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Civil engineering is a branch of professional engineering that deals with the construction of such things as bridges, roads, dams and large buildings for the private and public sectors of today’s society. It is called civil engineering to distinguish it from military engineering. As far as we are aware, civil engineering came about several thousand years ago when humans ceased their nomadic way of life and settled into civilisations – excellent examples of civil engineering are the pyramids, the Great Wall of China and the Parthenon in Greece. In those days civil engineers were known as architects and master masons.
Civil engineering can be split up into several sub-disciplines, including:
- Construction engineering
- Environmental engineering
- Geotechnical engineering
- Hydraulic engineering
- Materials science
- Structural engineering
- Surveying
- Transportation engineering
Civil engineering has to work within strict standards to ensure the quality of finished work. Engineers have to take many factors into consideration when designing and building large projects. Apart from the cost, factors such as environmental impact and life expectancy have to be thought of, as well as potential problems from natural phenomena such as floods, hurricanes, and so on. Civil engineering problems occasionally arise where a building has collapsed, for example, and it has normally been because of a rogue engineer cutting corners in order to save on the construction costs. Civil engineering is one of the oldest of professions – examples of good civil engineering are around us in old and ancient buildings everywhere.
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