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
works such as residences, institutional
buildings, roads, bridges, canals, dams,
airports, sewerage systems, pipelines,
and railways.[
Past of Civil Engineering
Engineering has been an aspect of life since
the beginnings of human existence. The
earliest practice of civil engineering may have
commenced between 4000 and 2000 BC in
ancient Egypt, the Indus Valley Civilization,
and Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) when humans
started to abandon a nomadic existence,
creating a need for the construction of shelter.
 The construction of pyramids in Egypt (circa 2700–
2500 BC) were some of the first instances of large
structure constructions. Other ancient historic civil
engineering constructions include the qanat water
management system (the oldest is older than 3000
years and longer than 71 km) the parthenon by iktinos
in ancient greece (447–438 BC), the appian way by
roman engineers (c. 312 BC), the great wall of china by
general meng t'ien under orders from ch'in emperor
shih huang ti (c. 220 BC) and the stupas constructed in
ancient sri lanka like the jetavanaramaya and the
extensive irrigation works in anuradhapura. The
romans developed civil structures throughout their
empire, including especially aqueducts, insulae,
harbors, bridges, dams and roads.
Emerging areas in the field
of civil engineering

Current Perspective
• Straw Bales- When properly sealed, straw bales naturally
provide very high levels of insulation for a hot or cold
climate, and are not only affordable but sustainable as
straw is a rapidly renewable resource.
• Grasscrete- It is a method of laying concrete flooring,
walkways, sidewalks, and driveways in such a manner
that there are open patterns allowing grass or other flora to
grow. While this provides the benefit of reducing concrete
usage overall, there’s also another important perk —
improved stormwater absorption and drainage.
• Rammed Earth- It is a technique for constructing
foundations, floors and walls using natural raw materials
such as earth, gravel, chalk or lime. It makes indoor more
suitable for beings by regulating humidity naturally.
• HempCrete- a concrete like material created from the
woody inner fibers of the hemp plant. The hemp fibers
are bound with lime to create concrete-like shapes that
are strong and light. HempCrete blocks are super-
lightweight, which can also dramatically reduce the
energy used to transport the blocks, and hemp itself is
a fast-growing, renewable resource.
• Recycled Plastic- Instead of mining, extracting, and
milling new components, researchers are creating
concrete that includes ground up recycled plastics and
trash, which not only reduces greenhouse gas
emissions, but reduces weight and provides a new use
for landfill-clogging plastic waste.
• Mycelium- is a crazy futuristic building material
that’s actually totally natural – it comprises the root
structure of fungi and mushrooms. Mycelium can be
encouraged to grow around a composite of other
natural materials, like ground up straw, in molds or
forms, then air-dried to create lightweight and strong
bricks or other shapes.
• AshCrete- Recovered from gases the gases of burning
coal during production of electricity, flyash can be
used to replace a portion of cement in the concrete.
Future Perspective
 Concrete to heal its own cracks- Making
the structures not only safer but also cut
back on greenhouse gases
 Carbon nanotubes- have the highest
strength to weight ratio of any material
and can be embedded into other building
material to add density and tensile
strength.
Permeable concrete- As rainwater passes down
through the soil, microorganisms and absorb excess
chemicals. Not only does it significantly decrease
runoff but also lighter colour of concrete reflects
sunlight and stays cooler in the summer.
 Aerogel Insulation- posses super insulating
properties, makes it difficult for heat to pass through it
Temperature Reactive Tiles- Tiles coated with
thermochromic paint that changes colour according to
the temperature of the surrounding.
Smart Roads- Roadway that acts as a charger for
electric vehicles wirelessly. This has been implemented
in New Zealand already.
Building with Carbon Dioxide- Researchers have
genetically modified yeast to convert co2 gas into solid
carbon based building materials.
Top Ten National Agencies
i. Larsen and Toubro
ii.  Tata Group
iii.  Jaiprakash Associates
iv. Lanco Infratech
v. Reliance Infrastructure Limited
vi. Hindustan Construction Company
vii. Gammon
viii. Afcons
ix. Shobha Developers
x.  Punj Lloyd
Top Ten Multinational
Agencies
i. Laing O’Rourke
ii.  Royal BAM Group
iii. Kiewit
iv. Bouygues Construction
v. Balfour Beatty
vi. Skanska
vii.  Hochtief
viii. Bechtel
ix.  Grupo ACS
x.  Vinci