Abstract: In the area of engineering design，there are a lot of certain mode which came from the hard and long-playing works of engineering designers．If they can be applied effectively，the design efficiency will be greatly improved．In the thesis，the concept of template which roots in the construction industry is applied to engineering design in order to supports the existence and research of these modes．The template-based design method supports the changes of design style due to designer，design region or project radically．Good results have been got after this method had been applied to steel structure design．