Civil and structural engineering is among the noblest courses as well as the best careers in the world. Most of the activities and infrastructure really rely on their speciality. There is no single structural design that can be implemented without it passing through the hands of structural engineers. In fact, almost all the other engineering specialties rely on both civil and structural engineering. Did you know that although mechanical engineers are the ones who design the structures of vehicles and aeroplanes, the designs cannot be implemented if a structural engineer does not consent?
The work of civil and structural engineers has been so much involving but many times their work goes unnoticed. It is always painful that all the glory of a construction is given to architects yet the structure cannot stand without a structural engineer being involved. The only time a structural engineer is mentioned or the time he comes to public attention is when a structure collapses.
When we go to water safety, treatment as well as storage, civil and structural engineers are very much involved. Structural engineers will be involved in the construction of dams and ponds as well as sewerage systems. Sewages are credited for keeping some contagious diseases out of the society. No wonder, it is said that civil engineers have saved more lives than all the doctors combined. They do not only construct the sewages but they are also credited for the treatment of these refuse.
A structure can never stand if its structural forces are not balanced. The two major forces which are tensional forces and compressive forces need to be balanced throughout the building. You cannot just construct a structure without putting all these into consideration. Although architects are the ones who do the first designs, the major responsibility of an architect is to give the structure beauty. They are not trained to balance the load of the house.
Civil and structural engineers come in to balance these forces and enable the house to stand.
The major role of a civil engineer is to ensure that a house is able to stand but at the lowest cost possible. They are therefore supposed to help their clients to save as much money as possible. When a civil engineer does his calculations, he will ensure that only required materials are used in the construction. For instance, while you were contemplating to use a Y-14 twisted road on your slab but his calculations prove that a Y-10 can do, you will save a lot on material cost since Y-14 is far much more expensive than Y-10.
Civil engineers are also responsible for the design, supervision and construction of roads, bill boards, electric pylons as well as telecom boosters among others. Although the architectural designs are always left for architects, civil and structural engineers have also been trained to design some simple structures from scratch. When you want an apartment that has got just the normal units we know off, you can consult a civil and structural engineer and he will give you both the architectural and structural designs.
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