Many engineers face significant challenges when designing buildings with large open spaces, lightweight floors, or areas housing sensitive equipment. Vibrations caused by everyday human activities—like walking, running, or crowd movement—can lead to occupant discomfort, dissatisfied clients, or even operational problems for sensitive equipment.

Footfall analysis allows engineers to evaluate how the structure responds to these human-induced vibrations. With the insights gained from this analysis, engineers can adjust the structural design early in the project to keep vibrations within acceptable limits, ensuring occupants’ comfort and protecting sensitive equipment. This proactive approach helps avoid costly modifications after construction that might otherwise be required to address unsatisfactory structural performance.

Join our webinar to learn more about this new functionality in SCIA Engineer 2026.

Keith Wan
Keith is a Customer Service Engineer at SCIA, usually providing training or technical support. Before joining SCIA, he worked in consultancy for 10 years in the United Kingdom, typically designing building and civil structures of various sizes and uses.