CIVIL ENGINEERING – Vol.

I - Civil Engineering - Kiyoshi Horikawa

CIVIL ENGINEERING
Kiyoshi Horikawa
Musashi Institute of Technology, Tokyo, University of Tokyo, and Saitama University,
Japan

Keywords: Architecture, civil engineer, civilization, Club of Rome, cultural heritage,

disaster prevention, design code and manual, engineering profession, ethics,
environmental assessment, environmental problem, feasibility study, global greenhouse
effect, GPS (Global Positioning System), Industrial Revolution, infrastructure system,
information technology, ITS (Intelligent Transport System), licensing, military
engineering, mean sea level rise, professional engineer, pollution problem, remote
sensing, satellite, sustainable development.

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Contents

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1. Introduction

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2. Historical Background of Civil Engineering
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3. Functions of Civil Engineering
4. Social Development Of Civil Engineering
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5. Prospects for the Twenty-First Century
Appendix: Content of Handbook of Civil Engineering
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Glossary
Bibliography
Biographical Sketch
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Summary
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Civil engineering is the oldest of the engineering specialties, and its main task is to
perform civil works in order to make the properties of matter and the sources of energy
in nature useful to people. The advancement of civil engineering has, therefore, been
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closely related to that of civilization. In this article, human activities on the earth from
ancient times to the present are briefly reviewed first, and then the history of the process
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to establish the civil engineering discipline is discussed for better understanding of the
important role that civil engineering has played in the growth of a mature society, from
both technological and social points of view. Broad diversification of civil engineering
has resulted from the enormous expansion of society during the latter half of the
twentieth century. The various branches are briefly described to show the notable
characters that civil engineering has formed to maintain the sustainable development of
society. In the final part of this article, the prospects of civil engineering in the twenty-
first century is discussed.

1. Introduction

The aim of this article is to outline the discipline of civil engineering to readers who are
not familiar with this field of engineering. Civil engineering is truly the oldest of
engineering specialties and is concerned with public undertaking. In addition, the
engineering profession itself has an extremely long history of development and has been

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CIVIL ENGINEERING – Vol. I - Civil Engineering - Kiyoshi Horikawa

associated with the civilizations established throughout history from ancient times to the
present. Thus, the term “engineer” was long been recognized as a person who builds
various facilities and structures to satisfy the needs of human activities, including
military operations.

People have accumulated broad experience and knowledge, and based on this, they have
established a number of techniques to improve their lifestyle over several thousands of
years. The adopted technique was gradually refined to the engineering discipline by
applying the advanced achievement in science and mathematics to various practical
applications. Thus, engineering is defined as the discipline in which science and
mathematics are applied for the control and use of the material and power in nature for
people. The subjects concerned are: building structures, machines, numerous products,
systems, and processes. Engineering is one of the oldest professions in the world, and

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was traditionally classified into the following four primary disciplines: civil engineering,
mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and chemical engineering.

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In ancient as well as medieval times, as military activities were extremely important to

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protect any state, engineering technology was enthusiastically applied to construct
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structures such as fortresses, roads, bridges, and tunnels. That is why the title of
“engineer” was used only for military engineers for a long time. In an old English
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dictionary, one may find the word “engineer” defined as “a soldier formerly engaged in
siege work, but now having the job of ensuring that military vehicles can move quickly
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and easily across country by building roads, bridges, tunnels, etc.” That is to say, in
those days military engineers had far more technical knowledge than others.

In the eighteenth century the term “civil engineering” was used first to distinguish the
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newly-recognized profession from military engineering. It is well known that John

Smeaton, who was the builder of the Eddystone lighthouse near Plymouth, England,
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called himself a civil engineer to differentiate himself from the “military engineer”. The
profession of civil engineering is thus as old as civilization itself, in a broad sense.
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In the following section, the fact that civil engineering is the oldest engineering
discipline is elaborated. In section 3, the function of civil engineering is discussed, and
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in section 4, social development of civil engineering, such as education systems,

licensing, and civil engineering societies are described. Finally, in section 5, discussion
is directed to the considerations that need to be kept in mind in the twenty-first century
in order to maintaining sustainable development of the earth, in particular as it relates to
global environmental issues.

2. Historical Background of Civil Engineering

Since human beings appeared on the earth, they survived the severe natural environment
by securing food, clothing, and shelter, and gradually improved their ways of living to
become more comfortable. Generation after generation, people accumulated their
experience and improved their skills, step by step, to establish it as technology. They
then kept refining their technology to engineering in general practices by applying the
science and mathematics that was available at that time.

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CIVIL ENGINEERING – Vol. I - Civil Engineering - Kiyoshi Horikawa

The following sections describe the process through which civil engineering emerged
from engineering in general as an independent profession. From this review,
characteristics of civil engineering should become evident.

2.1. Engineering in General

From ancient times people devoted great efforts to constructing various facilities and
structures to make their living conditions safer and more effective. This practice kept
improving their skill during a tremendously long period of time, and the techniques they
learned were applied to numerous projects in other regions of ancient civilizations. We
can now visit and enjoy a number of sites of cultural heritage in the world that,
fortunately, have survived to the present. In the following, several well-known works
will be described.

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In ancient Egypt the Great Pyramid at Giza was constructed in about 2600 B.C. with 2.3

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million stone blocks that weigh an average of over 1.5 tonnes each. The height and the

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base length of the pyramid are 146.6m and 230m, respectively. This magnificent

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construction project was made possible only with the full use of astronomical and other
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survey technology.
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The Great Wall in China is another spectacular heritage site. The total length of the wall
is at present about 2,250km, and the construction project was initiated by Shih-hung-ti,
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the first emperor of China, in 214 B.C. by connecting the walls that existed at that time.
The main purpose of this big wall construction was to protect the state against possible
invasion by mounted troops through the state’s northern border.
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There are many other sites of heritage that can be mentioned, such as the Parthenon in
Greece, constructed in 438 B.C.; the Roman road built about 310 B.C.; the Pont du Gard,
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a three-layer arch bridge for the Aqueduct of Nemausus, in France, constructed in about
15 B.C.; the Colosseum in Rome constructed in 80 A.D.; and the Great Canal in China
completed in 610 A.D. connecting several big rivers such as the Yellow River and the
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Yangtze River.
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As explained in the introduction section above, ancient technology was refined to

engineering with utilization of the results of science and mathematics. However, in
medieval times, engineers were isolated from academic advancement, and they had to
work by trial and error. This period is thus regarded as a kind of dark period for the
engineering profession.

In ancient and medieval times military engineers were specialists in attacking or

defending castles and the like with the use of numerous devices. Those military
engineers had access to the then most advanced technical knowledge, which could be
applied to public works in peaceful times. That is why only military engineers were
called engineers for a long time. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) described himself as
an excellent military engineer in his letter of introduction to the duke of Milan.

Progress in technology bred engineering with the introduction of scientific and

mathematical knowledge. Thus engineering may be defined as a discipline where

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CIVIL ENGINEERING – Vol. I - Civil Engineering - Kiyoshi Horikawa

sciences and mathematics are applied for practical needs. Later numerous engineering
fields have sprouted alongside those of social development.

2.2. Civil Engineering as the Oldest Engineering Discipline

From the earliest times, engineering works related to both military operations and
peaceful activities had been mostly civil works. The beginning of civil engineering as a
separate discipline may be traced back to the foundation of the Bridge and Highway
Corps in France in 1716. From this corps the École National des Ponts et Chaussées (the
National School of Bridges and Highways) grew in 1747. The oldest of the four primary
and main engineering disciplines is civil engineering, which was developed as a
profession from the techniques used in the ancient world. It is concerned with designing,
site preparations, and construction of all types of structures and facilities, such as

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bridges, roads, tunnels, harbors, and airfields.

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The term “civil engineer” did not come into use until about 1750, when John Smeaton,

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the builder of the Eddystone lighthouse near Plymouth, England, is said to have started

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calling himself a civil engineer to distinguish himself from the military engineers of his
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time. However, the real profession, which is now called civil engineering, is really as
old as civilization itself.
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3. Functions of Civil Engineering
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Civil engineering is a form of human activity that has been pursued ever since people
first wanted to change the natural environment for their own benefit. It was well
described by Thomas Tredgold in 1829 when the Institution of Civil Engineers in Great
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Britain applied for its Charter:

That species of knowledge which constitutes the profession of a civil engineer; being
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the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of
man, as the means of production and of traffic in states both for external and internal
trade, as applied in the construction of roads, bridges, aqueducts, canals, river
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navigation and docks, for internal intercourse and exchange, and in the construction of
ports, harbors, moles, breakwaters and lighthouses, and in the art of navigation by
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artificial power for the purposes of commerce, and in the construction and adaptation of
machinery and in the drainage of city and towns.
(Thomas Tredgold, 1829)
Of course, added to the above there are particular forms of construction that serve
modern needs, such as airports, highways, dams, tunnels, and power stations of various
types, but these are minor refinements of the general theme of civil engineer as the
creator of physical infrastructure on which any level of civilization depends.

Civil engineering, the oldest of engineering specialties, is concerned with civil works or
public works, including building construction, and consists of several separate
specializations, as explained later. The function of civil engineers can be divided into
the following three categories, depending on the steps in construction practice: those
performed before construction, during construction, and after construction. In the first
step feasibility studies, site investigation, and design works are carried out in order to
make sure that the proposed project is meaningful and executable. In the second step,

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CIVIL ENGINEERING – Vol. I - Civil Engineering - Kiyoshi Horikawa

which is the main part of the project, closer co-operation among clients, consulting
engineers, and contractors is extremely important to complete the construction projects
successfully. Finally, in the third step, it is, needless to say, extremely important that
maintenance effort is applied to keep the structures alive, in the sense of function as
well as physical quality. In addition to these three categories, investigation activities
and/or research are also important to solve not only the practical problems encountered
during the course of construction works, but also to gain more advanced knowledge on
design and execution of construction.

The profession of civil engineering can be divided into three broad categories:
consulting, contracting, and government (or municipal) engineering. Civil engineering
itself consists of several distinct specializations, such as structures, construction,
foundation, transportation, sanitation, and hydraulics. Nowadays, specialization of civil

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engineering discipline is becoming broader to include areas such as planning and
management, remote sensing, landscape, environment, energy facilities, water

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management, and infrastructure systems, including national and regional planning,

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urban planning, telecommunication systems, and disaster prevention systems.

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Bibliography
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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). 2000. Official Register. Reston, Va., ASCE.
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Brown, L. R. 2000. State of the World 2000. Washington, D.C., World Watch Institute. [This is the
annual report on bird’s-eye views of the global environment.]
Goda, Y. 1996. Civil Engineering and Civilization [in Japanese]. Tokyo, Kashima Publishing Co. 334p
Heibonsha’s World Encyclopedia. 1988. Vols 9 & 20 [in Japanese]. Tokyo, Heibonsha.
Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). ICE web site: http://www.icenet.org.uk.
Japan Society of Civil Engineers (JSCE). 1989. Handbook of Civil Engineering, Vols 1 & 2 [in Japanese].
Tokyo, JSCE.
––––. 1994. Eighty Years of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers [in Japanese]. Tokyo, JSCE.
––––. 1999. The Membership List of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers [in Japanese]. Tokyo, JSCE.
New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1994. Vols 3 & 18. 15th edn. Chicago, Encyclopedia Britannica Inc.
Shabecoff, P. 1993. A Fierce Green Fire: The American Environment Movement. New York, Hill and
Wang. 352 pp. [This book is a history of the US environmental movement written by a leading
journalist.]

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CIVIL ENGINEERING – Vol. I - Civil Engineering - Kiyoshi Horikawa

The New Encyclopedia Americana. 1996. Vols 6 & 10. International edn. Danbury, CA., Grolier
Incorporated.

Biographical Sketch

Kiyoshi Horikawa is President, Musashi Institute of Technology, and Professor Emeritus, the University
of Tokyo and Saitama University, Japan. He was born in 1927 in Tokyo and received his higher education
at the University of Tokyo. He then took the degrees of Bachelor and Doctor in Engineering in 1952 and
1964, respectively. In 1954 he was appointed Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo, and became
Associate Professor and Professor at the same institution in 1955 and 1967, respectively. After his
retirement in 1988, he continued his work at Saitama University until February 1992.
He has taken various posts successively, including Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, the University of
Tokyo, 1984–6; President of JSCE, 1989–90; and President of Saitama University, 1992–8. In addition,
he became President, Musashi Institute of Technology in 1998.
His specialty is coastal engineering. His major interests are wave motions, including storm surges and

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tsunamis, nearshore currents, coastal sediment, and coastal environment protection. He has published over
100 papers and twenty-eight reference books.

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He has worked as a Visiting Professor in the United States, Germany, and China.

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He has received a number of honors and awards, including JSCE Award, 1969; International Coastal
Engineering Award, ASCE, 1981; Prime Minister’s Medal for Cultural Contribution (Japan) (known as
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the Purple Ribbon Award), 1993; National Citation for Cultural Contributions (Japan), 1999, and others.
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