Strengths and Weaknesses – Civil Engineering Project
You are a project manager for a civil engineering consultancy. Make an assessment of the structures below from the
notes you took. For quick reference for your computer files, you need to find 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses for each of
the six structures in the profiles below. Write the 4 adjectives in the boxes describing the structures and then read the 6
plans on the next page that you have drawn up and then decide which plan should be applied to which structure.
Strengths or neutral
Ancient Accessible Bold Charming
Contemporary Cost-effective Cutting Edge
Durable Efficient Elegant Famous High-rise
High-tech Historical Iconic Inexpensive
Interesting Low-cost Low-rise Massive
Medieval Modern Ornate Popular Practical
Prominent Robust Reliable Stately
Stunning Tough Unique Well-known
Windy Miller’s Windmill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
This Windmill has occupied the site for
nearly 600 years, and it shows! The
building has been abandoned for the past
15 years and is now structurally unsound.
The peeling paint and falling masonry has
made it a hazard and caused it to be
fenced off to the general public in order to prevent any nasty
accidents from taking place. This hasn’t stopped the local
children from getting inside and playing. This has raised
concern among the local residents who have called for it to be
demolished. Oddly enough, despite its age, the building is not
protected. So demolition is a possibility.
Old Financial District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Described by some as an eyesore and others
as a classic example of modernist architecture,
the financial centre of the city certainly
attracts comment. It has, however, seen better
days. Office units are, for the most part,
empty. Yet, the local authority still has to pay for their upkeep.
This is not cheap and the company charged with the maintenance
for these buildings has not been fulfilling its contractual
obligations. Another reason for the lack of tenants for these
offices is the poor parking facilities on offer and the restricted
traffic access to this part of the city. There is an expensive
congestion charge in place to reduce traffic in this area.
Tower Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Described by some as a white elephant
and others as a crucial tourist attraction,
this faithful reproduction of a major
London landmark certainly excites
comment. The machinery that raises the separate parts of
the bridge is based on the actual designs of the real Tower
Bridge. The problem with this particular landmark is that it
is constantly breaking down. It also produces terrible
traffic jams in the centre of the city. Not only that, the
structure itself is unsound and moves constantly. There is no
danger of collapse as the volume of traffic is so small due to
the width of the narrow bridge, but it does cause concern.
Despite all this, the local residents absolutely love this bridge.
Weaknesses
Antiquated Bland Boring Cheap Costly
Controversial Dangerous Derelict Dilapidated
Dull Hideous Impractical Inaccessible
Ineffective Kitsch Lacklustre Monstrous
Neglected Out-dated Obsolete Ramshackle
Redundant Rickety Rundown Shabby Tacky
Ugly Unfashionable Unmanageable Useless
Unsightly Unstable Vulgar Weak Wobbly
Farm School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Farm School was started 130 years ago
and has received visitors from all over
the world. Originally conceived as an
educational facility for extracurricular
activities, the complex has been used
for myriad purposes from genuine farm-management
training to film location productions. However, the cost
for the upkeep of this site has rocketed over the years.
Not so much for the buildings themselves but for the care
and management of the livestock which is subject to
strict animal welfare rules. The vets’ bills alone are huge.
Buddhist Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Described by a Japanese trade delegation
as a monstrosity, and by others as
stunning, this local landmark has been
dividing public opinion for 30 years. The
temple was closed many years ago and it
is currently used as a community centre.
The building itself is surprisingly easy to maintain. However,
the shoddy building materials have rendered this somewhat
of a fire-risk. However, it seems to attract tourists and
students who like to take photos next to it, although not
always because of an affection for the design. The structure
has gained a reputation as a joke with architecture students.
The Magic Roundabout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Daunting is the word that springs to mind
when approaching this junction by car, yet
this revolutionary roundabout, one of only
three in existence, is extremely popular
with the locals. However, it has been
found that some motorists, commercial and other, have been
avoiding the town so as not to go through the trauma of
navigating this complex system. As such, this has been of
concern to the local chamber of commerce and businesses that
rely on transport and tourism. That being said, the current
system is much less expensive than the traffic lights that were
previously used, as well as being operationally flawless. The
Chinese are said to be studying this design for their own cities.
The Cut and Gut Plan (Modernise and economise)
This structure is a potential
cash-cow, providing it can be
renovated and made into a
functional part of the local
infrastructure. The old
engines, which were so
faithfully reproduced to resemble the original
machinery, can be ripped out and replaced with more
modern and cost-effective versions. After all, this
structure is not the original and everybody knows it.
Pretending otherwise would be pure folly. However,
a major engineering overhaul, keeping much of the
original design but expanding lanes and strengthening
the foundations, could turn this into a more successful
version of the original, which has always been a traffic
bottleneck. This would make it unique instead of a copy.
The Total Protection Plan (The plain truth)
The problem here is the
potential for trouble in the
future. If this building is
demolished, there is sure to
be a public outcry. On the
other hand, if a child gets
into the building and is injured or worse, then the
resulting legal expenses and political fallout is going to
prove even more costly than a complete renovation
project could ever be. Therefore, we need to make it plain
to them: They either pay for the building’s destruction,
preserving any artefacts in the process, or they pay for a
specialist renovation project that will include the help of
architectural historians and experts to ensure a faithful and
accurate endeavour. This can only really happen if the local
authority applies to give this building protected status and,
given its age, the chances of a favourable outcome to that
application are high.
The Raise-to-the-Ground Plan (Goodbye and hello)
The answer to this
conundrum is pretty simple.
Knock it down, it’s an
eyesore! People come into
town just to laugh at it and
it’s made from poor quality
material. It’s better to act
while the funds are
available to do so. Otherwise, this building will
eventually stand empty owing to its clear violations
of current health and safety laws and serve only as
a blot on the landscape. Either knock it down and
build a modern community centre that meets all
the present requirements for fire-prevention, or
erect a children’s playground that will be cheap and
easy to build and maintain.
The Good Housekeeping Plan (Balancing the books)
The use of animals on this
site is all well and good, but if
they are costing too much,
they either need to go, or
they need to start earning
their keep. Perhaps the latter
should be considered. The budget for the animals can
be maintained if a petting zoo is installed. These
places are becoming increasingly popular in urban
centres. As for the rest of the complex, a contract with
the National Trust should help with building
maintenance. After all, this is a historical building
complex. As such, additions can be made to the
facility, including a modern museum housed in a
building of a design more fitting to the original
architecture. Money taken for the entrance fee can used
for its upkeep and for attracting tourists to the area.
The Marketing Plan (Changing perception)
There is no need to change
anything here. Clearly this
system is a success, despite
the fears of travellers to the
area. The local infrastructure
has also benefitted from this.
So, what we need to do isn’t really a question of
redesign, or even engineering. The answer to the
problem here can be answered by our marketing
division. Let’s turn this system into a resource. The
whole plan and design is clearly innovative and
workable. This can be exploited and even exported. An
exhibition site can be erected close by and even a study
centre linked to architecture and engineering faculties.
Interested foreign countries or companies can be invited
to receptions and presentations with talks on the success
of the system. Experts can be provided by our company
to oversee development abroad.
The Commuter Plan (Green initiative)
This area and its buildings are
all fine. It just needs a little
adjusting to the local
infrastructure to get things up
and running. The site sits over
a major metro line yet there
isn’t a station. There is an
extensive bicycle lane all
around the city, but not here. Clearly this should be
addressed. While building a metro station doesn’t come
cheap, nor does laying waste to an entire modern financial
and commercial district. We can draw up plans to build a
station at this site which should prove relatively cheap
considering that the lines already run through the area. And
cycle lanes are cheap to build and maintain. Perhaps some
additional underground parking can be provided during the
building of the metro and concessions to the congestion
charge should be considered by the local authority.
 You work for the Customer Accounts section of an engineering consultancy that carries
out infrastructure analysis for British Industry and local authorities. You are having a very
busy period at the moment and the latest projects have been placed in the hands of one
of your junior project managers because you just haven’t had the staff to deal with them.
You have already read the plans that have been drawn up, now you need to sit down
with other department heads and decide whether or not to approve the plans. Read the
personality cards provided and debate according to the personality you have chosen.

Memo
To: Department Heads
From: Ivan Ishoo
Date: 01/03/18
Re: Restructuring Plans

Dear colleagues,

As you all know from our previous meetings, there have been a few challenges with some of the new
accounts we have that need to be addressed. We have had one of our younger, more inexperienced project
managers working on these issues and we now have some draft plans that need our attention. There will be a
meeting to discuss the plans next week and I would like you all to attend and furnish each other with your
feedback and input, being that the project manager is relatively new to the post.

Our clients are consortiums that manage infrastructure for three different cities and we are up against
some stiff competition to keep these contracts at the moment due to the current austerity measures that have
been implemented by central government. As such, we are going to need to make sure that these are the right
plans for our clients if we want them to retain our services. If you think that the plans need adjusting then
please speak up. It is in all our interests for our customers to continue to remain financially robust which would
work as free publicity for us in the kind of market we are operating in.

I look forward to seeing you all at next week’s little gathering.

Warmest regards

Ivan Ishoo

Connect each of the words on the left with its definition on the right.

1. challenges a. give, provide

2. furnish b. contribution

3. gathering c. problems

4. draft d. opinion

5. feedback e. basic or preliminary outline

6. input f. robust, strong

7. stiff g. meeting
 Civil Engineering Project Debate:
You are an executive at CONsultants. You
think that all the plans are badly thought
out. All of the clients deserve better in your
opinion. You think that the project manager
should be put on a lower level project and
these accounts should be handed to
somebody with more experience. You are
particularly disappointed with the plan for
the financial district.
You are an executive at CONsultants. You are
rather worried about the plans for the
Buddhist temple. Even though the temple is
no longer in use, you think that knocking it
down could cause offence to Buddhists, or
other religions. As such, anything potentially
controversial should be avoided. You believe,
that with a little investment, the old Buddhist
temple could be brought in line with current
safety standards and the building put to good
use. A restaurant for the park could be good.
You are an executive at CONsultants. You
think that this young consultant’s plans
are terrible. But then again, you would do.
These clients used to be yours. They were
taken away from you when you were
“promoted.” You hate the executive life
and really want to return to junior
management where all the action is. You
are very possessive of your clients and you
think the new project manager is useless.
You are an executive at CONsultants. You
think that the magic roundabout is an
absolute nightmare. You once had to drive
through it and had no idea what to do.
There was a big line of traffic behind you
with the drivers all beeping their horns
and shouting. It was a terrible experience
and something you hope to never go
through again. You think it should go.
You are an executive at CONsultants and a
passionate campaigner for green
technology and sustainable energy. You
think that all the plans presented by this
young project manager are OK but you
would like to see a bigger commitment to
green infrastructures that use sustainable
energy. Perhaps the buildings in the
financial district could use greener energy.
You are an executive at CONsultants. You
think that the young project manager’s
plans are wonderful. But then again, you
would do. He is your favourite nephew. In
fact, you pulled a lot of strings to get him
this job and your sister, who you are very
scared of, would be very unhappy with
you, as would your mother, if anything
bad were to happen at work to him.
Debate You are an executive at CONsultants. You
Mix&Match
think that the plans are just about right.
Answers
1) = c) The project manager that drew up these
2) = a) plans lives next to you and is a very good
3) = g)
4) = e)
neighbour. He once saved your cat when
5) = d) it got stuck up a tree and even stopped a
6) = b) burglar from trying to break into your
7) = f)
house when you were away on holiday. As
far as you are concerned, this project
manager can do no wrong.
You are an executive at CONsultants and a
radical modernist. You think that the old
farm and windmill should be destroyed
and something modern put in their place.
You believe that this country’s obsession
with the past is an obstacle to progress.
You would like to see modern,
environmentally-friendly buildings go up
in their place.