Construction

Engineers build the structures that are essential to our lives: from the buildings where we live, learn, and work to the roads that we travel to go between them.

Consider all the different kinds of structures you encounter or use in a day: buildings, roads, bridges, power lines, pipelines, sewer systems, and waterworks. Within each of those categories there could be hundreds of different kinds of construction projects. Engineers work them all with professionals from many different fields.

Engineers are often the ones called upon to solve the problems that surface when a bold, new design meets real world limitations. As our population grows and available raw materials change, engineers have to get creative to build structures that are functional, cost-effective, and look nice.

View only: | Fun Facts(11) | Historical Engineers(1) | Engineers(7)

Judy Tamir

Senior Software Architect

Department of Environmental Protection of New York City

NY
Emily Warren Roebling

Female Chief Engineer of building the Brooklyn Bridge

New York University
Miss Marita Cheng

Student

The University of Melbourne/ Imperial College London

London, (No State Selected), United Kingdom
Mona M. Vernon

Senior Director, Emerging Technology

Thomson Reuters

Boston, MA
Angela Foss

Learning Support Programs Coordinator

Coconino Community College

AZ
Cheeta Soga

Consultant

Nitsch Engineering

Boston, MA, United States
Dr. Kelly J Knight

Engineering Manager

Bechtel National, Inc.

Reston, VA, United States
Melinda Piket-May

Professor of Electrical Engineering

University of Colorado at Boulder
Alaskan Pipeline

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Egirl Team

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was the largest private construction project of its time. The pipeline is 800 miles long and has a diameter of four feet. The zigzagging pipeline carries crude oil from 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle to the terminal at Valdez.
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Resource Added: April 10, 2012
Latest Update: September 21, 2012
Emily Roebling

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Egirl Team

A woman named Emily Roebling supervised construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. When her husband became ill in 1872 Emily took over day-to-day supervision of bridge construction. Emily had studied many engineering topics related to bridge construction including mathematics, strength of materials, and cable construction. Her name is included on the plaque dedicating the bridge - recognizing her role in creating one of her era's great engineering achievements.
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Resource Added: July 3, 2012
Latest Update: September 5, 2012
Ferris Wheel

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Egirl Team

Did you know the Ferris Wheel is considered an engineering wonder? The Ferris Wheel was designed by George W. Ferris in 1893. It was designed to be the landmark of the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893. The wheel is supported by two 140-foot steel towers. The towers are connected by a 45-foot axle, making the axle the largest single piece of forged steel made at that time.
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Resource Added: May 11, 2012
Latest Update: September 21, 2012
Galveston Seawall

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Egirl Team

On September 8, 1900, a hurricane sent an 8-foot high wave crashing into the city of Galveston, Texas. This hurricane killed 6,000-8,000 people and is considered to be the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. After the hurricane, the city asked retired Army engineer Henry Robert to design a seawall that would be seven miles long and seventeen feet high. Robert designed the wall as asked and also raised the city by pumping sand underneath the buildings. In 1915, the seawall was tested by another hurricane. This time, all but 8 people survived.
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Resource Added: March 27, 2012
Latest Update: September 21, 2012
Hoover Dam

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Simil Raghavan

The Hoover Dam is one of the tallest concrete dams ever built and it created one of the largest manmade lakes in the United States. At 726.4 feet tall, it took 200 engineers from several consulting firms and the Bureau of Reclamation to design the dam. It has 3,125,000 cubic yards of concrete and weighs more than 6.6 million tons! Construction of the dam, power plant, and related works took five years to build and was finished two years ahead of schedule. The reservoir created can hold enough water to cover the entire state of Pennsylvania with water one foot deep.
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Resource Added: March 27, 2012
Latest Update: September 6, 2012
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Egirl Team

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is the world's steepest passenger railway. Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee had been made famous in the "Battle of the Clouds" during the Civil War. But since it was a four hour trip on a two-dollar toll road to get to the top of the mountain, few people visited during the 1870's. Once at the top, however, visitors would see what could only be called a breathtaking view. After the railroad boom, speculators decided to build a hotel on the mountaintop, accessible by a service railroad. In 1885, John Crass and his company, the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway Company, built a steam-powered incline railway up the steepest part of the mountain. The incline has a 72.7% slope near the top of the mountain, making it the world's steepest passenger railway. Known as "America's Most Amazing Mile" the railway still carries passengers up and down the mountain much as it did when it was built.
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Resource Added: March 27, 2012
Latest Update: September 5, 2012

Engineer Girl

Construction