Industry Evolution: Civil Engineering
By Daniel Drewitt, Senior Civil Engineer
Team insights on the evolution of engineering over the decade
Over the past decade, civil engineering in Australia has undergone several significant trends that have transformed project planning, design, and construction. These trends include the implementation of new technologies, a focus on sustainable engineering, and increased public infrastructure spending.
Adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM) systems has shifted the civil engineering landscape towards using detailed 3D modelling software, such as Civil 3D, Revit, and 12D. This shift facilitates easier collaboration and coordination among disciplines. As stakeholders increasingly adopt BIM, the software improves accuracy during the design and construction processes, minimising errors and saving time and costs. We have seen this change over the past decade as BIM is no longer limited to large residential or commercial buildings; it is now implemented in even small industrial projects.
Sustainable engineering practices in planning and construction are gaining traction as developments must consider alternative solutions to comply with new and existing planning policies and address the impacts of climate change. Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) has been practised in Australia for 30 years. However, our population has grown by approximately 50% (an increase of about 9 million people) during this time. To accommodate this growth, urban sprawl and the overdevelopment of existing local government areas have necessitated changes in local government policies.
Consequently, more councils are adopting WSUD policies requiring development to incorporate sustainability into their design and planning.
Increased public infrastructure investment over the past decade has led to significant growth in the industry, with several large-scale civil engineering infrastructure projects currently under construction in New South Wales (NSW) or completed in the past decade. These projects have transformed how people travel around NSW and Australia while providing jobs and opportunities for growth within the industry.
Examples include the Sydney Metro Northwest, City & Southwest ($25 billion), Western Sydney Airport ($11 billion), and the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan ($4.4 billion), which features the new M12 Motorway linking the Western Sydney Airport to the M7 Motorway, as well as NorthConnex (2018, $3 billion) and WestConnex ($16.8 billion).
Although the tools used to design and construct civil engineering projects may appear unchanged, the technology behind them and their integration into projects and developments have evolved.
Similarly, while sustainability policies have existed in the industry for decades, global trends have made these policies increasingly significant.