Civil Engineering

This course gives students an overview of physical and chemical treatment systems for water and wastewater.

The course aims are to describe water and wastewater sources; explain the characteristics of water and wastewater (physical, chemical, and biological parameters); provide an overview of both national and international regulatory frameworks governing drinking water and wastewater management; discuss the fundamental principles of physical and chemical processes for water and wastewater treatment, and water reclamation; introduce water treatment processes including coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, adsorption, disinfection, softening, and membrane filtration.

In this course students are introduced to the design principles of transport systems, their application to the movement of people and goods, within the wider context of the civil engineering profession. The course covers concepts such as travel demand, value of time and the environmental of transportation, underpinned by mathematical programming and algorithmic techniques. A strong systems design thread is running throughout the course, which includes aspects of network design, optimization, and performance maximization.

In this course, students develop essential engineering skills, working in groups and using problem-based learning to find solutions to real engineering projects; are inspired and be given the purpose behind the method of turning theoretical teaching into practice; work as a group on the development of conceptual designs and to be a creative “designer”; generate ideas and carry out research to assess the feasibility of design concepts; experience hands-on modelling as ways of communicating ideas; work as a group to plan and manage the construction of a design at a 1:1 scale; develop application of geometric and parametric modelling in design; give and receive critical feedback on designs responses to the developed brief; and reflect on the role of civil engineers as designers and makers. The course is delivered across two intensive weeks during Creative Design where no other teaching takes place. 2 x 1 weeks are Creative Design weeks in which students work as groups to develop civil engineering designs across multiple design scales.

This course builds on the foundations set in the first year by further exploring the business environment in which civil engineering projects take place. It is part of the design thread through the MEng program. The course introduces the concept of risk management and the different types of risks inherent in the civil engineering industry. It also gives an overview of the organizations involved in the supply chain and the principles of project management and procurement, including ways to improve performance, worker safety, and the environmental impact.

In this course students learn about fundamental soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering; analyze soil origin, composition and variables used to classify soils and assess their state; learn basic concepts related to the one-dimensional flow of water through soils; explain the purpose and basic design principles of building foundations and retaining walls; become familiar with soils, rocks, and the use of geological maps and sketches in desk studies; appreciate the importance of developing a detailed understanding of ground conditions in successful civil engineering; and recognize major geotechnical hazards, plan appropriate site investigations, and develop safe and successful geotechnical design. 

The course provides technological insights into hydropower harnessing, with special emphasis on Icelandic conditions. Topics include hydropower potential, technically feasible hydropower, main structural components in a hydropower plant, structural design of hydropower plants, both underground (tunnels) and above ground (dams, spillways), regulations, environment, health and safety considerations over life cycle of plant, ice and sedimentation, hydro- and electromechanical components, electricity production, cost analysis of main structures and equipment, and feasibility of the power plant.

The major processes involved in energy and environmental engineering are of an interdisciplinary nature. Understanding these important processes requires a good knowledge of the fundamental science in disciplines such as microbiology, chemistry, and thermodynamics. This course provides students with an overview of these disciplines with the focus on the application to a wide range of energy technologies and the environment.

This course develops students' understanding of the fundamental principles needed to design drinking water supply and treatment works, wastewater collection and treatment systems, and their ability to develop waste and resource management strategies. 

This course follows the process of locating, designing, constructing, and maintaining highways. It covers the highway planning process and the principles of route location and introduces the concepts of design speeds, operating speeds, and speed limits. Consideration is given to geometric link design and in particular vertical links and horizontal links. This is followed by pavement design, considering the design of both flexible and rigid pavements. The final part of the course considers alternative methods of surface drainage for highways, as well as the earthworks requirement for the construction of highways.

In this course, three major topics are covered: (1) treatment and reutilization technology in wastewater engineering, including wastewater and storm water systems; physical, chemical, and biological wastewater treatment unit processes; industrial wastewater treatment; advanced wastewater treatment and reclamation technology; sludge treatment and disposal technology; (2) treatment and reutilization technology in air pollution control engineering, including techniques for air pollution measurements; sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides abatement techniques; VOCs and HCs abatement techniques; particulate matters abatement techniques; control technique of mobile source pollutants; and (3) treatment and reutilization technology in solid & hazardous waste engineering, including waste minimization and processing, biochemical waste conversion, thermal waste transformation, waste disposal, hazardous waste treatment and reuse.