Civil engineering refers to the branch of engineering that deals with the creation of infrastructures for society; the adjective civil implies a connection with the citizen and civilization.
There are several distinctive features that make civil engineering practices so exciting: civil engineering projects tend to be unique, large and very visible.
A civil engineer is responsible for designing and planning a project to the required scale, as well as for ensuring its maintenance. This requires different qualities, from professional engineering knowledge, to administrative and supervisory skills. Civil engineers also have a significant contribution to the preservation of the environment; they are able to help cleaning up pollution and to plan different effective ways to reduce future soil, water and air pollution.
Civil engineers often specialize in one of the many technical fields that align with different industries.
Various civil engineering projects
- Construction engineering and management
It is about creating elements like roads, bridges, railways and buildings. The goal of construction engineering is to build such structures in the most safe, sustainable, efficient and eco-friendly way possible.
- Geotechnical Engineering
Among the different civil engineering projects, geotechnical engineering deals with with the interaction of a project with the terrain, the way it transforms and affects it in the short and long term. We are talking about various structures such as roads, bridges, railways, buildings and more, which can have a considerable influence on the terrain, from several points of view.
- Structural engineering
The job of a structural engineer is to analyze the construction particularities of buildings, bridges, tunnels, dam, railways and so on. These structures must be constructed in a way that makes them primarily safe, but also durable, economical and aesthetic.
- Transport engineering
Transport engineering deals with constantly improving transport systems. With the technology we have nowadays, specialists in this field are attempting to reduce emissions and energy consumption, in order to reach a higher level of efficiency and climate-friendliness.
- Water Engineering
Water interacts in various ways with our environment. Water engineering is about figuring out the behavior of natural water systems and using it efficiently. It also involves designing methods of water storage or direction. Understanding how water works is important because it allows us to create ways to preserve it.
These specializations are often required for Department of Energy jobs when collaborating with government agencies and departments that work to improve infrastructure. Here, civil engineers are hired for various projects, such as the design of geo-energetic structures, which represent an innovative and durable solution for heating and cooling new buildings. The concept behind this technology is to use reinforced concrete elements that interact with the earth and transform them into heat exchangers while the earth is the source of energy. The solution is sustainable, offers a number of long-term benefits and significantly reduces the costs of heating and cooling throughout the life span of a building.
The interrelationship and environmental impact of a project, its operation, functionality, energy efficiency and sustainability, the quality of spaces and the comfort – all these are concepts developed by civil engineers, who also provide engineering and integration services, as well as property management services for the development of both conventional and renewable energy facilities.