What Is Structural Engineering?

Structural engineering — a specialty within the field of civil engineering — focuses

on the framework of structures, and on designing those structures to withstand the
stresses and pressures of their environment and remain safe, stable and secure
throughout their use. In other words, structural engineers make sure that buildings
don't fall down and bridges don't collapse. 

Structural engineering is among the oldest types of engineering, dating back to the
first instance of tree branches being lashed together with vines to make a shelter.
Throughout recorded history, people have been designing and building increasingly
larger and more sophisticated structures, from primitive huts to the International
Space Station. 
The names of the earliest practitioners of structural engineering are lost to
antiquity. We will never know who designed the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,
the Parthenon or the aqueducts of the Roman Empire. Some of the latter-day
practitioners in this field are known, although often not as well as the structures
they designed. Prominent structural engineers include Gustave Eiffel (Eiffel Tower,
Statue of Liberty) and Eero Saarinen (Gateway Arch). However, most designs for
famous modern structures such as the Large Hadron Collider and the James Webb
Space Telescope are attributed to companies and government organizations.
What does a structural engineer do?
Structural engineers often work alongside civil engineers and architects as part of a
construction team. "In a nutshell," according to the Institution of Structural Engineers, "if
a structure was a human body, then the architect would be concerned with the
body shape and appearance, and the structural engineer would be concerned with
the skeleton and sinews."