Civil Engineering, OPE-PUB

Civil engineering, the profession of designing and executing structural works that serve the general public. The term was first used in the 18th century to distinguish the newly recognized profession from military engineering, until then preeminent.
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Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title

Opéra
Opéra, Parisian opera house designed by Charles Garnier. The building, considered one of the masterpieces of the......
oratory
oratory, in architecture, a small, private chapel...
order
order, any of several styles of classical or Neoclassical architecture that are defined by the particular type......
Ordnance Survey International
Ordnance Survey International, former surveying, mapping, and aerial photography agency (1946–2001) of the British......
oriel
oriel, in architecture, a bay window in an upper story, supported from below by projecting corbels, or brackets......
Orient-Express
Orient-Express, luxury train that ran from Paris to Constantinople (Istanbul) for more than 80 years (1883–1977).......
orientation
orientation, (from Latin oriens, orientum, “the rising sun”), in architecture, the position of a building in relation......
ornament
ornament, in architecture, any element added to an otherwise merely structural form, usually for purposes of decoration......
Oroville Dam
Oroville Dam, earth-fill dam on the Feather River, California, U.S. Completed by the state of California in 1968,......
Otto, Nikolaus
Nikolaus Otto was a German engineer who developed the four-stroke internal-combustion engine, which offered the......
Overweg, Adolf
Adolf Overweg was a German geologist, astronomer, and traveler who was the first European to circumnavigate and......
Oxley, John
John Oxley was a surveyor-general and explorer who played an important part in the exploration of eastern Australia......
Ozarks, Lake of the
Lake of the Ozarks, lake in south-central Missouri, U.S., in the scenic Ozark Mountains about 42 miles (68 km)......
O’Gorman, Juan
Juan O’Gorman was a Mexican architect and muralist, known for his mosaic designs that adorned the facades of buildings.......
Pacific Railway Acts
Pacific Railway Acts, (1862, 1864), two measures that provided federal subsidies in land and loans for the construction......
Pacific Scandal
Pacific Scandal, (1872–73), charges of corruption against Canadian prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald in awarding......
pagoda
pagoda, a towerlike, multistory, solid or hollow structure made of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with......
palace
palace, royal residence, and sometimes a seat of government or religious centre. The word is derived from the Palatine......
Palladian window
Palladian window, in architecture, three-part window composed of a large, arched central section flanked by two......
Palmer, Timothy
Timothy Palmer was a U.S. pioneer builder of covered timber truss bridges. A millwright, he was also a self-taught......
Pan-American Highway
Pan-American Highway, network of highways connecting North America and South America. Originally conceived in 1923......
Panama Canal
Panama Canal, lock-type canal, owned and administered by the Republic of Panama, that connects the Atlantic and......
panopticon
panopticon, architectural form for a prison, the drawings for which were published by Jeremy Bentham in 1791. It......
Pantheon
Pantheon, building in Rome that was begun in 27 bc by the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, probably as a building......
Panthéon
Panthéon, building in Paris that was begun about 1757 by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot as the Church of......
parapet
parapet, a dwarf wall or heavy railing around the edge of a roof, balcony, terrace, or stairway designed either......
Parliament Buildings
Parliament Buildings, structures in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, that house the Canadian Parliament (the Senate and......
Parliament, Houses of
Houses of Parliament, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the seat of the bicameral Parliament,......
Parsons, Sir Charles Algernon
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons was a British engineer whose invention of a multi-stage steam turbine revolutionized......
password
password, in computing, a sequence of characters used to authenticate a user’s identity and authorize access to......
patio
patio, in Spanish and Latin American architecture, a courtyard within a building, open to the sky. It is a Spanish......
pattern recognition
pattern recognition, in computer science, the imposition of identity on input data, such as speech, images, or......
pavement
pavement, in civil engineering, durable surfacing of a road, airstrip, or similar area. The primary function of......
Paxton, Sir Joseph
Sir Joseph Paxton was an English landscape gardener and designer of hothouses, who was the architect of the Crystal......
pedestal
pedestal, in Classical architecture, support or base for a column, statue, vase, or obelisk. Such a pedestal may......
pediment
pediment, in architecture, triangular gable forming the end of the roof slope over a portico (the area, with a......
Pei, I.M.
I.M. Pei was a Chinese-born American architect noted for his large, elegantly designed urban buildings and complexes.......
pendentive
pendentive, in architecture, a triangular segment of a spherical surface, filling in the upper corners of a room,......
Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue, major thoroughfare of Washington, D.C. It runs for 7 miles (11 km) in a northwesterly direction......
Pennsylvania Railroad Company
Pennsylvania Railroad Company, largest of the trunkline railroads that connected the East Coast of the United States......
Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike, one of the earliest major limited-access express highways in the United States, opened in......
Pentagon
Pentagon, large five-sided building in Arlington county, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., that serves as the headquarters......
penthouse
penthouse, enclosed area on top of a building. Such a structure may house the top of an elevator shaft, air-conditioning......
Peregrinus of Maricourt, Peter
Peter Peregrinus of Maricourt was a French crusader and scholar who wrote the first extant treatise describing......
Perronet, Jean
Jean Perronet was a French civil engineer renowned for his stone arch bridges, especially the Pont de la Concorde,......
Persian Royal Road
Persian Royal Road, ancient road running from Susa, the ancient capital of Persia, across Anatolia to Sardis and......
petroleum engineering
petroleum engineering, the branch of engineering that focuses on processes that allow the development and exploitation......
Petronas Twin Towers
Petronas Twin Towers, pair of skyscraper office buildings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that are among the world’s......
photogrammetry
photogrammetry, technique that uses photographs for mapmaking and surveying. As early as 1851 the French inventor......
piano nobile
piano nobile, (Italian: “noble floor”), in architecture, main floor of a Renaissance building. In the typical palazzo,......
Piano, Renzo
Renzo Piano is an Italian architect best known for his high-tech public spaces, particularly his design (with Richard......
Piccard, Auguste
Auguste Piccard was a Swiss-born Belgian physicist notable for his exploration of both the upper stratosphere and......
Piccard, Jacques
Jacques Piccard was a Swiss oceanic engineer, economist, and physicist, who helped his father, Auguste Piccard,......
pier
pier, in building construction, vertical loadbearing member, such as an intermediate support for adjacent ends......
pilaster
pilaster, in Greco-Roman Classical architecture, shallow rectangular column that projects slightly beyond the wall......
pile
pile, in building construction, a postlike foundation member used from prehistoric times. In modern civil engineering,......
pillar
pillar, in architecture and building construction, any isolated, vertical structural member such as a pier, column,......
piscina
piscina, in Roman times, an artificial reservoir used for swimming or as a fish pond. During the Middle Ages a......
pixel
pixel, Smallest resolved unit of a video image that has specific luminescence and colour. Its proportions are determined......
plasma arc gasification
plasma arc gasification (PAG), waste-treatment technology that uses a combination of electricity and high temperatures......
plaster
plaster, a pasty composition (as of lime or gypsum, water, and sand) that hardens on drying and is used for coating......
plaster of paris
plaster of paris, quick-setting gypsum plaster consisting of a fine white powder (calcium sulfate hemihydrate),......
playground
playground, controlled setting for children’s play. This institutionalized environment consists of a planned, enclosed......
plinth
plinth, Lowest part, or foot, of a pedestal, podium, or architrave (molding around a door). It can also refer to......
plumbing
plumbing, system of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution and use of potable (drinkable)......
pneumatic structure
pneumatic structure, Membrane structure that is stabilized by the pressure of compressed air. Air-supported structures......
podium
podium, in architecture, any of various elements that form the “foot,” or base, of a structure, such as a raised......
pointing
pointing, in building maintenance, the technique of repairing mortar joints between bricks or other masonry elements.......
pole construction
pole construction, Method of building that dates back to the Stone Age. Excavations in Europe show rings of stones......
Polhem, Christopher
Christopher Polhem was a Swedish mechanical and mining engineer. From 1693 to 1709 he devised water-powered machinery......
pollution control
pollution control, in environmental engineering, any of a variety of means employed to limit damage done to the......
Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf, the oldest existing bridge across the Seine River via the Île de la Cité in Paris, built, with interruptions......
Ponte Sant’Angelo
Ponte Sant’Angelo, ancient Roman bridge, probably the finest surviving in Rome itself, built over the Tiber River......
Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio, the first segmental arch bridge built in the West, which crosses over the Arno River at Florence......
Ponte, Antonio da
Antonio da Ponte was an architect-engineer who built the Rialto Bridge in Venice. Though he was undoubtedly the......
pontoon bridge
pontoon bridge, floating bridge, used primarily but not invariably for military purposes. See also military bridge.......
porch
porch, roofed structure, usually open at the sides, projecting from the face of a building and used to protect......
Porsche, Ferdinand
Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian automotive engineer who designed the popular Volkswagen car. Porsche became general......
porte cochere
porte cochere, in Western architecture, either of two elements found in large public and private buildings, popular......
portico
portico, colonnaded porch or entrance to a structure, or a covered walkway supported by regularly spaced columns.......
Post, Pieter
Pieter Post was an architect who, along with Jacob van Campen, created the sober, characteristically Dutch Baroque......
post-and-lintel system
post-and-lintel system, in building construction, a system in which two upright members, the posts, hold up a third......
postal codes
postal codes, numeric or alphanumeric code, usually five or six characters, that identifies a geographic location......
postal system
postal system, the institution—almost invariably under the control of a government or quasi-government agency—that......
postcard
postcard, a card for transmitting a message that can be mailed without an envelope. The first government-issued......
Powell, John Wesley
John Wesley Powell was an American explorer, geologist, and ethnologist, best known for his exploration of the......
power shovel
power shovel, digging and loading machine consisting of a revolving deck with a power plant, driving and controlling......
precast concrete
precast concrete, Concrete cast into structural members under factory conditions and then brought to the building......
prefabrication
prefabrication, the assembly of buildings or their components at a location other than the building site. The method......
presbytery
presbytery, in Western architecture, that part of a cathedral or other large cruciform church that lies between......
prestressed concrete
prestressed concrete, Concrete reinforced by either pretensioning or posttensioning, allowing it to carry a greater......
prison
prison, an institution for the confinement of persons who have been remanded (held) in custody by a judicial authority......
production management
production management, planning and control of industrial processes to ensure that they move smoothly at the required......
promenade
promenade, place for strolling, where persons walk (or, in the past, ride) at leisure for exercise, display, or......
Prony, Gaspard de
Gaspard de Prony was a French mathematician and engineer. He invented the Prony brake (1821), a device for measuring......
propylaeum
propylaeum, in ancient Greek architecture, porch or gatehouse at the entrance of a sacred enclosure, usually consisting......
Prouvé, Jean
Jean Prouvé was a French engineer and builder known particularly for his contributions to the art and technology......
prytaneum
prytaneum, town hall of a Greek city-state, normally housing the chief magistrate and the common altar or hearth......
public utility
public utility, enterprise that provides certain classes of services to the public, including common carrier transportation......

Civil Engineering Encyclopedia Articles By Title