Annual JS Field Trips

Each year, our third year Junior Sophister (JS) class have the opportunity to travel abroad as part of an arranged visit by Departmental staff to visit different types of Civil Engineering projects around Europe. Previous trips have included London, Barcelona and most recently Santander & Bilbao.

A photo of students standing outside a building in holding red balloons

Santander & Bilbao

A 5-day trip to the North of Spain was chosen, starting the trip in Santander. Besides being ranked as the second-best destination in Europe (according to Lonely Planet), Santander is recognised because of its leading engineering companies.

When there, the group visited ENSA (Equipos Nucleares SA), which provides solutions to nuclear power plants all around the world, from the beginning of the operation to final decommissioning, such as equipment supply, maintenance, repair activities or waste treatment. The visit also included the Environmental Hydraulics Institute, IHCantabria, whose cutting-edge work in the fields of fresh and saltwater has positioned the research center at the forefront of international organizations working in the water cycle in its various facets.

Moving onwards to Bilbao, a renewed city surrounded by rolling green hills, with a breathtaking coastline. The urban regeneration was managed by RIA2000, a public company that explained us the projects conducted (the quay repair work, the underground built by Sir Norman Foster, the Palacio Euskalduna, etc.), and the economic and political challenges they faced to transform a dying black industrial city into the European City of the Year 2018 (Urbanism Awards)… in just 20 years!

A collage of places that the Civil Engineering students visited during their field trip: the Guggenheim Museum, the pedestrian bridge the Azkuna Zentroa, the Vizcaya transporter bridge, a close up of the pintxos and zuritos the students ate, the vibrant night of the Siete Calles and Bilbao airport

A visit to the Guggenheim Museum built by F. Gehry, the pedestrian bridge by Calatrava, the Azkuna Zentroa by P. Starck and the Vizcaya transporter bridge built in 1893 by one of Eiffel's disciples were also part of the trip. In all, the group enjoy the sites, as well as Basque cuisine, the tastiest pintxos and refreshing zuritos… and of course, the vibrant night of the Siete Calles. The trip was completed by at Bilbao airport, designed by S. Calatrava.