Overview

The Structural Design of Low-Rise Concrete Buildings for Designer course provides a structured introduction to the analysis and design of low-rise reinforced-concrete buildings, with particular relevance to villas and small residential developments in Abu Dhabi.

Across seven modules, participants progress from structural design loads and reinforced-concrete fundamentals to the design of beams, columns, slabs and foundations. The course then introduces a practical digital design workflow using ETABS for three-dimensional structural modelling, load application, analysis and reinforced-concrete element design, followed by the transfer of structural reactions and geometry to SAFE for detailed slab and foundation design.

The course connects fundamental design principles with professional software workflows, enabling participants to understand both the engineering calculations behind structural design and how those principles are represented, analysed and validated within ETABS and SAFE. The source material references ACI 318-08 and ADIBC 2013 as its principal structural-design standards.

Who Should Enrol?

This course is designed primarily for professionals developing or strengthening their structural-design capabilities, including:

Early-career civil engineers.
Structural design engineers.
Graduate structural engineers.
Engineering consultants involved in villa and low-rise residential design.
Engineers beginning to use ETABS and SAFE for reinforced-concrete design.
Design professionals seeking to connect manual structural calculations with software-based workflows.

The course is particularly suitable for engineers working on villas and small residential buildings in Abu Dhabi who require a practical introduction to reinforced-concrete design and structural-analysis software.

Why This Course Matters

Successful structural design requires more than operating engineering software. Designers must understand how loads enter a building, how they are transferred through slabs, beams and columns to the foundations, and how reinforced-concrete elements resist bending, shear and axial forces.

This course establishes those engineering fundamentals before applying them within ETABS and SAFE. Participants learn how to translate architectural information into a structural model, define materials and structural sections, apply appropriate loads and combinations, interpret analysis results, design structural members and transfer reactions to foundation-design software.

By connecting manual design concepts with an integrated ETABS-to-SAFE workflow, the course helps engineers develop more reliable models, interpret software results critically and make better-informed structural-design decisions.

Course Deliverables

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

Interpret structural design loads, load classifications and load combinations applicable to low-rise reinforced-concrete buildings.
Explain the fundamental behaviour and material properties of reinforced concrete and reinforcing steel.
Design reinforced-concrete beams and columns for flexure, shear and axial-force requirements.
Design common slab systems and shallow foundations using reinforced-concrete design principles.
Develop accurate three-dimensional structural models of low-rise buildings using ETABS.
Define and apply structural loads, load combinations, diaphragms and boundary conditions and run structural analysis in ETABS.
Interpret ETABS analysis and design results, evaluate structural member sizes and reinforcement requirements, and export slabs and reactions to SAFE.
Use SAFE to model, analyse and design slabs and foundation systems using reactions transferred from the superstructure.

Why Professionals Choose This Course

Designed specifically around the structural-design workflow for low-rise reinforced-concrete buildings.
Builds fundamental knowledge of reinforced concrete before introducing software-based design.
Covers beams, columns, slabs and foundations within one progressive learning pathway.
Introduces structural loads and load combinations relevant to Abu Dhabi projects.
Develops practical three-dimensional modelling skills using ETABS.
Covers the complete workflow from load application and analysis to reinforced-concrete member design.
Demonstrates how ETABS reactions and slab information are transferred to SAFE.
Introduces SAFE for slab and foundation modelling, analysis and design.
Helps designers understand and validate software results using fundamental structural-engineering principles.
Uses villa and low-rise residential applications to connect theory with practical design workflows.

The course helps developing structural designers move beyond isolated calculations or software commands and understand the complete design process—from structural concept and load definition to analysis, member design and foundation verification.

Course Content

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Module 01 — Design Loads and Introduction to Reinforced Concrete

Develop a clear understanding of the loads that govern structural design, including dead, live, wind and other applicable actions, together with their classifications and load combinations. The module also introduces reinforced concrete as a composite structural material, covering concrete strength and stiffness, creep and shrinkage, reinforcing-steel behaviour and the fundamental principles of strength design.

Module 02 — Design of Beams and Columns

Learn the fundamental design principles governing reinforced-concrete beams and columns. Examine flexural and shear behaviour, minimum reinforcement, axial and moment capacity, column classification, slenderness and stability considerations to develop safe and efficient structural members.

Module 03 — Design of Slabs and Foundations

Explore the behaviour and design of one-way, two-way and other common slab systems, including reinforcement, deflection and shear considerations. The module also introduces shallow-foundation design, including isolated and combined footings, soil-pressure distribution, bearing capacity, settlement and one-way and punching-shear checks.

Module 04 — Structural Modelling and Analysis Using ETABS

Build a complete three-dimensional analytical model of a low-rise reinforced-concrete building using ETABS. Learn how to establish grids and storey levels, define materials and member sections, model columns, beams and slabs, and assign supports and boundary conditions to accurately represent the structural system.

Module 05 — Applying Structural Loads and Running Analysis in ETABS

Apply dead, live and wind loads to the ETABS model and develop the required load combinations. Define diaphragms and relevant analysis parameters, run the structural analysis and review deformed shapes, internal forces, displacements, support reactions, load paths and overall model stability.

Module 06 — Design of Structural Elements and Export to SAFE

Use ETABS design tools to assess reinforced-concrete beams and columns, review reinforcement requirements and refine structural-member sizes for safety and efficiency. Complete the superstructure workflow by exporting slab geometry, structural loads, load combinations and support reactions to SAFE for detailed design.

Module 07 — Introduction to SAFE and Foundation Design

Develop a practical understanding of SAFE for the modelling, analysis and design of concrete slabs and foundations. Learn how to import information from ETABS, define slab and footing properties and support conditions, review punching shear and reinforcement requirements, and design common foundation systems such as isolated and combined footings and mat foundations.

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Structural Design of Low-Rise Concrete Buildings for Designer

AED 2,500 AED 3,200