a structure while the engineer determines cost of
project works, drainage, all load bearing structural elements like floor slab
thickness and reinforcement, beam sizes, column sizes, base sizes, roof
trusses and about many other things. All of these are crucial in structural
design because they determine whether a structure will stand or collapse
under the applied load.

Civil Engineers are also very important. They have the hard job of
designing the same building that the architect originated for its structural
stability, making sure that the building can withstand the test of human load,
calamity, and time.

With these backgrounds we can now see and understand the capacity
and limits of each of the professions field of work. Civil Engineers however
gets the more favourable end of the issues that branch out during these
times, they get to do the works of an architect, they get to plan and sign
architectural documents even in obtaining a building permit. It is clearly
stated in Rule III, Section 302 of the NBCP or (PD 1096) that any person
desiring to obtain a building permit and any ancillary/accessory permit/s
together with a Building Permit shall file application/s therefore on the
prescribed application forms, including five (5) sets of survey plans, design
plans, specifications and other documents prepared, signed and sealed over
the printed names of the duly licensed and registered professionals.

a. Geodetic Engineer, in case of lot survey plans;

b. ARCHITECT, in case of architectural documents; in case of architectural

(INCLUDING PERSPECTIVE, SITE DEVELOPMENT PLANS, VICINITY PLANS AND
FLOOR PLANS)

interior/interior design documents, either an architect or interior designer

may sign;

c. CIVIL ENGINEER, in case of civil/STRUCTURAL documents;

The Municipal Engineer or Building Official sometimes, limits the extent of

the duties and works of the architect and gives the Civil Engineer the
authority to sign architectural plans, as stated in his note that Perspective,
SDP, Vicinity, and floor plans SHOULD be signed by a Civil Engineer. It is a big
insult on the part of architects, because the B.O. have set aside their power
and authority to PREPARE AND SIGN ARCHITECTURAL PLANS.

With these issues, we must recognize that we are selling a service that
is not necessarily so explainable to those outside of the industry, or to less
design-conscious members of the public. The profession is no longer
protected as it once was; we must fight to remain relevant and remind
people of the qualities that the profession can bring to the built environment,
and to their everyday lives.