Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a giant in the field of engineering, remains a constant source of inspiration for up and coming engineers. His work ranged from creating suspension bridges to building railway tracks, and no doubt influenced some of the greatest feats of civil engineering in London. Could some of the London engineering highlights persuade you to follow a civil engineering course?

What a waste
It may be a bit yucky, but London’s sewerage system, built in the mid-1800s, came as welcome relief. In the early part of the 19th century the Thames was really just an open sewer, killing people in their thousands through cholera epidemics. But it wasn’t until something called ‘The Great Stink of 1858’ that our modern sewerage system was made. Six main sewers were built, totalling 100 miles and needing some 318 million bricks and 880,000 cubic yards of mortar. In the end, some 3.5million tonnes of earth was shifted. What a relief!

What goes around
The London Eye was meant to be temporary, but the hard work put into building it means it’s here for good. Parts were brought up the Thames on barges and the wheel was assembled lying down. It was raised upright by cranes, at two degrees an hour. The total weight of steel in the Eye is 1,700 tonnes, with much of it coming from Skoda.

Raising the roof
A careful partnership between architects and engineers brought us the ‘tessellated’ roof of the Great Court – known to us all as the British Museum’s curvy roof. The designers and engineers had to work around the old building, putting in place the roof’s various panels (each a slightly different shape). The glass and steel roof is made up of 3,312 glass panels, 478 tonnes of steel and 11 km of roof structure. It is the largest covered square in Europe

A welcome barrier
Located near Woolwich for its strong underlying rock, the Thames Barrier has the job of preventing tidal floods from the sea. Work began in 1974 and was completed in 1982. Total construction cost £534million, but due to global warming, the barrier will be able to cope with sea level rises until around 2040. When it was built it was expected to last a lot longer.  

The glass palace
Built to show off the latest technological gadgets of the Industrial Revolution, the Crystal Palace was first put up in Hyde Park in 1851. The building was 560m in length and 33m tall. It required 84,00m2 of glass, and was made by some 5,000 builders. After the show finished, the building was moved to Upper Norwood in 1854.  It continued to attract many thousands  of visitors until it burnt down in 1936.

If you see yourself having a hand in future engineering feats, here are some of the ways in.

• Civil Engineer

Typically, a civil engineer needs a relevant degree or HNC/HND, then to have further training with an employer. Straight from school, you can begin training for craft or technician-level jobs with GCSEs (A-C) in English, maths and science.

• Draughtsperson

One way to become a draughtsperson, working with Computer Aided Design (CAD), is to find work with an employer as a technician apprentice. To do this you usually need four or more GCSEs (A-C) including maths, English and a science, or an appropriate Intermediate GNVQ Level II. Another way in is to take a full-time course before seeking a job at technician level. These courses lead to a BTEC National Certificate/Diploma in an engineering subject. Entry requirements are the same as for apprenticeships.