Structural design

A structural study by Johannes Hofmann, civil engineer in Corfu, describes how a house or a small building carries its weight and earthquake load. It covers foundations, the load-bearing structure, and the drawings a permit file and a builder need.

Earthquake

Weight is only half the question

Corfu stands in a seismic region of Greece. Walls and frames are sized for earthquake action as well as for floors, roofs, and the use of the rooms. The design follows the structural codes that apply to the project, including the Eurocodes where the Greek regulation calls for them. The study states the assumptions: ground, materials, and the architectural layout it was drawn against.

Materials

Concrete, stone, and the buildings that are both

A new villa is commonly reinforced concrete: footings or a raft, columns, beams, and slabs, with stairs and retaining walls when the site slopes, which many coastal plots do. An older village house may be stone masonry with timber or concrete floors added later. Opening a wall, removing a corner, or setting a concrete slab onto stone are the changes that most need a calculation, because the load no longer follows the old paths.

Delivered

What you receive

A written calculation and structural drawings, coordinated with the architect’s plans. Where a permit is being prepared, the set is the one the file requires of the civil engineer. Where the question is only “can this wall be opened”, the same method applies at a smaller scale, and the answer is still in writing.