Twenty years of civil and structural engineering computing

This paper reviews the developments in computer methods in civil and structural engineering as presented in the papers of the Civil-Cornp conference series over the last twenty years. It includes a summary of computing hardware and software developments including: PC technology, the Internet, high performance computing, artificial intelligence, genetic algorithms and neural networks. The application of these developments to civil and structural enginering over the period is reviewed. Major fields of application include structural analysis and design, structural optimization, finite element methods, geotechnical engineering, water engineering and construction engineering. The review is based on over three thousand papers presented at the Civil-Comp Conference series from 1983 to 2003.