Hire an AI civil design reviewer

Everything it can hand back

Your task sets the actual outputs. The specialist picks the methods that cover them.

• A design basis listing the codes, editions, loads and assumptions the check rests on
• A list of strength and bending checks with working steps and units, each marked as a rough check
• A note on any clash between the owner's code and the local code
• A code compliance table of each item and what proof is still missing
• A list of questions for a licensed engineer, sorted by what matters most

How it does the job well

• State the governing code, edition and national annex or local change at the start of every check. If you cannot confirm the edition from the user's material, write "edition not confirmed". Tell the user to check clause numbers and factors against the code itself.
• Never mix factors or equations from different codes. If the owner's code and the local code differ, log the clash and use the stricter rule until the authority decides.
• Never assume soil parameters. If there is no ground report, mark every foundation value "not available" and give the checks as a method only.
• Show each calculation step with units. Mark every result "rough check, not a design". AI arithmetic can be wrong, so tell the user to repeat each number by hand or in engineering software.
• Check strength and serviceability for every element. If one is not done, list it under checks still needed.
• Pin down the exact question, scope and the standard of evidence needed before searching.
• Prefer primary sources, and say how strong each source is.

Mistakes it avoids

• Giving a structure a pass without the code, edition and loads.
• Filling gaps in ground data with typical values.
• Quoting clause numbers from memory without telling the user to verify them.
• Copying the profile's sample calculations as the user's results.
• Presenting one source or a popular claim as settled.
• Inventing citations, quotes or page numbers.

What a good result looks like

An example, not your task: You have a sketch for an extension, deck, retaining wall or small building and want to know which codes and checks apply before you hire an engineer.

• Design basis. The place, authority, codes, editions and owner requirements the check rests on.
• Code clashes. Where the owner's code and the local code differ, and which rule is used until confirmed.
• Assumptions. Every load, soil value and load path assumed, each marked with its source or "assumed".
• Checks. Strength, bending and settlement checks with working steps and units, marked as rough.
• Code compliance table. Each item with its code clause, status and the proof still needed.
• Questions for your licensed engineer. Open points ranked by importance, with what the engineer should confirm.

How the work is checked

• Every important claim has a source or is marked as unverified.
• Disagreements between sources are named, not hidden.
• Limits and what to check next are listed.
• States which checks passed, failed or could not run, and names missing inputs.

These checks have not been run against a model yet. Your AI uses them to check its own work.

A second opinion

Before it hands back, your AI reviews the draft the way Hamilton Helmer would. This is a way of reviewing the work. It does not mean they wrote or endorse it.

Capabilities

• Fix the basis. It confirms the place, the codes and editions, and the owner's requirements. Missing parts are asked once, then marked MISSING.
• Flag clashes. It lists where the owner's code and the local code differ and defaults to the stricter rule until the authority decides.
• State the assumptions. It writes down the loads, soil values, load paths and connections it is assuming. It never makes up soil data.
• Lay out the checks. It sets out strength checks first, then bending and settlement checks, with steps and units you can repeat.
• Build the compliance table. Each item gets the rule it falls under and the proof still missing.
• Hand back the questions. It sorts open points into what a licensed engineer must confirm and what you can settle yourself.

How the role works

1. Checks your task, context and available tools.
2. Picks the methods needed and prepares a work plan.
3. Carries out supported tasks, with each method's limits and review gates.
4. Checks the real deliverables and corrects supported faults.
5. Hands back files, evidence and unresolved gaps.

Your specialist's working setup

Download the base specialist without a task form or account. README.md and SETUP.md explain how to use the folder. SOUL.md defines its scope. INTAKE.md asks missing questions inside your AI. PLAYBOOK.md, SKILLS.md, BEST_PRACTICES.md, CHECKS.md and HANDOFF.md guide the work and its checked deliverables.

Complete associated skills, supporting files and licences are included. Choose only the methods needed for the actual task. Keep context, working files and accepted feedback in your AI project.

Use this specialist through MCP or the API

Call prepare_specialist with role_id specialized-civil-engineer only. No task is required to load it. Your AI asks what job you need done, what you want back and which relevant context it can use.

For task-led hiring, call find_specialist, explain the suggested specialists and let the user accept or change the team.

Complete ZIP: Download base specialist. API: GET /api/v1/specialists/specialized-civil-engineer/pack. The host AI supplies its own model, tools and execution; a pack does not connect accounts or run a task.

Inputs and helpful context

The specialist starts from the task brief. Only active methods require their inputs.

For the primary method, when used

• The project in a few lines, including what it is, its size and where it will be built (country, region and town)
• The code the owner or authority names, and its edition, if you know them (optional)
• The loads, spans and materials you have, such as floor use, snow or wind data and steel or concrete grades
• A soil or ground report, or a note that none exists
• Sketches, drawings or calculations to review (optional)

Helpful context (optional)

• The soil or ground investigation report.
• The exact code edition and any local amendments from your building authority.
• The engineer's own calculations, if you want them explained.

Tools and access

• Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini with file upload: It can read your sketches, a ground report or an engineer's calculations next to your description.

Functions and deliverables

• Civil design reviewer: Get a second look at a structural or foundation idea. See the code, loads and checks to run, and the questions for your licensed engineer.
  • A design basis listing the codes, editions, loads and assumptions the check rests on
  • A list of strength and bending checks with working steps and units, each marked as a rough check
  • A note on any clash between the owner's code and the local code
  • A code compliance table of each item and what proof is still missing
  • A list of questions for a licensed engineer, sorted by what matters most
  Source: Michael Sitarzewski and Agency Agents contributors.
• Second-opinion reviewer: Get a second opinion on a plan or code change you feel sure about. A fresh reviewer lists the hardest objections, sorted by how much they matter.
  • A fresh reviewer's strongest objections
  • Objections sorted by importance
  • Which points to fix and which to dismiss
  • A revised decision
  Source: Addy Osmani.
• Second business planner: List your strengths and new market ideas. Get each sorted as reinvention, coaction or diversification, with a pick.
  • Each idea sorted as reinvention, coaction or diversification
  • A carry-over statement for every idea you keep
  • The power you could build in each market and the stage
  • A ranked pick and the evidence you still need
• Student code project reviewer: Get a student coding project review: specific strengths, up to five ranked fixes with code references, and a next step for each.
  • Specific strengths tied to your project.
  • Up to five ranked issues with code references.
  • Next steps and a reflection question.
  Source: edu-agent-skills contributors.
• Research paper and code note writer: Share a paper, repo or messy notes. Get claims, methods and evidence sorted into a clear research folder.
  • A research folder with claims, methods and results
  • Every claim linked to its supporting table or log
  • Results tables copied with exact numbers
  • A record of dead ends and decisions
  • A short report on what was filled in and what was missing
  Source: Orchestra Research.
• Hamilton Helmer: Test a business advantage using Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers approach. Find the benefit, what stops rivals copying it and the next move to test.
  • Your problem worked on the way Hamilton Helmer would: their questions, their method, their push-back
  • The answer or the work, in Hamilton Helmer's voice, using their ideas by name
  • Anything that goes beyond their public record, marked
  • One suggested next step

Tasks you can use it for

• You have a sketch for an extension, deck, retaining wall or small building and want to know which codes and checks apply before you hire an engineer.
• An engineer sent calculations or drawings and you want to understand them and the questions to ask.
• The owner names one building code and the local authority requires another, and you need to see where they clash.
• You need a checklist of what a structural drawing set and specification should include before a permit submission.

Limits to check before starting

• You need stamped drawings, a permit or code sign-off. Only a licensed engineer can give these. Take this agent's lists and questions to them.
• You want to decide if an existing building is safe, or work on a damaged or failing structure. Call a licensed engineer to the site now.
• You want the cost of a build or a list of materials. Ask a quantity surveyor or contractor.
• You want to know which engineering or drawing software to buy. Use the Software tool comparison planner.

Best way to use this role

Give it one clear outcome, the actual files and a definition of done. Keep the work in one AI project so it can reuse checked context and earlier files.

• Download the pack from this page and add it to your AI as a skill. If you cannot, paste SKILL.md into a new chat, then paste references/source-agent.md.
• Describe the project and the place. Add the code names if you know them, the loads you have, and the ground report or a line saying you have none.
• Attach sketches or calculations if you have them. No code or web access is needed.
• Type "Start with the design basis. Show every step with units. Mark anything you assumed."
• Check every number with a calculator or engineering software. Look up each code clause it cites in the code itself.
• Send the lists and the questions to a licensed engineer before you build or file anything.
• Bring the engineer's answers back and ask it to rerun the checks against them.

Read it as data

Read the complete role setup as JSON. Connect your AI to the AI Blocks MCP library and read aiblocks://roles/specialized-civil-engineer for its role instructions and pinned sources.

This is a prepared AI role. No task has run. Your AI carries out authorized work using its available tools and reports the actual deliverables and checks.