High technologie and decreasing costs of computer hardware are a challenge for software designers to create high standard CAD-programs for the civil engineer's office. While the air-craft and automobile industry, for example, use computers in all their divisions (design and production), it is unusual to find a modern computer in a civil engineer's office. A number of my colleagues still use the slide rule and pencil for their calculations and drawings in the same was as our ancestors. As computers do routine work more accurately and much faster than human beings, the acceptance of CAD should be much higher than it is to-day.

In this report, it is shown that even low cost versions of hardware can be used in CAD if a perfect program is at hand. This program must be able to do most of the designer's work with a minimum of input. Such an automatically working software reduces considerably the presence of the user at the terminal so that he has more time for more specialized work.

To give an example of what "automatic" and "high standard" in connection with CAD means, a program for the design of hollow-core-slabs is explained subsequently. As a matter of fact, it is possible that one user can project 1000 m2 of hollow-core-slabs ready for production within a working time of 2 - 4 hours at the terminal.

The introduction of CAD in an office is, however, not only a financial problem, there are important human aspects which should be given consideration before making this investment.

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