We Put Science into Engineering

The Department of Civil & Architectural Engineering delivers engineering research and education focusing on buildings and infrastructure engineering.

Societal Context

Buildings and transportation infrastructure are as old as civilization. The building and construction industries represent some of the largest, and most important, enterprises in the world. Roughly 50 percent of the Swedish national wealth is tied up in buildings, with approximately another 10 percent invested in the transportation infrastructure. Costs associated with housing are the largest single expenditure of an average family. About 40 percent of all energy and materials resources, 40 percent of greenhouse gases, and 40 percent of all waste generated are associated with buildings and transportation infrastructure sectors in Sweden.

Today the building and construction industries face major challenges brought on by global climate change, increased cost of energy, and reduced productivity. Effective long-term solutions require significant investment in multidisciplinary research and innovation at the national and international level.

The vision for the department is to enable greener, smarter, and more economical buildings and transportation infrastructure through education and the development and application of innovative new scientific knowledge with a systems perspective.