Technological University of the Philippines – Cavite Campus

Carlos Q. Trinidad Avenue, Salawag, Dasmariñas City, Cavite,

Philippines

History of Civil Engineering

Reina Mae A. Bautista

BSCE-C-1A-C

Engr. Maria May Q. Pacete

BES11 Professor

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

COVER PAGE ............................................................................................................... 1

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 3

CONTENT ..................................................................................................................... 4

I. History of Civil Engineering in the World ....................................................... 4

A. Civil Engineering Structures during Prehistoric and Ancient Times ... 4
B. Manual Labor: The First Engineering Tool ......................................... 5
C. Civil Engineering in the 18th to 20th Century ....................................... 5

II. History of Civil Engineering in the Philippines ............................................... 6

III. Civil Engineering Organizations in the Philippines ......................................... 7

IV. Civil Engineering in the Modern World ........................................................... 7

CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 8

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS .................................................................. 9

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 10

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 INTRODUCTION
Wherever people go they were able to see different infrastructures around them. Whether
it is bridges, roads, buildings like houses, hotels, malls and etc. These infrastructures make the
lives of people easily and comfortably. Nowadays, people can just go for a drive if they want to
visit some places even it can take hours before reaching it, people have their shelter to protect
them, and people have an access to schools, hospitals, restaurants, and the like. These are the
situations we have now and these are all possible because of the world of engineering. Particularly,
the civil engineers who work behind it and continuously find solutions to the problems that the
world encounters.

Civil engineers are the professionals that construct, plan, and keep the foundation of
modern society which includes roads, bridges, ports, water systems, and other infrastructures for
a cleaner environment. This shows how important civil engineers in society and in the lives of
people.

If people know that civil engineering is important, it is also great to take a look and learn
about the history of civil engineering, where it began or how it all started, how different the life of
people before in comparison with today’s situation, and how the world changes as the world of
engineering develops through the years.

This term paper aims to help the readers know about the history of engineering in the world
and in the Philippines. Also, to show how engineering took part in solving many problems in the
world. Lastly, to determine how engineering affects the lives of people as time goes by.

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I. History of Civil Engineering in the World

A. Civil Engineering Structures during Prehistoric and Ancient times

It is really hard to trace the history of civil engineering because engineering can be
described as old as mankind. In between 4000 and 2000 BC, Ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia practiced civil engineering when people left their nomadic way of life and
started constructing permanent houses. At the same time, transportation became essential
that give rise to the wheel and sailing. The Pyramids in Egypt (circa 2700-2500 BC) was
considered to be the first large construction

Through the years, civil engineering continues to foster advancement and most of
these structures are still existing. Some of these are the Great Wall of China by General Meng
T’ien, Parthenon in Ancient Greece by Iktinos, the Appian Way, and thousands of other feats
of engineering (aqueducts, insulae, harbours, bridges, dams, and highways) by Roman
engineers as they developed the extensive structures in their empire, Machu Picchu in Peru
by the Incans. These structures present a strong understanding of the quality of engineering
knowledge far from the development of computers and used advanced software in planning,
designing a constructing structure.

Pyramids in Egypt Great Wall of China Appian Way

Machu Picchu Parthenon Ancient Roman

Aqueducts

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B. Manual Labor: The First Engineering Tool
Civil engineering includes the planning, building, and maintenance of infrastructures.
It is a science that requires different disciplines such as soils, structures, geology, and other
fields. Therefore, the history of civil engineering is really connected with the history of
advancement in these disciplines. In ancient times, technical skills were limited and artisans
were the ones to perform most of the constructions. Before, machines did not exist, so
manual labor was utilized in doing tasks. Thus, civil engineering works could only be
perceived with the utilization of numerous skilled people in the long run.

C. Civil Engineering in the 18th to 20th Century.

Before, engineers were actually military engineers who were skilled in military and
civil works. During wars, they assisted soldiers in operating instruments like catapults in
fighting the enemies, and during peacetime, they were busy in civil activities. It was in the
18th century when the term civil engineering was formed to designate engineering for
domestic applications and used independently from the term of military engineering.
In 1747, the first school of civil engineering, the National School of Bridges and
Highways started in France.
John Smeaton who built the Eddystone Lighthouse was the first self-proclaimed
civil engineer. He also formed the Smeatonian Society of Civil Engineers which was more
a social group than a professional organization.
In 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers, the world’s first engineering society,
was founded in London. By 1828, the institution received a Royal Charter and this started
the recognition of civil engineering as a profession. Defining civil engineering as:
“Civil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles, and its
history is intricately linked to advances in understanding of physics and mathematics
throughout history. Because civil engineering is a wide ranging profession, including
several separate specialized sub-disciplines, its history is linked to knowledge of
structures, material science, geography, geology, soil, hydrology, environment, mechanics
and other fields.”

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 In 1819, The first engineering school in the United States was established, the
Norwich University.
During the 19th century, other civil engineering societies were established in the
US and European countries. In the 20th century, similar institutions were formed across
the world.

II. History of Civil Engineering in the Philippines

During the Spanish times, there are no Filipino Civil Engineers. Indio builders were
restricted to be called Maestro de Obras (Master Builders) even though they were capable
of designing and building any kind of structure with the available technology at that time.

The walled city in Intramuros was built by

the Spaniards as a model community. The
government buildings, bridges, residential and
other structures were constructed by Friar
Architects/Engineers integrating European
standards.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Filipino Engineers were given the task of keeping,
repairing, and/or remodeling infrastructures in all towns which includes government
buildings, convents, and churches.

In the regime of the Americans in the country, it brought severe changes in the
world of engineering. Under the control of the civil government established in 1901, such
assimilation” showed itself physically in the shape of infrastructures. The environment of
the Philippines was transformed with highways, bridges, schools, hospitals, and
government buildings.

And through the years, under the different administration, a lot of infrastructures
were built. Some of these are dams, railways, expressways, bridges, and many more.

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 LRT San Roque Dam North Luzon
Expressway (NLEX)

III. Civil Engineering Organizations in the Philippines

In the Philippines, during the late twenties, the first civil engineering organization was
formed by a group of civil engineers from the government sector and it is called the Philippine
Society of Civil Engineers (PSCE). In 1937, another organization was formed, the Philippine
Association of Civil Engineers (PACE) which are composed of engineers from the private sector.
However, PACE showed that they are more active than PSCE which results in the migration of
PSCE members to PACE. The late president of PACE, Cesar A. Caliwara, exerted an effort to
combine the two organizations, forming the new and united organization of Civil Engineers, the
Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE). This organization aims to build a secure foundation
among all the civil engineers in the country.

IV. Civil Engineering in the Modern World

As time goes by, a lot of new technologies
emerged and assisted the development of civil
engineering in the present time, including sophisticated
machinery, availability of different materials, testing
equipment, and others. Civil engineers utilize
computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided
manufacture (CAM). This technology helps civil
engineers to work efficiently whether it is designing or
planning different structures.

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 CONCLUSION

The history of civil engineering reveals the significance of it in the lives of people ever
since it started. How people adapt to the constantly changing world where they live. People keep
on learning and discovering new things because as time passed by, new problems arise. These
problems affect the way humans live. So, people keep on finding solutions for every problem that
occurs. If people stop finding solutions, they will not be able to adapt to the changes and their lives
would be put in a difficult situation. One of the problem-solvers of the world is civil engineers.
Without civil engineering, the world can’t function properly, actually, it may stop running.

Studying the history of civil engineering gives people the image of how it developed
through the years. How difficult the lives of people before but through the help of engineering,
they were able to survive and keep on living. What they have discovered that time has a huge
contribution to the world of engineering up until today. They were just improved based on what
the world needs now. What happened in the past would have a great impact on the present and in
the future.

Therefore, it is really important to have knowledge about the history of it. It gives people
an understanding of what really engineering is. It is not just about building and constructing any
infrastructures but it also involves connecting people and helping each other to have a pleasant
life. The future of the world is in our hands, for every action that humans will do has a
corresponding outcome.

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 POSSIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Where is civil engineering all started?

Honestly, the beginning of civil engineering was difficult to track. The people
before were engineers on their own way. They needed to be because they need to stay alive.
They built their own houses with the available materials in the nature. They also formed
their own transportation to be able to move from one place to another. It depends on what
situation they were in. But Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt first practiced civil
engineering as their people left the nomadic lifestyle and started to stay in one place.

2. Who is the first civil engineer?

The first civil engineer is John Smeaton. It was actually a self-proclaimed. He is
the one who built the Eddystone Lighthouse. With the help of him, Smeatonian Society of
Civil Engineers was formed. This organization was more a social group rather than
professional society.

3. How different civil engineering in ancient times from the civil engineering in the
modern period?
During ancient times, they don’t have any technologies like machines that can assist
them in building structures. They depend on manual labor. Another thing is that they don’t
have formal education in civil engineering yet they were still able to build things. On the
other hand, civil engineering in the modern period was blessed with a lot of technologies
that really make the work of civil engineers efficient. Also, not anyone can just build
structures, they need to be a licensed engineer first to be able to do it. These are just some
of the difference between civil engineering in the ancient times and in the modern period.

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 REFERENCES

• http://civilengineerthoughts003.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-history-of-civil-
engineering.html#axzz6ZOQ0iZ00
• https://steemit.com/engineering/@rigor/civil-engineering-and-a-brief-history-of-pice
• https://www.asce.org/about_civil_engineering/
• brighthubengineering.com/building-construction-design/41552-history-of-civil-
engineering/
• https://sites.google.com/site/engineeringacareer/a-brief-history-of-civil-engineering
• http://www.thecivilengg.com/History.php
• https://polysurveying.com/2016/03/from-ancient-times-to-the-present-day-a-brief-
history-of-civil-engineering-in-mobile-al/

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