What exactly does a Construction Engineer do?

[fame2011]

Hey everyone! I am currently looking into engineering and I the school I will be attending has Construction Engineering. I have been searching and searching and really can't seem to find a very good description of the career field. i have read about construction management and what little I have found about the engineering it sounds a lot like management. I was hoping that someone could clarify exactly what a Construction Engineer does. Thank you

 

[Studiot]

Well engineering is about forming the material world into the service of Man.

There are two main aspects of this.

Firstly deciding what to do or make. This is called design.

The second is to implement the design. That is where construction engineering comes in.

Sometimes the result is newbuild sometimes it is repair or extension of existing.

Either way there are some different ways of thinking to achieve good design or good fabrication.

Here are two examples.

A survey of what is already there is usually part of the design process.

A construction engineer will use a different form of survey to place the parts of the structure in the desired locations.

*

A design engineer may choose to specify an arch for construction, because it is a very strong structure capable of supporting enormous loads in addition to its own weight.

The construction engineer will know that, strong as the finished arch is, it is incapable of supporting even its own weight until it is complete. So he will have to design and construct some temporary supports to hold the structure up until it is finished and capable of supporting itself. (This is known as falsework)

There is an equivalent split of function in all engineering; for example in mechanical engineering there are design engineers and production engineers.

 

[fame2011]

Thanks for the response. I found a little more about the program I would be focusing in Structural Engineering and Construction Management. What are the job prospects for this type of engineering? I am talking to an advisor through email also so he is helping some also but he will be telling some things I want to hear since the program is new at the school I will be attending. Thanks again

 

[Bob Engineer]

Well engineering is about forming the material world into the service of Man.

There are two main aspects of this.

Firstly deciding what to do or make. This is called design.

The second is to implement the design. That is where construction engineering comes in.

Sometimes the result is newbuild sometimes it is repair or extension of existing.

Either way there are some different ways of thinking to achieve good design or good fabrication.

Here are two examples.

A survey of what is already there is usually part of the design process.

A construction engineer will use a different form of survey to place the parts of the structure in the desired locations.

*

A design engineer may choose to specify an arch for construction, because it is a very strong structure capable of supporting enormous loads in addition to its own weight.

The construction engineer will know that, strong as the finished arch is, it is incapable of supporting even its own weight until it is complete. So he will have to design and construct some temporary supports to hold the structure up until it is finished and capable of supporting itself. (This is known as falsework)

There is an equivalent split of function in all engineering; for example in mechanical engineering there are design engineers and production engineers.

i totally agree with you man...

anyway.. not easy to become an engineer.. you need to study hard and prove your self that you capable to do the engineer job.