Civil Engineering

I am a second-year student of the Bratsk State Technical University. In many countries the building industry employs a considerable proportion of the available labour force. Building industry including residential, public and industrial construction holds one of the main places in the national economy. Housing is prominent among the factors affecting the level of living.

The term “civil engineering” is usually applied to such as excavation and embankment, the construction of railways canals, aqueducts, pipelines, the reclamation of lands, building construction. The history of building is as old as civilization itself.

Architecture has an origin in the primitive efforts of mankind to provide protection against bad weather and enemies in rock caves, huts and tents. Civil engineering developed with the rise of Rome in the 6-th century B.C.. Romans built sewers, conduits, aqueducts, roads and bridges.

Town building was based on camp tradition. Some towns arose out of army camps: London, Manchester, for example. Most of the buildings of old times was based upon the column and beam method of construction. The oldest building materials are: timber, brick, stone. The constructive principles did not develop till our times. Now all construction work is industrialized due to the use of modern achievements in science and technology. Steel, aluminum, iron, plastics, concrete and reinforced concrete are introduced into building.

Modern architecture is characterized by simplicity of line and designed neatness of appearance. All this requires high quality and is met by house-building plants. Most of work is done at the plant which produces prefabricated units and elements. All operations on the construction site are minimized. Due to panel housing architects now use greater variety of facing and finishing materials such as: glass, plate, ceramics, plastics, etc.

Industrialized building means prefabrication, the organization of work, programming, designing, execution. It made construction work cheaper and quicker. A great deal of machinery is used on the construction site now: lorries, different cranes, helicopters, thousands of excavators, scrappers, bulldozers, steam power shovels, pneumatic drills, hoists, etc.

A town of future should be convenient, beautiful and well-planned. Town planning takes into consideration the siting of industrial undertakings, residential areas, the laying out of highways, the organization of municipal transport. It also deals with the creation of centers and green belts, the development of public services and communications. And so the civil engineer must be able to draw together many types of engineering knowledge and many different engineering technigues.

 

Прочитайте вопросы и ответьте на них.

1. What are you?

2. What place does the building industry hold in the national economy?

3. What is the term “civil engineering” applied to?

4. What is the origin of “architecture”?

5. What are the oldest building materials?

6. Where are prefabricated units and elements produced?

7. What does the term “industrialized building” mean?

8. Why did construction work become cheaper and quicker?

9. What machinery is used on the construction site now?

10. What should a town of the future be?

11. What types of knowledge must the civil engineer have?