As-built drawings are an important tool for civil engineers because they provide an accurate physical representation of a space or structure in its current condition. As-built drawings not only contribute to precision and accuracy, but also serve to document the space to avoid unnecessary future work. In this blog, we explore the importance of as-built drawings in civil engineering and their role in streamlining the design and documentation process.
As-built plans are a useful tool not only for civil engineers, but for anyone who needs an accurate representation of physical space. Whether you're a contractor, an architect, or even a homeowner, as-built plans can provide valuable information about the structure of a space. In many cases, as-built plans are the only accurate way to document a space because they are created from on-site measurements. This makes them an essential tool for avoiding costly mistakes and ensuring future work is unnecessary.
As-built drawings are an essential part of civil engineering because they provide an accurate and precise representation of a space. In addition to accuracy, as-built drawings also serve to document a space, ensuring that future work is unnecessary. As-built drawings are a valuable tool for anyone who needs an accurate representation of a physical space and their importance should not be underestimated.
What is the background for as-built drawings
Construction will be carried out in accordance with the drawings issued by the consultant or using the drawings prepared by the contractor himself, which correspond to the project, specifications and other requirements of the project. However, during construction there are cases where these issued drawings are not used as a whole or need to be revised to reflect changes in design, scope, etc.
In addition, changes to construction drawings may require consideration of practical difficulties in implementing the proposed arrangement at the construction site or in considering construction site conditions. There can be many similar cases that can lead to changes in drawings during construction.
In this context, several documents are used to clarify construction requirements. Some of these documents are:
- Revised drawings
- Sketch Drawings
- Changes to designs
- Clarifications through RFI (Request for Information)
- All other building instructions
What are as-built drawings
As-built plans are plans that represent the entire construction. They include all changes made during construction. Generally, the contractor prepares the as-built plan based on the actual construction and submits it to engineers for approval.
As-built drawings are very important for future reference purposes. Then we know the actual condition of the structure. Concrete contours, changes made to the structure, reinforcement layout, etc. are included in this final set of as-built drawings.
If there are no changes to some drawings, they do not need to be redrawn or rearranged. We only made changes to the affected drawings. However, the entire set of drawings used for construction is considered an as-built drawing.
Responsibility for as-built drawings
Generally, the contractor is the one who must prepare the condition as he is familiar with the construction process. If there are multiple contractors in addition to the main contractor, each party may produce drawings that cover their scope of work. If there are special contractors, they may submit the drawings separately for review.
The design engineer or consultant reviews the drawings submitted by the contractor or builder along with the issued drawings, instructions, and any other changes to the construction drawings. If they conform to the issued details, instructions, etc., the project engineers can accept the drawings.
Why do we need as-built drawings
Construction drawings are very important. They offer many advantages. Architectural drawings are not just structural drawings but also include many other types of drawings such as electrical drawings, mechanical drawings, plumbing drawings and many others.
If we need to repair or alter the structure, we must be clear about the condition of the existing structure.
When hydraulic installations need to be adapted to new requirements, we can consult existing plans and make the necessary changes. If these are not available, there are many problems and the result is problems with the existing structure.
When we modify the existing structure, the arrangement of beams, the arrangement of reinforcement, etc. Otherwise we will not be able to make the requested changes due to lack of information.
How Modern Buildings Replace Existing Buildings
Creating as-built plans is a very old method. In the modern construction industry, there are now several ways to use more sophisticated and advanced technologies for this purpose.
One of these methods is BIM. Building Information Modeling is now widely used around the world. It allows us to visualize project information, unlike drawings. The drawings are 2D images. But with BIM we can obtain 3D visualization to better understand the characteristics of the project.
Software like Revit is used for modeling purposes. We can model the entire structure including building services engineering (MEP). If we need information about any part of the services, we can go to this location and find out the dates of installation, repair, manufacturing, etc. So this is widely usable and easily available.
Current developments in the world will mean that the use of designs created today will continue to decline. They can be converted into other forms in the future to suit Building Information Modeling methods.
