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Civil Engineering is all about creating, improving and protecting the environment in which we live. It provides the facilities for day-to-day life, and for transport and industry to go about its work.
Infrastructure is the thing that supports our daily life - roads and harbours, railways and airports, hospitals, sports stadiums and schools, access to drinking water and shelter from the weather. Infrastructure adds to our quality of life, and because it works, we take it for granted. Only when parts of it fail, or are taken away, do we realise its value.
The 'Little book of civilization' looks at the amazing ways civil engineers overcome the challenges of creating and maintaining our infrastructure for us, and for future generations.
Some examples:
Tunnels
Engineers design and bore tunnels which are used for underground railways, roads and pedestrian crossings. Tunnels are created when it is isn't possible to build above ground because of obstructions such as houses, rivers and mountains. Sewerage and water mains are also made up of many small tunnels.
The Channel Tunnel is an example of a well known rail tunnel.
Canada Water tunnel |
Crossover tunnel |
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Bridges
Civil Engineers design and build bridges which enable us to cross water and roads. There are many different types of bridges, all of which are designed to be stable and strong enough to carry heavy loads. To find out more, take a look at the 'build a bridge' game on our activities section.
Flintshire Bridge |
Wadi Leban Bridge |
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Railways
Civil engineers plan, construct and maintain our railways so that we have a connected network throughout the UK and other parts of the world. Imagine the world without railways. Only 200 years ago, you wouldn't have been able to travel so far or so quickly.
Brunel, one of our finest engineers of all time, made great headways with the railways by constructing the Great Western Railway from 1835 to 1841.
Canada Water train moving |
Train through Roman Bridge |
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Roads
Civil engineers plan, construct and maintain our roads so that we have a connected network throughout the UK. This enables us to travel quickly across long distances.
Road (M1 East Leeds) |
Road (A465) |
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Tall Buildings
Civil Engineers and structural engineers design and build tall buildings so that they can last for hundreds of years and can withstand all weather conditions.
British Embassy, Moscow |
Canary Wharf, London |
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Large Structures
Civil engineers and structural engineers design and construct large structures such as the Millennium Wheel in London. To do this, they need the ability to think in three dimensions and to assess the stability of the structure, particularly in harsh weather conditions.
Neptune Hall |
London Eye |
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