In this blog post, we will look at why construction and environmental engineering is a key discipline for a sustainable society.
About the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering
Before explaining what the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering is, I would like to briefly explain what a discipline is. I have always wondered why disciplines exist. In fact, when I looked at the construction sites, they seemed to be running smoothly regardless of the discussions among the relevant engineers. What was important on the sites was not the discussions among the scholars. The important issues were how effectively the budget could be allocated, how many and how quickly the necessary manpower could be provided, and how well the regulations that were obstacles to the construction could be circumvented, and there seemed to be no room for the discussions among the scholars in this process.
However, this does not mean that academics are meaningless or unnecessary. They have an important role that is not visible to the eye. Academics are the foundation for practical work and are essential for securing technical and economic stability in the long term. For example, small invisible cracks or design errors can lead to major accidents over time. Therefore, an academic approach is essential in preventing and solving problems that cannot be solved with on-site experience alone.
If academics ignore errors and draw incorrect conclusions that become the basis for design or construction, it will lead to a major disaster. This is because the structures that we believe will not collapse will collapse. In other words, academic knowledge is knowledge that we can rely on. Scholars have constantly verified the validity of knowledge without losing their critical attitude, which has made it reliable knowledge. And as a result, we have been able to secure technologies that can be used better in reality based on academic knowledge.
The unity of construction and environmental engineering
Before I actually studied at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, I didn’t know what the department did. This is because the name “Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering” didn’t really give a good idea of what it was about. The biggest reason for this is that the department covers a very wide range of fields. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering was created by combining several disciplines. The field at the center of this is civil engineering. However, urban engineering, transportation engineering, and environmental engineering are also important fields of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Each field seems to be a separate field. This is because the subjects each field deals with are so different. Construction structures (civil engineering), social structures with a large population concentrated in a limited space (urban engineering), spatial movement of people and cargo (transportation engineering), and technological responses to pollution that threaten human survival (environmental engineering). Each field seems to deal with a separate subject. I was greatly disappointed by the state of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. I felt that civil and environmental engineering was nothing more than a collection of unimportant fields of engineering.
However, I soon realized that this idea was too fragmented. Each field deals with different problems, but in fact, they are closely related. For example, civil engineering and urban planning must be considered together when building structures in cities, and urban infrastructure and environmental aspects also play an important role in ensuring that transportation systems operate efficiently. Understanding this connection made me realize how comprehensive and important construction environmental engineering is.
Economy and Construction Environmental Engineering
For an economy to grow, a tremendous amount of capital must be accumulated. Capital is a technological outcome that helps people do difficult things that they could not do before. With capital, people can fly in the sky, drink clean tap water, and move quickly between locations. Capital leads people to a better life. Therefore, the accumulation of capital leads to economic growth. We call the accumulation of capital “investment.” Strictly speaking, investment is called “total fixed capital formation,” but it is also acceptable to simply call it the accumulation of capital.
What is important here is the impact of the construction environment on economic growth. According to the Bank of Korea’s 2014 National Accounts, more than half of Korea’s investment is made in construction. This is also true for other countries. Economic growth is closely linked to infrastructure in any country in the world.
What I want to emphasize is that construction environmental engineering is closely related to the aforementioned investment. Investment is the key to economic growth. If that key is deeply related to the construction sector, it means that our Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering is doing important work at the heart of the economy. We can guess why construction environmental engineering is important for economic growth from a few examples. As the economy grows, side effects such as urbanization and environmental pollution are bound to occur. Urbanization means that people will live in a small space, which will create new social and technological problems. Professional responses are needed to efficiently operate cities and transportation systems and protect the environment, all of which are covered by construction environmental engineering.
Conclusion
I have given a long explanation of the Department of Construction and Environmental Engineering. As you might expect, I have regretted choosing construction and environmental engineering in the beginning. However, as time went by, I came to understand the importance of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, which became a great foundation for my growth. I think you will be able to tell who I am by reading my writing. Civil and environmental engineering is an essential discipline that goes beyond simple technology and is essential for strengthening the foundations of the economy and society. This was an important lesson for me as I grew into a better engineer.
