Computers play a role of increasing important in the structural design process. Computer programs that perform structural analysis and routine design calculations are readily available and widely used by the design profession. However, there exist few practical computer tools that assist engineers in the conceptual design of structures. This paper describes the development of a prototype system, BERT (Building Engineering and Reasoning Tool), for the conceptual design of moment resisting steel frame structures. Given the loading conditions and building configuration, BERT has the capability to select efficient member sizes through reasoning about the behaviour of the structure. Different configurations can be evaluated by means of a cost estimating scheme that incorporates steel material, fabrication, and erection costs. This paper focuses the discussion on the object-oriented representation and reasoning schemes employed in the implementation of the design system.

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