A man of steel
Marcel van Odenhoven has been professionally active as a structural engineer for more than 35 years, with a strong focus on the analysis and detailing of steel structures. In that capacity, Marcel delivers services to steel construction companies and engineering offices alike. He has been involved in many high-profile projects in recent years.
A sharp eye for makability
“As a structural engineer, I keep thinking carefully about the makability of any structure I am working on” says Marcel. “Hence my special attention to detailing. Easily makable details improve my client’s profitability during the building process. So I take care to extend my focus on makability throughout all projects, small and large. Whether I am dealing with a heavy steel structure for ASML clean rooms, designing a pipe bridge or a small-sized industrial building, makability always comes first.
Of course, that demands a thing or two from the structural analysis software I am using. I consider it absolutely vital that the software makes it easy to “grow” analysis models from concept to detail, increasingly zooming in during the subsequent phases of the analysis process. Personally, I always start out with what I call a master model. That model is then refined depending on the evolving requirements during the design process: calculation of foundation design loads, dimensioning of the steel structure, detailing of connections, … I also expect the software gives me the freedom and flexibility that I need to put my structural imagination to work. Diamonds supports me during all stages of my thought process, and quickly delivers insights into how I can adjust the structural design. In this respect, I very much like the fact that Diamonds helps me report my findings in a clear and comprehensible way to my client or to the chief structural engineer.”
Delivering creative engineering solutions
"A structural engineer’s job is by no means limited to delivering a design that ensures safety and reliability. That is obviously a prerequisite, but it is actually not sufficient. What is needed is to use the imagination, and really think in terms of makability during the design and detailing of a steel structure. To me, that’s the real game of the structural engineer, and I just love to play that game within Diamonds’ 3D analysis environment. It supports me throughout each and every stage of my thought process, and gives me the freedom I need to work out creative engineering solutions.”
