Due to the ongoing changes in the developed world, there are multiple discussions on rising global social awareness when building a piece of architecture. People are often curious to find out whether companies have a bigger responsibility, expanding the frames of their practice. As an engineer, you have already probably wondered: Am I socially aware? Which are my responsibilities towards the world around me?
In order to provide you with an answer to those questions, we’ve prepared a blog post for you regarding Global Social Awareness, highlighting the most crucial points we want you to think about as a construction engineer. By following the next few paragraphs, you can find out more about the social responsibilities of civil engineering work and learn more about the right way of designing the urbanization for society.
In order to speak clearly about the main ideas and issues, we must explicate the used terms. Since social awareness is a concept defined as an ability to comprehend and appropriately react with the problems of society and people’s interpersonal struggles, the term means to be conscious of your environment.
So now, you are probably asking yourself: What lies behind the concept of social awareness in the field of construction engineering? And in fact, you are not the only one! There are multiple discussions on the ethics behind this question, and we as humans are still struggling to find a principle that can be taken as a general rule.
Nowadays, there are multiple answers to these questions, including your own definition of being aware of the world around you, but we can all agree that adds up to the concept behind a sustainable construction design. Moreover, each engineer should work on finding a solution that will eliminate or at least minimize the negative environmental impact of the urbanization, made to connect the people and the natural environment.
By choosing a career path and holding a job position, we all play a certain role in society. In such a case, as planners, builders, designers of the infrastructure, and structure, each project should follow the criteria for integrity. Even though such a statement can be hard to follow regarding the way of monitoring the work of engineers by the companies, every engineer should be guided by integrity and dismiss the abdicated control.
In other words, we have a duty to act in a moral way as individuals that are aware and conscious of the environment around us. Thus said, the civil engineers must be socially responsible if we are aiming towards building a solid foundation for the society, both practically and figuratively. Such practice revolves around the capability to master your skills in the field, and yet, have the ability to exercise your social skills.
In the time of an increase in the human population and dynamic technical development, engineering plays a huge role as an industry that is shaping the world we live in. This means building a place for the generations that are part of the society, and for the new ones to come. Because of this, each engineer should think of the impact on the environment.
By using the earth’s limited sources, the materials and means of energy should be chosen wisely, focusing on sustainability rather than using the old-fashioned ways that are temporarily damaging the Earth. In the ideal world, engineering should be able to complement the natural surroundings in the appearance, fitting in the way nature works.
In addition, the good news is that today, more clients have developed their interest in creating a sustainable building. Such practice has happened because people are becoming more aware of the need to protect the environment and yet because sustainability is more cost-effective in the long run. Thanks to this improvement, today we are focused on prioritizing socially responsible engineering and there are many debates and discussions on the options for raising global social awareness.
As engineers, we are designing the future for the generations to come. By doing so, we are working with the resources that are already available. When doing so, we are obligated to think about the ways the construction and design will affect the environment around us and still meet the needs of the clients. We need to optimize the way and seek a solution that will work with the long-term health and security of humans, plants, and animals.
Only by following such rules, we can make sure that the world won’t suffer the consequences of our actions. In other words, we can be socially aware and focus on using self-sustainable materials that can do more for us, and yet, be friendly towards the environment.
No matter if you are an architect or an engineer, always make sure you are following your inner moral compass as an individual. In order for us to become socially aware and responsible, we must find the optimal solution that will match the client’s preferences and be in favor of the planet.
