Civil engineering encompasses many sub-disciplines that work together to create solutions to development issues in a modern society. We may see the work of civil engineers in our daily commute to work or walking through our neighborhood. From a drainage system that protects a small business against flooding, to large skyscrapers that line a city landscape, civil engineering plays a key role in developing our society’s infrastructure. Civil engineers apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to create the many moving parts that allow people to live and function safely and efficiently.
1. Where is civil engineering practiced?
Civil engineering is a broad term, as the field includes work in both private and public sectors, in urban and rural areas, and many settings in between. Beginning with the conception of an idea for a project, a civil engineer may start by examining the environmental surroundings, and then work through the design elements to identify potential obstacles or issues that put the development at risk for additional time, unexpected cost, or failure. Whatever the project, the design function, usability, and feasibility is always coupled with high standards of safety, health and welfare for the environment and its inhabitants. Cornerstone practices within this realm, balancing design and environment while applying our experience for the projects of our customers.
2. What does civil engineering entail?
While utilized in every stage of a project, civil engineering often includes specialization in sub-disciplines. A few of these include structural, geotechnical, transportation, and environmental engineering.
Structural: A structure, which could include a building, bridge, or tower, must be designed with sustainability and gravity and lateral loads in mind. Structural engineering ensures that the design will withstand external pressures and forces, such as extreme weather, as well as support internal load additions, such as people, furniture, or equipment.
Geotechnical: For designs including roadways and building foundations, it must first be determined what the physical land can support and how its composition may affect the final product. Geotechnical engineering involves the analysis of soil mechanics, such as the composition and breakdown properties of clay, silt, and sand.
Transportation: Transportation engineering is necessary to plan any system that will move a significant amount of goods or people. Many of the same aspects that are considered for building a new structure can be applied to a transportation system, whether it is on land or at sea. Transportation engineering relies heavily on the collection of traffic data in an existing area to determine how to improve the flow and allow for future growth. This data collection is made more efficient and thorough using recent advances in technology.
Environmental: An environmental engineer will not only consider the earth as the foundation of the project, but how other aspects – not just the ground on which the structure is built – will be affected by and will affect the design. Air, water, and earth are all major components that are considered. For example, water drainage systems or manufacturing facilities have the potential to impact the surrounding environment with waste or the need for resources.
This is a small sampling of the types of civil engineering that are practiced. Civil engineering may encompass these and other areas to thoroughly analyze and execute a design.
Civil engineering has an important role to fulfill within a society. This work, while mostly completed behind the scenes, is nonetheless evident in the final product. It can be seen in a well-executed build, a smooth flow of traffic, or a thriving landscape that was detailed before construction began. Civil engineers work today to ensure a solid foundation for the future.
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