When a design team hands off a drawing package for construction, the work isn’t measured only in megawatts delivered or miles of line energized. The stakes are human.
Personal experience working in the field on a recent transmission line project supports this assertion. Collaboration with craft labor and general foremen during a multiyear engineer-procure-construct (EPC) project reinforced the value of understanding what is necessary for successful project delivery. Successful construction means more than creating a flow of electricity for consumers; it’s also a matter of seeing that everyone involved in the project goes home safe to their families each day.
Designing from this perspective requires engineers to frame their decisions around a central question: “How will this get built?” This approach means moving beyond just designing for code compliance and final configurations. It demands attention to the nuances of outage planning and phased construction, including but not limited to access road limitations, construction package clarity and the real-time dynamics of jobsite decision-making.