Civil Engineering! A Shifting Paradigm

By Lokesh Choudhary

With the advent of new technologies in the avenue of this discipline, Civil Engineers are going to ride on the crest of the unstoppable wave that is digitalization.

Engineers working for megastructures are already impressed by the spirit of innovation that has been brought about in the industry. The showcased new products and solutions these state of the art technologies provide to the community of Civil Engineers, it does not limit to GNSS surveying, 3D Modelling, GIS, Building information modelling, Artificial Intelligence but much more. The breakneck pace of innovation has become more vibrant by leveraging virtual and augmented reality technologies in and out for any successful construction projects.

People do ask about the challenges that are on the horizon for the profession. But what I answer to them is, there are no challenges as such, and one should see them as opportunities to leverage ascendible skill set and dare. I say, technologies which are yet to unroll with time in the Civil Engineering profession. When I see kids getting fascinated by technologies such as drones, I am certain that they are learning engineering concepts which will push them in future well informed. Their inquisitiveness today will aid them use drones in aerial surveys tomorrow.

If we come to the ground realities, several challenges have been identified. The challenges stand only in the perception of the general mass rather than with a physical weightage to the thought.

A perception that digital innovation is limited in its value it can provide to Civil Engineers. It is also perceived that digital innovation carries a high level of risk. Combined with the risk-averse nature of civil engineering profession, this perception forms a significant challenge in implementing digital technology. Well, this is not the case, or we will not be able to see hyperloops becoming a reality, a 3.5 km long Hampton road bridge tunnel comprising of bridge trestles, man-made islands, shipping channels coming into existence. Thirdly, a poor understanding of the role of civil engineers in digital innovation both in terms of profession and of specific individual is a challenge.

This sorry state of affairs is because there has been a lack of the targeted audience and no thought has been given to the required skill sets of future civil engineers in the industry. Lack of framework, no concern for innovation and meagre investment in the research and development in construction industries is another. Does the onus lie only with academicians or the research institutes of the country? Will that be enough? This calls a demand to sensitize industry and skilled people stuck with counter thinking.

Another question that arises is “what skill set does the upcoming Civil Engineers require to blend into the requirements of smart, digital and intelligent cities of the future. Needless to say, one must always keep their research radars switched on. For example- for any project to be carried out, the intension would be making it economical and faster. One may also need to write algorithms to see this through. Programming is not just confined to software engineers but should merely be sought as a tool to facilitate the greater goal which is nothing but optimization of the process for inordinate benefits.

Over years, it has been felt that the practices in Civil Engineering needs commercialization. The only inference that can be drawn from this is that, new digital opportunities means new challenges for the benefit of Civil Engineers like us. I feel there is a need for business models to be developed and implemented. Apart from these, the focus on human capital will aid them develop right set of knowledge, skills and behavior. There are myriad sectors one can look into because of the vastness of the discipline viz. Structural Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Remote Sensing, Geomatics, Water Resource Engineering, Environmental Engineering and what not?

Exactly what is required of different Civil Engineers is difficult to say as it should be sufficiently tailored to the requirement of the sector one is working in. One needs to investigate it from a variety of perspectives. There is no other profession in a better position to tackle the issue of how to manage the demands of a growing population than Civil Engineering

I would proudly say that Civil Engineers are believed to be creators, and we nurture these creators at The Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, The NorthCap University, Gurgaon. Also, Mahatma Gandhi has very rightly said “Be the change you wish to see in the world” and what we all crave for is better quality of life which comes from digitized intelligent & smart cities. Thus, we need to be the change not just in the form of Civil Engineers but Skilled Civil Engineers for a beautiful tomorrow.

About the Author:

Lokesh Choudhary

Lokesh Choudhary is an Assistant Professor (Senior Scale) at The NorthCap University, Gurgaon. He is a gold medalist in BTech Civil Engineering from MD University, Rohtak. Lokesh completed his MTech in Geotechnical Engineering from IIT Guwahati.