TPi April 2012

construct ion bridges, roads, canals, dams, convention centres, underground cities, skyway systems all have this in common: they are big projects with long life cycles, many intended to endure into the indefinite future. With more users per unit over the life of the construct than in any other building discipline, civil engineering is answerable to that many more monitors. From the drawing board stage to the ribbon-cutting ceremony and beyond, local, municipal, even national governments may insist on having their say in matters of design, construction and maintenance. This is as it should be, since outsize projects involve proportionately greater commitments of money, property and time, and typically involve risk to life and limb beyond the average. What keeps these undertakings coming is the conviction in every new generation that they are worth doing. and what ensures their completion is the availability of products – such as tubing and pipe for the all-important flow paths in virtually every major system – from consummate professionals who understand the challenges faced by those who would do great works.