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Structural engineers in Brighton and Hove

Structural calculations, drawings and surveys for homes, developments and commercial buildings across Brighton and Hove, delivered remotely nationwide with site visits arranged across the city and Sussex.

Structural engineering across Brighton and Hove

Brighton and Hove has a distinctive seaside building stock, from the Regency and Victorian terraces, squares and bow-fronted villas of Kemptown, Brunswick and the seafront to dense Victorian bylaw terraces across Hanover, Preston Park and Poets Corner, interwar and post-war housing on the northern slopes at Withdean and Patcham, and modern apartment development along the coast. Much of the central and seafront stock is within conservation areas and includes listed buildings, so alterations there carry real heritage constraints.

We provide the full structural service for the city: Eurocode calculations and drawings for extensions, loft conversions, wall removals and new openings, structural surveys and inspection reports, and design for new build, conversion and commercial work. Desktop calculations and reports are delivered anywhere in Brighton and Hove quickly, and site inspections are arranged across the city and the surrounding Sussex area.

Ground conditions and foundations in Brighton and Hove

Brighton and Hove is built on and against the chalk of the South Downs, and this dominates its foundations. Chalk is generally a good bearing stratum, but it can hold solution features and swallow holes, and it is overlain in the dry valleys and lower ground by Clay-with-flints and head deposits that are more variable and, on the steeper northern slopes, by unstable superficial material. Near the seafront and the historic Wellesbourne watercourse there are also localised made ground and softer deposits, and the steep topography means many plots slope significantly.

We design foundations to suit the ground and the slope rather than assuming a standard depth, taking advantage of firm chalk where it is present while watching for solution features, and using stepped or engineered foundations on falling sites and where variable Clay-with-flints, head or made ground is found. On the older bow-fronted and bylaw terraces we pay attention to how new openings and extensions load the existing masonry and how new foundations meet the old.

How we work with Brighton clients

Most structural design is produced from drawings, a measured survey and photographs, so a service-area practice rarely holds up a Brighton and Hove project. We turn domestic calculations around promptly and coordinate with your architect, builder and Building Control, and we are used to the constraints of conservation areas and period seafront property.

Where a site visit is needed, for a structural survey, a movement assessment, or an inspection of period or existing structure on a sloping site, we arrange it across Brighton and Hove and Sussex. Loft conversions and rear extensions on the city's tall bow-fronted and bylaw terraces put real demand on the existing walls and foundations, so we check how the new loads track down through the building before the design is fixed. Every output is tied to the Eurocodes and Approved Document A and backed by professional indemnity cover, and we support clients across the UK on the same basis.

Brighton and Hove

Local considerations.

What tends to govern a structural job in this area.

Regency and Victorian seafront stock, bylaw terraces and modern apartments
South Downs chalk bearing ground with possible solution features
Clay-with-flints, head deposits and unstable material on the slopes
Steep, sloping plots needing stepped or engineered foundations

Services

The full structural remit in Brighton and Hove.

Every service is available here. Choose one to read more, or tell us your project and location.

Selected work

Real structures, surveyed and engineered.

All work →

Sport and recreationCharlton Athletic FC, The ValleyTwo steel monopitch stand roofs rising to 27 metres were assessed for a proposed solar PV installation. Both were cleared to carry the arrays as they stand, and the fragile roofs were surveyed entirely by drone with nobody working at height.

Read →

Manufacturing and industrialWienerberger, Tamworth

EducationCarlisle College

Film and mediaDragon Studios, Pencoed

Questions

Common questions

Do you cover the whole of Brighton and Hove?

Yes. We provide structural calculations, surveys and design across Brighton and Hove and Sussex, from Kemptown and Brunswick to Hanover, Preston Park, Patcham and the surrounding towns. Desktop work is delivered remotely and site visits are arranged across the area.

Do you need to visit my Brighton property?

Not always. Calculations for extensions, lofts and wall removals are usually produced from drawings and photographs. A visit is arranged where a survey, movement assessment or inspection of period structure on a sloping site is required.

Can you provide calculations for Building Control in Brighton?

Yes. We prepare Eurocode structural calculations and drawings ready for Brighton and Hove City Council Building Control or an approved inspector, written to demonstrate compliance with Approved Document A.

Does building on chalk and slopes affect foundations here?

It can. Chalk gives firm bearing but can hold solution features, and the steep slopes and variable Clay-with-flints mean we often use stepped or engineered foundations designed to suit the ground and gradient on your plot.

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