How do engineeers test a building to make sure it’s structurally sound many years after its built?
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If you have existing construction documents from when it was built you dig those out, look up the code year and material properties specified (these were listed on drawings, going back 100+ years). The. You do a condition survey – depending on how thorough the new owner wants to be this could be a walk through or it could be a gut-job where they remove all interior finishes and you can see the underlying structure.
If no modifications are planned and no change in use (Eg it was built as an office building and will continue to be an office building, and you’re not cutting new openings, and it all looks in OK condition) you stop there and write a report basically saying as much.
If they’re making major modifications or changing loading then you need to analyze the structure to current code, you might do material testing on the existing steel, concrete, etc – mostly if you’re pushing the limits of the originally specified materials as sometimes it’s stronger than they asked for, then you design any strengthening required.
If no original drawings exist the survey involves the engineering team to go out and physically measure beams, columns, etc to determine their accurate size and properties, along with material testing (a testing company will remove samples and take them to a lab to test).
There are steel and concrete buildings that use archaic, and since abandoned, construction methods. If you find these you look them up and see what limits/precautions come with them and include that in design of any strengthening.
For older buildings- eg stone construction- a similar process applies, but is fairly rare as these buildings are often of historic importance and you won’t often see them go through major renovation as the need for historic preservation often outweighs the need to change the use of any particular space.
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