The many faces of the civil engineer

The many faces of the civil engineer

Of all the different engineering disciplines, civil engineering is the oldest and most public-facing. Civil engineers are responsible for the construction and upkeep of buildings and physical infrastructure, and are involved in all stages of the process, from planning and design through to maintenance and management. Roads, bridges, buildings, sewers – the work of civil engineers makes them all possible, and has done since the birth of civilisation.
Building engineers are perhaps the most common civil engineers, and are involved in the entire life cycle of a building, from planning through to renovation. There are a large number of civil engineering jobs in this field, allowing a building engineer to specialise in design, construction, health and safety, maintenance and many other areas.

While it could be said that construction engineering falls under the umbrella of building engineering, it’s actually a sub-division of civil engineering in its own right. Civil engineering jobs are available during every stage of any construction project, from planning through to testing and evaluation.

On top of the design, construction and maintenance of buildings, civil engineers are also responsible for other societal infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, airports and sewerage systems. Every human settlement on the planet has been developed through the endeavours of civil engineers. They are the foundation of civilisation, and without them, our towns and cities would not be what they are today.