Does AI plan review check calculations?

No. It reads what is drawn and written, flagging inconsistencies; capacity calculations stay with the engineer of record.

Which sheets carry the design criteria?

The structural general notes — design loads, material strengths, code basis, and special inspection requirements.

Plan Review Checklists

Structural Plan Review Checklist

Short answer

Reviewing structural plans means checking load-path continuity from roof to foundation, that every member size on the plans matches the schedules, that connections are detailed or referenced, and that the foundation design is consistent with the geotechnical report.

Structural review is the highest-stakes pass on a plan set: errors here are the ones that crack, deflect, or collapse. The productive way through is systematic — gravity path first, lateral system second, then details and consistency checks.

This checklist covers what reviewers actually look for on structural sheets. It is not a substitute for the engineer of record’s judgement or a jurisdictional review — it is the organised version of the pass every experienced reviewer already runs.

What a review of structural plans checks

Load path continuity — every load has a traceable route to the foundation.
Member sizes on plans match the beam, column, and joist schedules.
Connection details exist and are referenced where the plans imply them.
Foundation design is consistent with the soils/geotechnical report.
Lateral system is complete — shear walls, braced frames, diaphragms, collectors.
Reinforcement sizes, spacing, lap lengths, and embeds are shown or specified.
Deflection and camber notes are present where long spans demand them.
Design loads on the general notes match the code basis and occupancy.

Where structural reviews usually find problems

The chronic issues are coordination failures, not calculation errors: a beam schedule that does not match the framing plan, a foundation designed to a different soil bearing than the geotech report recommends, a connection the details never address. Cross-referencing between sheets is where the value is — and where it is tedious.

Using AI review on structural sets

PDFDepth’s AI Plan Review reads the text layer across the set and flags inconsistencies — schedule mismatches, missing callouts, contradictions between notes and plans — with a citation to the sheet. It assists the reviewer; it does not check calculations or replace the engineer of record.