definition
strict definition
civil engineering
A firm that designs roads, access ways, landforms, drainage, and utility infrastructure on a building lot.
A civil engineer is a firm responsible for designing the roads, access ways, landforms, drainage, and certain utility infrastructures on a building's lot.
The design concerns the infrastructure of the building's lot. It includes the routes, groundforms, drainage, and relevant utilities described above, rather than only the load-bearing framework of the building.
A landscape building contractor executes groundforms and landscape features. Civil engineering provides the infrastructure design, while structural engineering concerns the framework and its loads.
Related definitions
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BREEAM certification
A consultant that helps to ensure that a building project will achieve BREEAM certification. -
DGNB certification
A consultant that helps to ensure that a building project will achieve DGNB certification. -
LEED certification
A consultant that helps to ensure that a building project will achieve LEED certification. -
MEP engineering
A company which designs mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in a structure. -
acoustics consultant
A firm or individual that engineers interior acoustic conditions, especially protection from unwanted noise. -
antenna site management
A company that provides engineering, development, and administrative management for rooftop antenna sites. -
aquatics consultant
A firm providing expertise in the design and construction of swimming pools and other bathing facilities. -
attraction planning
Technical designers of rides or major entertainment attractions built within or as part of a building. -
building physics
A company which maintains the structural and mechanical systems of a building. -
certification auditor
A company which reviews a built object's qualifications to receive an official certification. -
check engineering
A company which double-checks the work of other engineers on a construction project. -
communications engineering
A company that designs a building's telecommunications infrastructure and associated IT spaces. -
damper consultant
An engineering firm that designs dampers with moving or flexible parts to stabilize a structure against sway. -
electrical engineering
A firm that calculates requirements for electrical systems and pathways and usually helps design them. -
elevator consultant
A firm specializing in elevator technology that plans or assists installation of a building's elevator systems. -
elevator engineering
A company that calculates elevator loads, maneuvering space, possible speed, and other building requirements. -
energy consultant
A company which provides expertise on energy-efficient design for a structure. -
engineering association
An organization to promote common causes among various enrolled engineering firms. -
engineering company
A company involved in an unspecified engineering role with regard to a structure. -
environmental consultant
A company which provides expertise in factors affecting the living quality in a building. -
explosive engineering
A company which calculates the force and placement of explosive charges in a structure's demolition. -
facade consultant
A company which provides expertise on requirements and options for building facades. -
facade engineering
A structural engineer which calculates the loads and requirements of a structure's facade. -
fire alarm system planning
A company that designs, plans, or engineers the fire alarm system for a particular building or structure. -
fire protection engineering
Engineers who design building fire protection, including sprinklers, alert systems, and fireproofing. -
foundation engineer
A company which designs the foundation structures needed to anchor a structure in the ground. -
geotechnical engineering
A company which calculates soil conditions and foundation requirements for a structure. -
ground surveyor
A surveyor whose role is limited to preparing precise maps of a building site. -
helipad consultant
An engineering firm that calculates requirements for constructing and locating helicopter landing pads. -
lighting consultant
A company which designs and directs the arrangement of lighting fixtures in or on a structure. -
mechanical engineering
An individual or firm that designs a building's mechanical, climate-control, and building automation systems. -
planning consultant
A firm which provides expertise in guiding a construction project through the planning process. -
plumbing engineering
An engineering firm specializing in water or liquid-chemical distribution systems within a structure. -
quantity surveyor
A company which calculates or forecasts the cost per element of a construction project. -
sanitary engineering
A company which designs mechanical systems which clear waste from a structure. -
security system consultant
A company that plans and designs building security systems to protect inhabitants and property. -
site agent
Technical staff who monitor construction on site and make corrections when problems arise. -
structural engineering
Companies which calculate and optimize the framework which supports and reinforces a structure. -
surveyor
A firm or person that prepares technical drawings of a building's site and structure for engineering or construction. -
sustainable design consultant
A company providing expertise in achieving environmental efficiency in the construction and retrofitting of buildings. -
traffic consultant
A company which designs routes and systems for traffic in or around a structure. -
traffic research
A company which prepares information and projections on traffic flows in and around a structure. -
wind surveyor
An engineering consultant that assesses and diagrams site wind conditions affecting a building's design.