Civil
engineering is the most ancient field of engineering that humans have ever
developed since it is dealing with the construction and the development of the
infrastructure.
Broadly speaking, the civil engineering field is considered as an
engineering field related only to the construction of buildings. However, it is
a much diversified engineering area including a lot of specializations which
gives to the civil engineer a wide range of roles.
Firstly, the
basic work of a civil engineer is to design structures. In fact, he has to deal
with different types of structure such as houses, factories, bridges, dams,
etc. Moreover, these structures could be either in reinforced concrete, in
steel or in timber. In fact, there is no limitation since a civil engineer has
good knowledge in mathematics, physics, modelling and material sciences. This
is the most classical specialization of a civil engineer who should provide
designs for structures that ensure both rigidity and safety.
For instance, bridge engineering has become nowadays an entire
specialisation of civil engineering as bridges are considered very essential in
the development of modern cities in order to strengthen their road network and
enhance their aesthetic appearance too as shown in the photo below.
Furthermore, a
civil engineer must design the foundation system of the buildings and take care
of their interaction with the sub-grade. This is commonly called “Geotechnical
engineering” which is a recent specialization on the civil engineering field
and is keeping improving during these last years. Due to this discipline, we
can deal with the interaction between structure and the soil, and in some cases
improve the properties of the soil in order to enhance its bearing ratio. The
tunnel engineering, as shown is also a good illustration of the geotechnical
engineering and has allowed developing many railways and roads all over the
world and as a result to promote the global economy. However, the geotechnical
engineering is essential for the stability and durability of constructions.
Otherwise, a
civil engineer has to come up with solutions to the problems related to the
urban life. This is another area of specialisation called “Urban
planning” which aims to organise the development of cities. This includes also
the road and traffic engineering which consists on designing the roads, the
railways, the highways and also managing the flow of traffic in cities.
In the other
hand, the hydraulic field consists also another area of specialization for
civil engineers. In fact, they have to design dams, to ensure the supply of
drinkable water and install water treatment plants.
Overall, the
civil engineering job may be practiced in various ways and specializations that
all aim to carry out the development of the city’s infrastructure and constructions.
Without Civil Engineering no development can ever be done. It’s the root of all
development.
Nowadays, it
has become very developed due to the use of sophisticated tools and software
and which facilitate the work and allow engineers to win new challenges.
