Educational content reviewedGeneral engineering principles; project application still requires the applicable official standards.
Scope of EN 1998Companion EurocodesConceptual designDesign workflow
Learning objectives
In this lesson
- Conceptual design precedes numerical analysis.
- Every major assumption belongs in the design record.
Engineering explanation
EN 1998 is not applied in isolation: the basis of design, actions, material resistance and geotechnical evidence remain connected. A robust workflow records the design basis and official site inputs, establishes a clear structural concept, assesses regularity, selects a justified model and analysis, interprets response, applies capacity design and member verification, and coordinates detailing, drawings and review. Conceptual design precedes calculation because software can only analyse the structural idealization it is given.
Key takeaways
What to carry forward
- Conceptual design precedes numerical analysis.
- Every major assumption belongs in the design record.
- Software output is evidence, not the decision itself.