Civil Engineering

This course explores spatial planning and environmental management within the context of civil engineering. It discusses the conceptual, methodological, and technical tools to integrate sustainability, spatial analysis, and infrastructure development into effective civil engineering practices. This course also examines the influence of environmental systems and urban services (transport, sanitation, waste, energy, and communication) on territorial planning, with a focus on sustainable development, regulatory compliance, and ethical responsibility.

This course examines the relationship between the behavior of materials, its nature and the fabrication process. It covers the theoretical and practical knowledge of chemistry, physics, mechanical and technological properties of materials most used in construction. Topics include the knowledge of properties and characteristics of materials, the right way materials must be used, how to preserve these materials, and the constructions where they have been used, develop the right criteria in order to a proper selection of materials, and the technical legislation dealing with these materials.

In this course, students learn the planning, design, construction, and operation of highways, traffic networks and their related infrastructure. The course is divided into the following activities: lectures, recitations (design case studies), laboratory and computer practice sessions. Students use CAD/BIM professional software for highway design. Topics include specialized vocabulary and regulatory knowledge relevant to highway engineering; the core concepts, principles, and terminology in highway design and construction; the basic characteristics of road transport supply and demand, and the main actors involved. Students gain the ability and skills to analyze, quantify and correct the traffic states in rural and urban roads, as part of the usual techniques of Traffic Engineering; skills to design urban and rural road segments, specifically including geometric design, pavement design, connections and road junctions design; the fundamental characteristics of air transport and aircrafts for its use in airport infrastructure design; and develop critical analysis capabilities, conceptual scalability, and depth of understanding applicable to this Civil Engineering specialization.

This course examines the technological properties and behavior models of concrete, steel rebars and steel tendons, both individually and globally, to resist mechanical and chemical actions. Students learn to understand and apply the European standard (EUROCODE 2, EN-1992) for the design and construction of reinforced and prestressed concrete structures. Additional topics include the different structural analysis methods for concrete structures according to European standard, competence in the project, design construction and maintenance of reinforced concrete structures of moderate complexity, and the behavior and design of statically determinate prestressed concrete members with pre-tensioned tendons, and of the materials and construction systems involved. This course requires students to have prerequisites and background knowledge.

The course provides students with detailed knowledge on advanced construction and building materials used in civil infrastructure, such as sustainability of materials, mechanisms of fracture and failure, fiber reinforced composites, advanced concrete, advanced steel, and advanced engineered wood products. The composition, characteristics, properties, and performance of these materials are introduced in detail, and their availability, cost, and their use in civil engineering are discussed as well, based on which the students develop the ability to make professional decisions about materials selection for civil engineering design within a practical context.

Students gain fundamental but advanced knowledge in Environmental Fluid Mechanics which goes beyond undergraduate level fluid mechanics. Students acquire analytical and modelling skills to carry out more advanced engineering tasks in the water, coastal, environmental engineering space. Students study physical processes of Fluid Mechanics and develop problem solving skills that are based on a better understanding of the physical mechanisms involved in Fluid Mechanics applications.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. The course focuses on advanced methods and models to predict the vulnerability of a water body to natural and anthropic pressures and evaluate the risk of water scarcity or poor quality under current and future conditions. In particular, the course addresses the following main contents: analytical and numerical models of flow and contaminant transport, data-driven and risk assessment methods, and laws of similarity for model tests in hydraulics. It is divided into two modules: 

Module 1: 

• Analytical and numerical modeling of flow processes in natural domains
• Analytical and numerical modeling of transport processes
• Risk and sensitivity analysis
• Monitoring and data-driven methods for the analysis of water bodies
• Introduction to geostatistics

Module 2: 

• Dimensionless numbers and laws of similarity for model tests in hydraulics
• Hydraulic measurements

This course addresses issues surrounding the Climate Emergency and Net Zero in the renewable and sustainable energy field, with an introduction to existing energy demand and provision in the UK and globally. This involves various energy technologies, resources and devices introduced to meet the potential energy gaps and mix for future demand and supplies.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. This course advances students' understanding of structural behavior and enhances their ability to apply structural analysis methods to civil engineering structures. Students acquire knowledge in the following areas: Structural Matrix Analysis, i.e., techniques for analyzing 2D truss and frame structures using the Direct Stiffness Method and FEM software. Buckling Analysis, i.e., methods for buckling and post-buckling analysis of discrete and continuous systems, with FEM applications. Plastic Analysis, i.e., concepts of plasticity, incremental and limit analysis for truss and beam systems, also using FEM tools. The main skills developed during this course include: Proficiency in matrix analysis and the Finite Element Method (FEM) for analyzing truss and frame structures. Ability to evaluate buckling and post-buckling behavior of rigid and continuous systems, using equilibrium and energy methods. Competence in conducting plastic analysis of structural systems, including an understanding of plastic hinges. Software Proficiency: hands-on experience with FEM-based software for solving structural, buckling, and elasto-plastic problems. Analytical and critical thinking: enhanced ability to approach complex structural issues with theoretical and computational tools. The course contributes to the objectives of the master’s program related to the application of mathematical tools for interpreting, describing, and modeling structural problems.

A prior knowledge and understanding of the static behavior of planar truss and beam structures is recommended. The course includes theoretical lectures (module 1), exercises and laboratory sessions (module 2). 

Drinking water production plants and wastewater treatment plants are essential parts of the urban water infrastructure and have a large influence on the hydrological cycle. To protect the environment and the environmental services the ecosystems provide, water needs to be handled in an environmentally sustainable way. In the glocal perspective SDG 6 "Water and sanitation" targets the need to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and saniation for all. The aim of the course is to provide knowledge about water and wastewater treatment to be able to design and operate municipal facilities for production of drinking water and treatment of wastewater in the urban area.