Home / Structural Engineers UK / Cambridge

Structural engineers in Cambridge

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

Structural engineering across Cambridge

Cambridge combines historic and modern building stock in close quarters. Victorian and Edwardian terraces fill Romsey, Petersfield and Newnham, period and college property runs through the historic core, interwar and post-war housing spreads across Cherry Hinton and Arbury, and the science and technology growth around the city has added dense new development at Trumpington, Eddington and the fringe villages. Conservation constraints are common in the central and older areas, which shapes how extensions and alterations are designed.

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, refurbishment and commercial work. Desktop calculations and reports are delivered anywhere in Cambridge quickly, and site inspections are arranged across the city and the surrounding county.

Ground conditions and foundations in Cambridge

Cambridge sits at a geological boundary, and this matters greatly for foundations. Much of the city is underlain by Gault Clay, a stiff, grey shrink-swell clay that moves with seasonal moisture change and is sensitive to nearby trees, while the higher ground to the south and east is chalk, generally a good bearing stratum but able to hold solution features. Overlying these are river terrace gravels along the Cam and, in low-lying areas towards the fen edge, softer alluvial and peaty deposits that are weaker and more compressible.

We design foundations to suit which of these grounds is present, rather than assuming a standard depth. On Gault Clay we check foundation depth against shrinkage risk and tree influence, on chalk we watch for solution features and variable rockhead, and on gravels, alluvium or peat near the river and fen we may recommend deeper or engineered foundations. Where existing foundations are extended we check bearing and the interface so old and new do not move apart.

How we work with Cambridge clients

Most structural design is produced from drawings, a measured survey and photographs, so a service-area practice rarely holds up a Cambridge 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 property in the older parts of the city.

Where a site visit is needed, for a structural survey, a movement or crack assessment on shrinkable clay, or an inspection of period or existing structure, we arrange it across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire. Cracking in the city's older housing is frequently linked to seasonal clay movement and trees rather than a structural fault, and part of a good assessment is telling the two apart before any remedial work is priced. 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.

Cambridge

Local considerations.

What tends to govern a structural job in this area.

Victorian terraces, period core property and new science-led development
Gault Clay shrink-swell ground sensitive to seasonal moisture and trees
Chalk bearing ground with possible solution features to the south and east
River terrace gravels, alluvium and peat near the Cam and fen edge

Services

The full structural remit in Cambridge.

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 Cambridge?

Yes. We provide structural calculations, surveys and design across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire, from Romsey and Newnham to Cherry Hinton, Arbury, Trumpington and the surrounding villages. Desktop work is delivered remotely and site visits are arranged across the area.

Do you need to visit my Cambridge 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 on clay, or inspection of period structure is required.

Can you provide calculations for Building Control in Cambridge?

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

Does the Gault Clay around Cambridge affect my foundations?

It can. Gault Clay shrinks and swells with moisture and is sensitive to nearby trees, so we check foundation depth against shrinkage risk and tree influence rather than assuming a standard depth, and detail accordingly.

Elsewhere in the UK