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Civil Engineering

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and maintenance of the built and natural physical environment, including roads, bridges, canals, dams, buildings and water supply systems. Its name distinguishes it from military engineering, the discipline from which it split as a recognized civilian profession in eighteenth century Europe, when engineers began organizing themselves around public works rather than fortification. The first dedicated institution for teaching the discipline, the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees, opened in France in 1747, formalizing civil engineering training a generation before the profession fully separated from military engineering in practice.

Facts
Core Concern
The design and construction of the built and natural physical environment. Practice is carried out from municipal public works departments through national government agencies, and from locally based private firms to the largest global engineering companies. 1
Core Principle
Design structures and infrastructure to carry their loads safely over a stated service life, accounting for the soil, climate and use conditions specific to the site rather than a generic standard load. 1
Disputed
Origin Year
1768 1
John Smeaton styled himself the first self-described civil engineer in Britain around 1768, to distinguish civilian construction work from military engineering; the first dedicated professional body, the Institution of Civil Engineers, followed only in 1818.
Civil Engineering
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Connections

Associated With

Devised the framework method that became a forerunner of the finite element method used across structural engineering.

Arch Dam, Inventions

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

Cement, Materials
Concrete, Materials
Environmental Engineering, Fields

Environmental engineering grew out of nineteenth century civil and sanitary engineering practice.

Imhotep, Engineers

Traditionally credited as the architect and engineer of the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

One of the most influential civil engineers of the nineteenth century, known for bridges, tunnels and railways.

Mining Engineering, Fields

Underground mine structural support and surface mine infrastructure both draw heavily on civil engineering practice.

Prestressed Concrete, Methods

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

Coined the term finite element method and developed it for structural analysis.

Reinforced Concrete, Inventions

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

Developed the variational mathematics underlying the finite element method used in structural engineering.

Steel, Materials
Suspension Bridge, Inventions

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

Truss Bridge, Inventions

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

Tunnel Boring, Methods

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

Includes

Source Alec Skempton (Wikipedia)

Professor of civil engineering at the University of British Columbia from 1933 until his death.

Source Alexander Hrennikoff (Wikipedia)
Aqueduct, Inventions
Source Aqueduct (water supply), Wikipedia
Arch Dam, Inventions
Source Arch dam, Wikipedia
Source Bascule bridge, Wikipedia
Source Benjamin Baker (Wikipedia)
Boat Lift, Inventions
Source Boat lift - Wikipedia
Source Box girder bridge, Wikipedia
Breakwater, Inventions
Source Breakwater (structure) - Wikipedia
Source Cable-stayed bridge, Wikipedia
Caisson, Inventions
Source Caisson (engineering) (Wikipedia)
Source Caisson (engineering) (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Canal Lock, Inventions
Source Lock (water navigation), Wikipedia
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Source Cantilever bridge, Wikipedia
Source The Iron Bridge, Wikipedia
Cement, Materials
Source Christian Menn (Wikipedia)
Source City and South London Railway (Wikipedia)
Source Clock Tower (Wikipedia)
Source Cloverleaf interchange (Wikipedia)
Cofferdam, Inventions
Source Cofferdam, Wikipedia
Concrete, Materials
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Source Cornelis Lely (Wikipedia)
Culvert, Inventions
Source Culvert - Wikipedia
Source E. Sreedharan (Wikipedia)
Source Emily Warren Roebling (Wikipedia)
Source Ernest Malinowski (Wikipedia)
Source Eugene Freyssinet (Wikipedia)
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Source Fire hydrant (Wikipedia)
Source Fritz Leonhardt (Wikipedia)
Funicular, Inventions
Source Funicular (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Furuichi Kōi
Source Geodesic Dome (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source George Stephenson (Wikipedia)
Source George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (Wikipedia)
Source George Washington Goethals (Wikipedia)
Geotextile, Inventions
Source Geotextile (Wikipedia)
Glass, Materials
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Source Gravity dam - Wikipedia
Groyne, Inventions
Source Groyne, Wikipedia
Guardrail, Inventions
Source Guard rail
Source Gustave Eiffel (Wikipedia)
Guyed Mast, Inventions
Source Guyed mast (Wikipedia)
Hypocaust, Inventions
Source Hypocaust (Wikipedia)
Imhotep, Engineers
Source Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncyclopaedia Britannica editors
Source Immersed tube - Wikipedia
Source Isambard Kingdom Brunel: A BiographyL. T. C. Rolt
Source James Buchanan Eads (Wikipedia)
Jetty, Inventions
Source Jetty (Wikipedia)
Source John A. Roebling (Wikipedia)
Source John Smeaton (Wikipedia)
Source Joseph Bazalgette (Wikipedia)
Source Juan de la Cierva (Wikipedia)
Karl Imhoff, Engineers
Source Karl Imhoff - Wikipedia
Konrad Zuse, Engineers
Source Konrad Zuse (Wikipedia)
Levee, Inventions
Source Levee, Wikipedia
Source M. Visvesvaraya (Wikipedia)
Source Nora Stanton Barney (Wikipedia)
Noria, Inventions
Source Noria, Wikipedia
Source Othmar Ammann (Wikipedia)
Ove Arup, Engineers
Source Ove Arup (Wikipedia)
Pile Driving, Methods
Polder, Inventions
Source Polder, Wikipedia
Source Pontoon bridge - Wikipedia
Source Joseph Aspdin Patent No. 5022, 1824 (cementkilns.co.uk)
Source Prestressed concrete (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Qanat, Inventions
Source Qanat - Wikipedia
Source Joseph Monier - Wikipedia
Richard Courant, Engineers

A mathematician by training, not a civil engineer; associated here through his 1943 numerical-methods paper, the mathematical root of the Finite Element Method used throughout structural and civil engineering.

Source Richard Courant (Wikipedia)
Riprap, Inventions
Source Riprap (Wikipedia)
Source Robert Maillart (Wikipedia)
Source Robert Stephenson (Wikipedia)
Source Roller coaster (Wikipedia)
Source Roman concrete (Wikipedia)
Seawall, Inventions
Source Seawall - Wikipedia
Source Anji Bridge - Wikipedia
Source Sextus Julius Frontinus (Wikipedia)
Shadoof, Inventions
Source Shadoof - Wikipedia
Silo, Inventions
Source Silo (Wikipedia)
Slipforming, Methods
Source Slip Forming (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source Sluice - Wikipedia
Spillway, Inventions
Source Spillway - Wikipedia
Source Steel frame - Wikipedia
Stepwell, Inventions
Source Stepwell - Wikipedia
Source Flood barrier (Wikipedia)
Source Suspension bridge, Wikipedia
Source Swing bridge - Wikipedia
Theodolite, Inventions
Source Theodolite (Wikipedia)
Source Thomas Telford (Wikipedia)
Source Total station (Wikipedia)
Source Traffic cone (Wikipedia)
Source Transporter bridge - Wikipedia
Source Truss bridge, Wikipedia
Source Tunnelling shield, Wikipedia
Source Vertical-lift bridge (Wikipedia)
Viaduct, Inventions
Source Viaduct - Wikipedia
Source Water tower, Wikipedia
Weir, Inventions
Source Weir - Wikipedia
Source William Heerlein Lindley (Wikipedia)
Source William Jessop (Wikipedia)

Open Questions

Sources
1. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
Civil Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section, opening definition of civil engineering
    Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways.
  • Lead section, second-oldest discipline paragraph
    It is considered the second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering, and it is defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering.
  • History section, institution-founding sentence
    In 1747, the first institution for the teaching of civil engineering, the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, was established in France; and more examples followed in other European countries.
  • Lead section, practice-sector sentence
    Civil engineering can take place in the public sector from municipal public works departments through to national government agencies, and in the private sector from locally based firms to Fortune Global 500 companies.
View the Source
Isambard Kingdom Brunel: A Biography
L. T. C. Rolt, Longmans, Green and Co., 1957Includes: Isambard Kingdom Brunel
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954
  • Includes: Concrete
  • Includes: Canal Lock Engineering
View the Source
Joseph Aspdin Patent No. 5022, 1824 (cementkilns.co.uk)
cementkilns.co.ukIncludes: Portland CementView the Source
Alexander Hrennikoff (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Alexander Hrennikoff, Biography section, first paragraph
Quote, Includes: Alexander Hrennikoff, Biography section, first paragraph
From 1933 until his death in 1984 he worked as a professor of Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia.
View the Source
Richard Courant (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Richard Courant, Finite element method paragraph
Quote, Includes: Richard Courant, Finite element method paragraph
Courant's name is also attached to the finite element method, with his numerical treatment of the plain torsion problem for multiply-connected domains, published in 1943.
View the Source
Sextus Julius Frontinus (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Sextus Julius Frontinus, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Sextus Julius Frontinus, Lead section
Sextus Julius Frontinus (c. 40-103 AD) was a Roman civil engineer, author, soldier and senator of the late 1st century AD. He was a successful general under Domitian, commanding forces in Roman Britain, and on the Rhine and Danube frontiers.
View the Source
Othmar Ammann (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Othmar Ammann, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Othmar Ammann, Lead section
Othmar Hermann Ammann (March 26, 1879, September 22, 1965) was a Swiss-American civil engineer whose bridge designs include the George Washington Bridge, Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, and Bayonne Bridge.
View the Source
Emily Warren Roebling (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Emily Warren Roebling, Categories
Quote, Includes: Emily Warren Roebling, Categories
American bridge engineers
View the Source
Nora Stanton Barney (Wikipedia)
Includes: Nora Stanton Blatch Barney, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Nora Stanton Blatch Barney, Lead section
Nora Stanton Barney (née Blatch; 30 September 1883-18 January 1971) was an English-born American civil engineer, and suffragist.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Furuichi Kōi
Includes: Furuichi Koi, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Furuichi Koi, Lead section
Baron Furuichi Kōi (古市 公威; September 13, 1854, January 28, 1934) was a Japanese civil engineer, who was president of Kōka Daigaku, the present college of engineering of the University of Tokyo, and founding president of the Tokyo Underground Railway, "the first underground railway in the Orient".
View the Source
Gustave Eiffel (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Gustave Eiffel, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Gustave Eiffel, Lead section
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel ( EYE-fəl; French: [alɛksɑ̃dʁ ɡystav ɛfɛl]; né Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; 15 December 1832-27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer.
View the Source
Karl Imhoff - Wikipedia
Includes: Karl Imhoff, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Karl Imhoff, Lead section
Karl Imhoff (7 April 1876 in Mannheim, 28 September 1965) was a German civil engineer, author, and a pioneer of wastewater treatment used throughout the world.
View the Source
Thomas Telford (Wikipedia)
Includes: Thomas Telford, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Thomas Telford, Lead section
Thomas Telford (9 August 1757-2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer.
View the Source
John A. Roebling (Wikipedia)
Includes: John A. Roebling, Lead section
Quote, Includes: John A. Roebling, Lead section
John Augustus Roebling (born Johann August Röbling; June 12, 1806, July 22, 1869) was a German-born American civil engineer.
View the Source
William Heerlein Lindley (Wikipedia)
Includes: William Heerlein Lindley, Lead section
Quote, Includes: William Heerlein Lindley, Lead section
Sir William Heerlein Lindley (30 January 1853, in Hamburg, 30 December 1917, in London) was a British civil engineer.
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Ernest Malinowski (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ernest Malinowski, Categories
Quote, Includes: Ernest Malinowski, Categories
19th-century civil engineers
View the Source
Eugene Freyssinet (Wikipedia)
Includes: Eugene Freyssinet, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Eugene Freyssinet, Lead section
Eugène Freyssinet (French: [øʒɛn fʁɛsinɛ]) (13 July 1879-8 June 1962) was a French structural and civil engineer.
View the Source
Robert Maillart (Wikipedia)
Includes: Robert Maillart, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Robert Maillart, Lead section
Robert Maillart (16 February 1872-5 April 1940) was a Swiss civil engineer who revolutionized the use of structural reinforced concrete with such designs as the three-hinged arch and the deck-stiffened arch for bridges, and the beamless floor slab and mushroom ceiling for industrial buildings.
View the Source
M. Visvesvaraya (Wikipedia)
Includes: Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Lead section
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya (Telugu: [moːkʂaguɳɖam ʋiʃʋeːʃʋaɾajja], 15 September 1861-12/14 April 1962), also referred to by his initials, MV, was an Indian civil engineer, administrator, and statesman, who served as the 19th Dewan of Mysore from 1912 to 1918.
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William Jessop (Wikipedia)
Includes: William Jessop, Lead section
Quote, Includes: William Jessop, Lead section
William Jessop (23 January 1745-18 November 1814) was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
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Cornelis Lely (Wikipedia)
Includes: Cornelis Lely, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Cornelis Lely, Lead section
Cornelis Lely (Dutch pronunciation: [kɔrˈneːlɪs ˈleːli]; 23 September 1854-22 January 1929) was a Dutch politician of the Liberal Union and civil engineer who was Minister of Water Management and Governor of Suriname.
View the Source
Fritz Leonhardt (Wikipedia)
Includes: Fritz Leonhardt, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Fritz Leonhardt, Lead section
Fritz Leonhardt (12 July 1909-30 December 1999) was a German structural engineer who made major contributions to 20th-century bridge engineering, especially in the development of cable-stayed bridges.
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Christian Menn (Wikipedia)
Includes: Christian Menn, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Christian Menn, Lead section
Christian Menn (March 3, 1927, July 16, 2018) was a renowned Swiss civil engineer and bridge designer.
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Ove Arup (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ove Arup, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Ove Arup, Lead section
Ove Arup is considered to be among the foremost architectural structural engineers of his time.
View the Source
Alec Skempton (Wikipedia)
Includes: Alec Skempton, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Alec Skempton, Lead section
Sir Alec Westley Skempton (4 June 1914-9 August 2001) was an English civil engineer internationally recognised, along with Karl Terzaghi, as one of the founding fathers of the engineering discipline of soil mechanics.
View the Source
E. Sreedharan (Wikipedia)
Includes: E. Sreedharan, Categories
Quote, Includes: E. Sreedharan, Categories
Indian civil engineers
View the Source
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (Wikipedia)
Includes: George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., Lead section
Quote, Includes: George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., Lead section
George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. (February 14, 1859, November 22, 1896) was an American civil engineer.
View the Source
Joseph Bazalgette (Wikipedia)
Includes: Joseph Bazalgette, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Joseph Bazalgette, Lead section
Sir Joseph William Bazalgette (; 28 March 1819-15 March 1891) was a British civil engineer.
View the Source
Prestressed concrete (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Prestressed Concrete, Categories
Quote, Includes: Prestressed Concrete, Categories
Concrete buildings and structures
View the Source
Slip Forming (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Slipforming, Categories
Quote, Includes: Slipforming, Categories
Civil engineering
View the Source
Truss bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Truss Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Truss Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Suspension bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Suspension Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Suspension Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Aqueduct (water supply), Wikipedia
Includes: Aqueduct, Categories
Quote, Includes: Aqueduct, Categories
Canals
View the Source
Cantilever bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Cantilever Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Cantilever Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Cable-stayed bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Cable-Stayed Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Cable-Stayed Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Cofferdam, Wikipedia
Includes: Cofferdam, Categories
Quote, Includes: Cofferdam, Categories
Dams by type
View the Source
Bascule bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Bascule Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Bascule Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Polder, Wikipedia
Includes: Polder, Categories
Quote, Includes: Polder, Categories
Coastal construction
View the Source
Arch dam, Wikipedia
Includes: Arch Dam, Categories
Quote, Includes: Arch Dam, Categories
Concrete buildings and structures
View the Source
Lock (water navigation), Wikipedia
Includes: Canal Lock, Categories
Quote, Includes: Canal Lock, Categories
Canals
View the Source
Box girder bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Box Girder Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Box Girder Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Pontoon bridge - Wikipedia
Includes: Pontoon Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Pontoon Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Breakwater (structure) - Wikipedia
Includes: Breakwater, Categories
Quote, Includes: Breakwater, Categories
Coastal construction
View the Source
Gravity dam - Wikipedia
Includes: Gravity Dam, Categories
Quote, Includes: Gravity Dam, Categories
Dams by type
View the Source
Viaduct - Wikipedia
Includes: Viaduct, Categories
Quote, Includes: Viaduct, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Groyne, Wikipedia
Includes: Groyne, Categories
Quote, Includes: Groyne, Categories
Coastal construction
View the Source
Weir - Wikipedia
Includes: Weir, Categories
Quote, Includes: Weir, Categories
Dams by type
View the Source
Sluice - Wikipedia
Includes: Sluice Gate, Categories
Quote, Includes: Sluice Gate, Categories
Canals
View the Source
Swing bridge - Wikipedia
Includes: Swing Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Swing Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Vertical-lift bridge (Wikipedia)
Includes: Vertical-Lift Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Vertical-Lift Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Transporter bridge - Wikipedia
Includes: Transporter Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Transporter Bridge, Categories
Bridges by structural type
View the Source
Riprap (Wikipedia)
Includes: Riprap, Categories
Quote, Includes: Riprap, Categories
Coastal construction
View the Source
Jetty (Wikipedia)
Includes: Jetty, Categories
Quote, Includes: Jetty, Categories
Coastal construction
View the Source
Roman concrete (Wikipedia)
Includes: Roman Concrete, Categories
Quote, Includes: Roman Concrete, Categories
Concrete buildings and structures
View the Source
Caisson (engineering) (Wikipedia)
  • Includes: Caisson Construction, Categories
    Construction technology
  • Includes: Caisson, Categories
    Construction technology
View the Source
Geotextile (Wikipedia)
Includes: Geotextile, Categories
Quote, Includes: Geotextile, Categories
Building materials
View the Source
Geodesic Dome (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Geodesic Dome, Categories
Quote, Includes: Geodesic Dome, Categories
Architecture related to utopias
View the Source
Tunnelling shield, Wikipedia
Includes: Tunnelling Shield, Categories
Quote, Includes: Tunnelling Shield, Categories
Tunnel boring machines
View the Source
The Iron Bridge, Wikipedia
Includes: Cast-Iron Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Cast-Iron Bridge, Categories
Bridges across the River Severn
View the Source
Qanat - Wikipedia
Includes: Qanat, Categories
Quote, Includes: Qanat, Categories
Irrigation
View the Source
Stepwell - Wikipedia
Includes: Stepwell, Categories
Quote, Includes: Stepwell, Categories
Architecture of Rajasthan
View the Source
Joseph Monier - Wikipedia
Includes: Reinforced Concrete, Categories
Quote, Includes: Reinforced Concrete, Categories
Reinforced concrete
View the Source
Immersed tube - Wikipedia
Includes: Immersed Tube Tunnel, Categories
Quote, Includes: Immersed Tube Tunnel, Categories
Immersed tube tunnels
View the Source
Steel frame - Wikipedia
Includes: Steel Frame Construction, Categories
Quote, Includes: Steel Frame Construction, Categories
Construction
View the Source
Flood barrier (Wikipedia)
Includes: Storm Surge Barrier, Categories
Quote, Includes: Storm Surge Barrier, Categories
Dams
View the Source
Seawall - Wikipedia
Includes: Seawall, Categories
Quote, Includes: Seawall, Categories
Coastal engineering
View the Source
Culvert - Wikipedia
Includes: Culvert, Categories
Quote, Includes: Culvert, Categories
Bridges
View the Source
Anji Bridge - Wikipedia
Includes: Segmental Arch Bridge, Categories
Quote, Includes: Segmental Arch Bridge, Categories
Bridges in Hebei
View the Source
Shadoof - Wikipedia
Includes: Shadoof, Categories
Quote, Includes: Shadoof, Categories
Irrigation
View the Source
Noria, Wikipedia
Includes: Noria, Categories
Quote, Includes: Noria, Categories
Irrigation
View the Source
Spillway - Wikipedia
Includes: Spillway, Categories
Quote, Includes: Spillway, Categories
Dams
View the Source
Silo (Wikipedia)
Includes: Silo, Categories
Quote, Includes: Silo, Categories
Agricultural buildings
View the Source
Guard rail
Includes: Guardrail, Categories
Quote, Includes: Guardrail, Categories
Bridge components
View the Source
Fire hydrant (Wikipedia)
Includes: Fire Hydrant, Categories
Quote, Includes: Fire Hydrant, Categories
Infrastructure
View the Source
Konrad Zuse (Wikipedia)
Includes: Konrad Zuse, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Konrad Zuse, Lead section
Konrad Ernst Otto Zuse (; German: [ˈkɔnʁaːt ˈtsuːzə]; 22 June 1910-18 December 1995) was a German civil engineer, pioneering computer scientist, inventor and businessman.
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George Stephenson (Wikipedia)
Includes: George Stephenson, Lead section
Quote, Includes: George Stephenson, Lead section
George Stephenson (9 June 1781-12 August 1848) was an English civil engineer and mechanical engineer.
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Robert Stephenson (Wikipedia)
Includes: Robert Stephenson, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Robert Stephenson, Lead section
Robert Stephenson , DCL (Hon. causa) (16 October 1803-12 October 1859) was an English civil engineer and designer of locomotives.
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John Smeaton (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: John Smeaton, Lead section
Quote, Includes: John Smeaton, Lead section
John Smeaton (8 June 1724-28 October 1792) was an English civil engineer responsible for the design of bridges, canals, harbours and lighthouses.
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Juan de la Cierva (Wikipedia)
Includes: Juan de la Cierva, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Juan de la Cierva, Lead section
Juan de la Cierva y Codorníu, 1st Count of la Cierva ([ˈxwan de la ˈθjeɾβaj koðoɾˈni.u]; 21 September 1895-9 December 1936), was a Spanish civil engineer, pilot and a self-taught aeronautical engineer.
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George Washington Goethals (Wikipedia)
Includes: George Washington Goethals, Lead section
Quote, Includes: George Washington Goethals, Lead section
George Washington Goethals ( GOH-thəlz June 29, 1858, January 21, 1928) was an American military officer and civil engineer, best known for his administration and supervision of the construction and the opening of the Panama Canal.
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James Buchanan Eads (Wikipedia)
Includes: James Buchanan Eads, Lead section
Quote, Includes: James Buchanan Eads, Lead section
James Buchanan Eads (May 23, 1820, March 8, 1887) was an American civil engineer and inventor.
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Benjamin Baker (Wikipedia)
Includes: Benjamin Baker, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Benjamin Baker, Lead section
Sir Benjamin Baker (31 March 1840-19 May 1907) was an English civil engineer who worked in mid to late Victorian era.
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Funicular (Wikipedia)
Includes: Funicular, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Funicular, Lead section
A funicular ( few-NIK-yoo-lər, f(y)uu-, f(j)ə-), or funicular railway, is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope.
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Levee, Wikipedia
Includes: Levee, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Levee, Lead section
A levee ( or ), is an elevated ridge alongside the banks of a river, often intended to protect against flooding of the area adjoining the river.
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Water tower, Wikipedia
Includes: Water Tower, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Water Tower, Lead section
A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection.
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Boat lift - Wikipedia
Includes: Boat Lift, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Boat Lift, Lead section
A boat lift, ship lift, or lift lock is a machine for transporting boats between water at two different elevations, and is an alternative to the canal lock.
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Guyed mast (Wikipedia)
Includes: Guyed Mast, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Guyed Mast, Lead section
A guyed mast is a tall thin vertical structure that depends on guy lines (diagonal tensioned cables attached to the ground or a base) for stability.
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Cloverleaf interchange (Wikipedia)
Includes: Cloverleaf Interchange, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Cloverleaf Interchange, Lead section
To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the other, then exit right onto a one-way three-quarter loop ramp (270°) and merge onto the intersecting road.
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Hypocaust (Wikipedia)
Includes: Hypocaust, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Hypocaust, Lead section
A hypocaust (Latin: hypocaustum) is a system of central heating in a building that produces and circulates hot air below the floor of a room, and may also warm the walls with a series of pipes through which the hot air passes.
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Clock Tower (Wikipedia)
Includes: Clock Tower, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Clock Tower, Lead section
A clock tower is an architectural structure housing a turret clock.
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City and South London Railway (Wikipedia)
Includes: City and South London Railway, Lead section
Quote, Includes: City and South London Railway, Lead section
The City and South London Railway (C&SLR) was the first successful deep-level underground "tube" railway in the world, and the first major railway to use electric traction.
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Roller coaster (Wikipedia)
Includes: Roller Coaster, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Roller Coaster, Lead section
A roller coaster is a type of amusement ride employing a form of elevated railway track that carries passengers on a train through hills, turns, valleys, and other elements, to exert abnormal g-forces on the body.
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Traffic cone (Wikipedia)
Includes: Traffic Cone, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Traffic Cone, Lead section
Traffic cones, also called pylons, witches' hats, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, caution cones, channelizing devices, construction cones, roadworks cones, or just cones, are usually cone-shaped markers that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner.
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Theodolite (Wikipedia)
Includes: Theodolite, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Theodolite, Lead section
The traditional use has been for land surveying, but it is also used extensively for building and infrastructure construction, and some specialized applications such as meteorology and rocket launching.
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Total station (Wikipedia)
Includes: Total Station, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Total Station, Lead section
A total station or total station theodolite is an electronic/optical instrument used for surveying and building construction.
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Open Questions (1 open question)
When did civil engineering begin as a distinct discipline: with John Smeaton's 1771 self-designation, or with millennia of unnamed pre-professional practice?

Wikipedia's own civil engineering article calls Smeaton "the first self-proclaimed civil engineer" (1771, Eddystone Lighthouse) while the same article calls the discipline "the second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering," reaching back to Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek and Roman construction with no professional title attached. Historians differ on whether "civil engineering" names a practice (ancient) or a profession (18th century onward).

What would resolve this A settled historiographical convention on whether "engineering" disciplines are dated from their professional/institutional founding or from the earliest practice they describe; no such family-wide convention exists yet.
Wikipedia contributors, Civil Engineering (Wikipedia)
Frequently Asked Questions

Why is civil engineering called civil, and how old is it as a discipline?

Civil engineering is considered the second-oldest engineering discipline, after military engineering, and its name reflects exactly that distinction. It was defined to separate non-military engineering work (roads, bridges, canals, dams and buildings) from the military engineering that came before it.
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