Tasks of the design review engineer

Design Review Engineers are normally approved and accredited by the supreme building control authority.

There are no academic studies leading to the profession of the design review engineer, in legal terminology referred to as inspector (ge: prüfende Person). Inspectors will be influenced by their studies as well as any subsequent jobs as structural engineer and by the technical experience gained thereby. In addition to the professional maturity, it is mainly the personality and social competence of a candidate which is relevant.

Therefore, certification as a Design Review Engineer can only be issued to natural persons (in the legal sense) who:

• have completed their 35th year of life at the time of application,
• have successfully completed their studies in civil engineering at a technical university, college of higher education, or university of applied sciences, requiring a regular period of study of at least four years, or at an equivalently recognized educational institution,
• have gained relevant practical experience during at least the last ten years prior to submitting the application,
• are fluent in written and spoken German, and
• have the personality to guarantee that they perform their tasks impartially and conscientiously.

Candidates are required to demonstrate their professional qualification in a multistage examination procedure.

Each candidate must present up to ten outstandingly difficult projects per subject field (solid construction, metal construction, timber construction) that have all been executed by the candidates themselves in the course of their professional life.

The recognition committee evaluates the quality of these construction projects and decides on the subsequent admission to a written or oral examination or a combination of both – depending on the federal state, the examination is structured differently. In the examinations, both technical knowledge and general knowledge of construction practice are tested, as well as knowledge of national and European laws on construction products.

After passing the exam, only persons are recognized as design review engineers who continue to work independently and on their own responsibility as civil engineers in the field of structural design. Furthermore, they must carry out their professional activities independently as the sole owner of a business, on their own account and responsibility free from instructions of third parties.

Design review engineers are recognized for the following specialties

• Solid construction,
• steel and / or metal construction,
• timber construction and
• fire protection / preventive structural fire protection.

As structures are built more and more frequently in hybrid or composite construction, many design review engineers aiming for recognition for more than one speciality.

Design review engineers in the field of infrastructure

In the field of infrastructure, which includes railroads, waterways and roads, design review engineers work under the legal bases of the transport authorities. For the design review of civil engineering structures for transportation facilities of the Federal railways, the design review consultants must be recognized by the Federal Railway Authority. Correspondingly, for the area of waterways and roads, design review engineers or design review consultants are commissioned either by the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration or the Road Construction Administration.

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