Chartered Structural Engineers
Mead Structures Ltd are a Chartered Civil and Structural Engineers based in Sussex near Brighton and Worthing. Offering Structural Engineering services throughout Southern England - East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Surrey, London and beyond, our friendly Engineers have a client focused approach to Structural Engineering that puts service before fees.
Working closely with our Clients, Architects and Contractors, we pride ourselves in providing a fast, reliable, cost-effective Structural Engineering service tailored to suit their specific needs. Residential, commercial or industrial, minor works or larger development, we have the expertise to meet your Structural Engineering requirements.
Our experience covers a wide variety of Civil and Structural Engineering disciplines, from renovation and refurbishment projects to new build schemes in a variety of market sectors. Using their specialist local and historical knowledge our skilled Engineers also undertake detailed Structural Inspections and prepare Structural Engineers Reports on specific defects for valuation and remedial purposes.
For an informal discussion with one of our Chartered Structural Engineers, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Friday 18 November 2011
A basic guide to finding and appointing a Structural Engineer for home-owners in the UK
- The Institution of Structural Engineer's Find an Engineer website.
- Directory services such as FreeIndex, Yell, Qype, etc.
- Recommendations from local building professionals such as Architects, Surveyors or Contractors.
- Internet search engines such as google, yahoo, bing, etc.
- Recommendations from the local authority's Building Control department.
- Will the works be undertaken by a Member or Associate Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers?
- If not, what professional qualifications does the Engineer hold, are they relevant and will they be supervised by a Member or Associate Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers?
- Does the practice carry Professional Indemnity Insurance and are they able to offer proof?
- Do they have experience in undertaking the type of work required?
- Is the Engineer easy to get hold of and, if not, did they return your call quickly? This could give an indication of the practice's ability to respond to any problems that may occur quickly and efficiently.
The Structural Engineer should define the extent of their services and scope of the works to the Customer and advise of any potential shortcomings with their services. The Engineer should also state clearly how their fees are to be calculated and along with any expenses and VAT, including frequency and timing of payments.
Most Structural Engineers will charge on an hourly basis although some may have fixed fee scales for common work such as inspections and reports. Some Structural Engineers may be happy to quote a fixed fee if they are confident that the work is well defined and straightforward. The Structural Engineer should be able to provide a written confirmation of their fee proposals.
The above is a very brief guide to help anyone looking to appoint a Structural Engineer. Further guidance can be obtained through the Institution of Structural Engineers - www.istructe.org
Wednesday 16 November 2011
What is a Structural Engineer?
An architect may come up with a building design, but it's the Structural Engineer's responsibility to fit the structure to the architecture, and decide on what structural system is best suited to that particular building. The Structural Engineer may design the beams, the columns, the walls, the foundation or any structural element to make the building stand up.
A Structural Engineer might also be involved in the demolition or dismantling of a structure, either permanently or in order to repair it. For both of these processes, they need to know about the forces that act on a structure from the stresses put on a bridge by heavy traffic or by strong winds on a tall building or on any structure by seasonal temperature changes.
Structural Engineers also inspect and report on structural building buildings and may prepare designs and details for repair and remedial works. Such defects may range from serious problems such as subsidence or collapse to minor defects such as wall tie corrosion or roof spread.