This course provides an overview of modern construction materials and their use in civil engineering applications. The course focuses on the main material types, e.g. concrete (plain & reinforced), metals (ferrous and non-ferrous), timber and masonry, but also includes engineering polymers, fibre reinforced composites, glass and bituminous materials. The lectures provide an explanation of the composition, manufacture, properties and behaviour of these materials and the hazards and risks they may pose both during construction and subsequent operation of a structure.