Module 4
Aesthetics in Civil Engineering
Aesthetics has come to be regarded as an engineer’s concern. During much of the past century, our
buildings, roads, bridges, and other public facilities have been built without much consideration
for aesthetics or so it appears. It seems as though engineers have not been aware of the
psychological effects of their designs. For most people, their environment is the built environment.
It is built by engineers who are therefore responsible for its aesthetic qualities. Aesthetic design is
critical in urban spaces. Our goal must be to provide pleasurable spaces for activities a city
encourages. Paving patterns such as bricks and textured concrete can beautify even the most boring
street or sidewalk. It is up to the civil engineers, as well as the architects, to beautify our cities.
Visual compatibility between elements will create a sense of order and well-being for the facility`s
users. The cost of aesthetic quality is not always higher than the cost of poor design. In any event,
attractive projects bring much greater long-term benefits to the public by increasing the
development potential of communities.
In order for the profession to make real progress, there must be a commitment made by universities.
Aesthetics must be integrated into the civil engineering curriculum. With even the smallest
knowledge of what aesthetic is, and how it affects people, students can make better aesthetic
decisions in the future.
Examples of great architecture:
Beijing National Stadium. Also known as Bird's Nest, this phenomenal stadium was built for the
2008 Summer Olympic Games. ...
Eiffel Tower – Paris, France. ...
The Burj al Arab – Dubai. ...
Parthenon – Athens, Greece. ...
Angkor Wat – Cambodia. ...
Saint Peter's Basilica – Vatican, Rome, Italy. ...
Sydney Opera House. ...
Colosseum
Tower Bridge London
Empire State Building
Leaning Tower Pisa
Taj Mahal
HVAC
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) is the technology of indoor and vehicular
environmental comfort. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality.
HVAC system design is a sub discipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles
of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer. "Refrigeration" is sometimes added to the
field's abbreviation, as HVAC&R or HVACR or "ventilation" is dropped, as in HACR (as in the
designation of HACR-rated circuit breakers).
HVAC is an important part of residential structures such as single family homes, apartment
buildings, hotels and senior living facilities, medium to large industrial and office buildings such
as skyscrapers and hospitals, vehicles such as cars, trains, airplanes, ships and submarines, and in
marine environments, where safe and healthy building conditions are regulated with respect to
temperature and humidity, using fresh air from outdoors.
Ventilating or ventilation (the V in HVAC) is the process of exchanging or replacing air in any
space to provide high indoor air quality which involves temperature control, oxygen
replenishment, and removal of moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, carbon
dioxide, and other gases. Ventilation removes unpleasant smells and excessive moisture,
introduces outside air, keeps interior building air circulating, and prevents stagnation of the interior
air.
Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of air within the
building. It is one of the most important factors for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in
buildings. Methods for ventilating a building may be divided
into mechanical/forced and natural types.
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate use of light to achieve practical or aesthetic effects.
Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources like lamps and light fixtures, as well as
natural illumination by capturing daylight. Daylighting (using windows, skylights, or light
shelves) is sometimes used as the main source of light during daytime in buildings. This can
save energy in place of using artificial lighting, which represents a major component of energy
consumption in buildings. Proper lighting can enhance task performance, improve the appearance
of an area, or have positive psychological effects on occupants.
Acoustics
Building acoustics is the science of controlling noise in buildings. This includes the minimisation
of noise transmission from one space to another and the control of the characteristics
of sound within spaces themselves.
Building acoustics are an important consideration in the design, operation and construction of
most buildings, and can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, communication
and productivity. They can be particularly significant in spaces such as concert halls, recording
studios, lecture theatres, and so on, where the quality of sound and its intelligibility are very
important.
Building acoustics can be influenced by:
The geometry and volume of a space.
The sound absorption, transmission and reflection characteristics of surfaces enclosing
the space and within the space.
The sound absorption, transmission and reflection characteristics
of materials separating spaces.
The generation of sound inside or outside the space.
Airborne sound transmission.
Impact noise.
LEED Ratings:
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building
rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building project types, from new construction
to interior fit-outs and operation & maintenance, LEED provides a framework that project teams
can apply to create healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification
is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.
LEED certification rating systems
What is a LEED building, you ask? "LEED certifications, which will be the focus of the article,
are earned in accordance to a rating system for the sustainability of the design, construction,
maintenance and operations of a building.
The five LEED rating systems for building certification are:
1. Building Design and Construction, or BD+C. This rating is selected for buildings that are
new construction or going through a large renovation including new construction, core and
shell, schools, retail, hospitality, data centers, warehouses, distribution centers and healthcare.
2. Interior Design and Construction, or ID+C. This rating is selected when a full interior
update is completed and includes commercial interior, retail and hospitality.
3. Building Operations and Maintenance, or O+M. This rating is selected when little or no
construction is taking place and the focus is on maintenance, repairs and operations. This
includes existing buildings, schools, retail, hospitality, data centers, warehouses and
distribution centers.
4. Neighborhood Development, or ND. This rating is selected for new land development or
redevelopment and includes plan and built projects.
5. Homes. This rating is selected for single family or one to six story multifamily residences,
including homes and multifamily low-rise and mid-rise.
Development of Smart Cities:
Smart City: A Smart City is defined as that city which uses both information and communication
technologies to make its critical infrastructure and its components and offered public services to
be more interactive, efficient and the so the citizens could be more aware about them.
As we are able to check, creating a Smart City isn’t easy, we need the intervention of several agents
apart from a long term commitment.
Sources of Value of Smart City
It encourages innovation: it helps us to innovate, to develope new businesses and ideas, and
in general to encourage social development.
Help at decision making: It eases the identification of city’s needs and the raising of new
services to offer them help.
Reduction of public expenditure: The public expenditure destined to punlic services
management is reduced.
Efficiency and service quality increasing: it’s possible to make a more efficient resources
management and improve the provided services’ quality.
It offers information in real time: it provides with more and better information which flows
in real time and at the same time it improves administration transparency.
