Structural Engineering

Structural engineering — a specialty within the field of civil engineering — focuses on the framework of structures, and on designing those structures to withstand the stresses and pressures of their environment and remain safe, stable, and secure throughout their use. In other words, structural engineers make sure that buildings don't fall down and bridges don't collapse. 

Structural engineering is among the oldest types of engineering, dating back to the first instance of tree branches being lashed together with vines to make a shelter. Throughout recorded history, people have been designing and building increasingly larger and more sophisticated structures, from primitive huts to the International Space Station.

Structural engineers often work alongside civil engineers and architects as part of a construction team. "In a nutshell," according to the Institution of Structural Engineers, "if a structure was a human body, then the architect would be concerned with the body shape and appearance, and the structural engineer would be concerned with the skeleton and sinews."