Construction Engineering Professor Spotlight
From its inception all the way to its recent ABET-accreditation, creating an entirely separate degree for students pursuing Construction Engineering was no small order. To build a bachelor’s degree that would create top-notch employees and leaders for the rapidly-growing industry (8%) would need expertise of a certain caliber.
Dr. Brockmann joined the U in 2022 in part to spearhead the Construction Engineering degree, and there couldn’t have been a better fit. With an extensive background in both academia and industry, Dr. Brockmann has left an indelible mark on the field of Construction Engineering and will, in the years to come, be an integral part of the program’s success.
Leadership Experience in Construction Engineering
Dr. Brockmann has been at the helm of staggeringly large-scale construction projects for decades. From 1995 – 1998, he served as the project director for the Bang Na Expressway in Thailand (pictured above). Though this was much more complicated than any other raised highway, and its $4 billion budget made it not your everyday construction project.
The project challenged him to direct the design and construction of the longest bridge in the world at the time. Upon its completion, the 34 miles long and six-lane elevated highway took the title of the longest bridge in world and held it until 2008. (It remains the 7th longest bridge in the world today.) It took 1,800,000 cubic meters of concrete to build the bridge.
In 2015, his leadership extended to the $2 billion USD Port Said Tunnels project, connecting Sinai, East of the Suez Canal, and Delta. This transformative project involved meticulous planning, tunnel boring machine adjustments, and overcoming challenges in unstable mud soils. Dr. Brockmann planned for the successful completion of this complex endeavor. The total length of the tunnel is 3930m and reached to 4830m by adding the entries and exits; it includes 2 lanes with 3.60m and the maximum depth is 57m under the Suez Canal.
Just a few other of his responsibilities have included Structural Engineer for Berlin’s Hall of Congress and the Dame Point bridge in Jacksonville, FL, Site Engineer for Denmark’s Great Belt Tunnel, and participation in the project management for Qatar’s $40 billion Metro system.
Structural Engineer
Dame Point Bridge, Jacksonville, FL.
Structural Engineer
Hall of Congress, Berlin
Project Management
Port Said Canals, Sinai
Breadth of Knowledge
Dr. Brockmann’s academic journey is as impressive as his professional achievements. Graduating with BSc and MSc in Civil Engineering from Germany in 1981, he continued to expand his expertise with an Engineering Degree in Civil Engineering from France in 1982.
Over the course of his career, Brockmann realized that to effectively oversee construction projects of a certain scale, one requires more than the engineering expertise.
Driven by a pursuit of knowledge as well as a passion for taking on larger and more complex jobs, he earned a BA and MA in Business Administration, an MA in Economics, a PhD in Construction Management in 2007 (Switzerland), and his latest achievement, a 2022 PhD in Economics (Germany).
All of Dr. Brockmann’s attributes, as well as the expertise of our other Construction Engineering professors, provide our students with an outstanding education. We look forward to seeing the success of our graduates supporting economic growth and construction development in such a critical part of Utah’s workforce.
More on Construction Engineering at the U
Since 2022, our bachelor’s degree in Construction Engineering has been the only ABET-accredited program in Utah. Designed meet industry trends, our program encompasses environmental sustainability and software adoption to prepare the next generation of construction engineers, who currently in very high demand on today’s job market.
More news from our department:
PhD Student Proposes Vision for the Future of Engineering in Utah
Mina Golazad, Construction Engineering PhD student, has been awarded second place in the ASCE Utah Younger Member Forum Scholarship program for her vision of engineering in the future state. Mina’s response to the prompt, “Be Future Ready,” garnered recognition from the ASCE Utah Younger Member Forum. This year’s prompt challenged participants to envision the challenges […]
$1M DOE Grant for Advanced Nuclear Energy Research
Dr. Peter Zhu’s team Plays Key Role in Securing $1M DOE Grant for Advanced Nuclear Energy Research We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Peter Zhu, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and his lab have been collaborating with a team at the University of Illinois on a proposal that has just been awarded […]
Research at the U is Building Better Utah Infrastructure
Dr. Pedro Romero Honored with Friend of Industry Award at the 2024 Utah Asphalt Conference The Utah Asphalt Paving Association—the driving force behind our road infrastructure—recently hosted the 2024 Utah Asphalt Conference from February 27 to 28. Recognized as the premier asphalt-related event in the state, the conference brought together the industry’s best minds, including […]
Dr. Cathy Liu Earns Prestigious Educator Award
CvEEN Professor Earns 2023 Outstanding Educator Award The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is a global organization dedicated to improving transportation systems and creating smarter, more livable communities. Within this vast network, the Mountain District ITE represents the U.S.’s mountain states and recognizes outstanding educators in the field. Dr. Cathy Liu has been honored with […]