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What is a Civil & Structural Engineer?
A Civil/Structural Engineer works with the design, construction and maintenance of major structures such as roads, railways, bridges, tunnels, airports, docks, canals and large structures of every kind from skyscrapers to offshore oil rigs.
Projects are varied and include examples such as the structures we live, work and play in, our water supply networks, transport systems, power-stations and many things we take for granted.
Each structural project begins with the engineer evaluating its specific requirements including appropriate materials to use, the project's cost-effectiveness, satisfactory timelines and safety issues, whilst all the time considering protecting our environmental features.
Civil engineers can specialise in the design of sewage treatment plants for pollution reduction or disposal of hazardous wastes.
The four specialist areas of Civil/Structural Engineering are:
- Structures - the design of all buildings
- Energy - design and construction of power stations, hydro-electric projects, oil rigs.
- Road & Transportation - planning, design and construction of roads, bridges, railways, docks.
- Water - design and construction of water storage reservoirs, dams.
In what areas do Civil & Structural Engineers work?
- Consultancies and Local Authority employ engineers to plan and oversee projects
- Contractors organise those on site to get the work completed
- Manufacturers of construction materials
- Projects in developing countries
The Work of a Civil Engineer
What have the Romans ever done for us? Well, their military engineers built Europe's first system of roads and bridges, so that the Legions could quickly march to whatever corner of the Empire they were needed. As time went by, civilians started building roads and bridges, and the civil engineer was born.
Civil Engineers build infrastructure: roads, bridges, airports, railways, water and sewage works, indeed, everything in our built environment that we take for granted is the result of these non-military engineers. Civil engineers who specialise in the design of structures to withstand the loads to which they will be subjected during their working lives are known as Structural Engineers. The aim of a structural engineer is to design structures with safety, economy and elegance. To do this, a structural engineer needs to understand materials used in construction, especially wood, steel and concrete, and the forces acting on them.
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