Civil engineering structures

The Millau Viaduct in France, designed by Michel Virlogeux with Foster & Partners

Civil structural engineering includes all structural engineering related to the built environment. It includes:

Bridges Dams Earthworks Foundations Offshore structures Pipelines

Power stations Railways Retaining structures and walls Roads Tunnels Waterways

The structural engineer is the lead designer on these structures, and often the sole designer. In the design of structures such as these, structural safety is of paramount importance (in the UK, designs for dams, nuclear power stations and bridges must be signed off by a chartered engineer).

Civil engineering structures are often subjected to very extreme forces, such as large variations in temperature, dynamic loads such as waves or traffic, or high pressures from water or compressed gases. They are also often constructed in corrosive environments, such as at sea, in industrial facilities or below ground.