Mayo, Alexandra Charisse M.

CE 401 – Civil Engineering Orientation

CE 2109 Essay No. 2
SR Code: 19-04611 October 7, 2020

Creating a masterpiece does not require vivid details but rather, excellence, hard work and
the heart as a foundation. A masterpiece does tells us how experienced its artist is in his or her field
of work. In the field of creating heights and infrastructures, comes two big professions --- Civil
Engineering and Architecture.

There is a huge difference between Civil Engineers and Architects but they also have
undeniable similarities. Civil engineers work on a variety of different projects that include
planning, building, and maintaining roads, buildings, bridges, and water systems, while architects
work primarily with houses, factories, and similar structures. Civil engineers and architects do,
however, work together on some projects.

CIVIL ENGINEERING
Civil engineering is the professional practice of designing and developing infrastructure
projects. This can be on a huge scale, such as the development of nationwide transport systems or
water supply networks, or on a smaller scale, such as the development of individual roads or
buildings. All aspects of building a structure fall under the remit of a civil engineer. This can
include planning, design, budgeting, surveying, construction management and analysis, and
often civil engineering careers encompass a combination of all these elements.

The job responsibilities of a civil engineer include testing building materials, following
regulations and considering possible project hazards, performing surveying operations, supervising
maintenance of infrastructures and using design programs for projects.

ARCHITECTURE
While artists work from real to the abstract, architects must work from the abstract to the real.
Architecture, beneath all its limitations of engineering, safety, function, climate and economy, arouse
us with designs in space and light achieved in the abstract. It is the profession of designing buildings,
open areas, communities, and other artificial constructions and environments, usually with some regard to
aesthetic effect. Architecture often includes design or selection of furnishings and decorations, supervision
of construction work, and the examination, restoration, or re-modelling of existing buildings.

The Job responsibilities of an architect include organizing structure specifications, estimating

budget and time, creating drawings and plans, presenting plans to clients and developing contracts.
CIVIL ENGINEERING VS ARCHITECTURE
Both Civil Engineering and Architecture are involved in planning and designing structures.
However, Architecture focuses more on the spatial functionality and aesthetics of the development
work and is more concerned with the artistry, look, feel and functionality of the design, while Civil
Engineering concentrates on the structural elements of the design, making certain that the structure
can endure normal and extreme conditions.

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 Even though Civil Engineers are involved in the design process, Architects take the lead role
in terms of the design of the structure. The Architect will initiate and create the design, including the
shape, color and spaces of the development work then civil engineering professionals will analyze it
to find ways to make the construction design possible. The civil engineer will be responsible in
finding suitable materials, suggesting modifications and alterations and evaluating the structural
integrity to transform the architect’s vision into realization.

To summarize, architecture’s primary concern is designing the development work while civil
engineering’s responsibility is ensuring that the design can be implemented in a safe and reliable
manner. Civil engineers and architects may sometimes overlap each other’s work but a good
relationship between the two professions will make the construction job more effective and
successful.

References:
All About Architecture, 2018, What is Architecture?,
https://medium.com/@AAA_Publication/what-is-architecture-1b52f5339c2a
Hoffman A., 2016, What is the difference between Civil Engineering and Architecture?,
https://ghhllc.com/blog/civil-engineering-bid-303244-what-is-the-difference-between-civil-
engineering-and-architecture
Top Universities, n.d., What is Civil Engineering?,
https://www.topuniversities.com/courses/engineering-civil-structural/guide
N.A., 2020, Difference Between Architect and Civil Engineer,
https://study.com/articles/difference_between_architect_civil_engineer.html#:~:text=Civil%20engi
neers%20work%20on%20a,work%20together%20on%20some%20projects.

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