What exactly do you do I know you build things but architects design them surveyers measure things and builders do the building so where do you fit in to the picture.

they get the plans from the architect,look at the info given them by surveyors,and create working drawings/info for the builders to build to.

something like that.

AFAIK they will calculate the weight loadings, feasibility etc. for certain projects, a bit like a strucural engineer.

Civil Engineers tend to get involved in the heavyweight stuff e.g. major roads, channel tunnels, groundworks for office blocks etc. Typically on a major contract you will have a Civil Engineer working for the client e.g. Ministry of Transport and his opposite number working for the contractor. The client engineer does the basic design and prepares the drawings (in conjuction with other engineers e.g. structural design engineers for fancy bridges) along with architects etc. The contractor's engineer is there to ensure that work is undertaken according to the plans. Of course there is a lot more to it than that. A very underated profession in the UK, IMHO. David (BSc Civil Engineering - a long time ago :D )

there was me thinking it was any engineer with an uncommonly good sense of manners and decorum :D:D:D

Civil Engineers do concrete. period.

Deano
(BSc MechEng ;))

[Edited by dsmith - 2/17/2003 5:41:27 PM]

Civil Engineers get their punctuation correct, period. :D :D :D

LOL Matts - perfectly correct btw :D

My sister's a civil engineer.

First time i've heard her described as civil...


John

BSc's....for pouring concrete between bits of wood?!?:D:D:D
(note the smileys!!)
Pete

A civil engineer will build something for a £1 that any fool could build for £2.

Paul

In my experience(as an architectural technologist)

Civil engineers are boring people with grey hair and a calculator in their top shirt pocket.

[Edited by ronny555 - 2/17/2003 7:24:34 PM]

The group of civil engineers working for me at the moment are much more versatile than just pouring concrete. They also slap expensive epoxy-loaded concrete onto the roof of a tunnel. There is literally no end to their talents (no beginning either, unfortunately) ;) :p :D

Shouldn't say too much as my boss used to be a civil engineer :rolleyes:

Civil Engineers sit in a warm office drinking coffee waiting for a Land Surveyor who's been out in the freezing cold to drop off a nice drawing of their site !!! ;)

Basically Civil Engineers design:-
Roads, bridges, dams, tunnels, railways, ports, harbours, office buildings, hospitals, high rise buildings, drainage systems, water treatment works, airports, warehouses, shopping centres & other things unfortunately including speed humps, pinch points and fixed speed camera sites.

Simplified scheme procedures:-
Feasibility
Initial Estimate
Detailed Design producing:-
(Drawings
Bill of Quantities
Specification
Design Calculations
Tender Documents
Detailed Estimate)
Site Supervision (for client to ensure compliance with above)
Certify payments to contractor

Simply put, on buildings, Architects design what the thing will look like and what goes inside, whilst the Civil Engineer designs the actual superstructure, sub-structure, and infrastructure.
i.e. Architects are arty visual types, whilst the Engineers (Civil, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical) do the actual deisign to make the thing stand up, function and work.

Regards

Daz

Hehehe - I have a good friend who's is a Civil Engineer and his wife is an Architect.

LOL

Most of the (good natured) ribbing goes like this:-

1. Architects do the poncey arty drawings of something which looks fantatstic but defies the basic laws of physics.

2. Civil Engineers defy the laws of physics to make it stand up.

3. Arhitects take all the glory about how fantatstic it is.

4. Civil Engineers take the rap if its crap (aka Bridge of Light)

Endy Story......;)

I am sooooo not going to flame back. :D

I have no grey hair in my top pocket:)

[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img][img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Architects design what they will look like. The Civil Engineer's most important task IMHO is to ensure that a building will resist all the loads that will be applied to it during its life. Not only the easy ones like self-weight, but also wind, earthquake, soil, water etc. etc. The problem is that people work in 20 storey buildings, and drive over bridges, and through tunnels without the slightest appreciation for the effort that makes it safe to do those things. Hence the appalling pay for Civil Engineers without whom society would quickly grind to a halt [/soapbox]

PS Civil Engineers also have an appalling understanding of the 'Force' of gravity [/in joke]