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Structural engineers in Cardiff

Structural engineering, Building Control calculations and surveys for homes, developments and commercial projects across Cardiff, delivered remotely nationwide with site visits arranged across the city and South Wales.

Structural engineering across Cardiff

Cardiff has a varied building stock, from the Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Cathays, Roath and Canton, to grand villas in Pontcanna and Penylan, interwar and post-war housing across the outer suburbs, and the dockland and warehouse conversions of Cardiff Bay and the former coal port. Each brings its own structural work, whether that is opening up a bay-fronted terrace, forming a loft in an Edwardian villa, or converting a warehouse near the waterfront.

We provide the full structural remit for Cardiff projects: Eurocode calculations and drawings for extensions, loft conversions and wall removals, structural surveys and inspection reports, and design for new build, conversion and commercial work. Desktop calculations and reports are delivered anywhere in South Wales quickly, and where a survey or site inspection is needed we arrange it across the city and its surroundings.

Ground conditions around Cardiff

Cardiff sits on the edge of the South Wales coalfield, with Triassic and Jurassic rocks, including Mercia Mudstone and limestones, present across the city, overlain by glacial till, river gravels and estuarine deposits. The bedrock gives firm bearing in many areas, but the Mercia Mudstone is a shrinkable clay that moves with the seasons and near trees, while the low-lying ground around the Taff, Ely and the reclaimed dockland carries soft alluvial and made ground that often calls for deeper or engineered foundations. The coalfield setting to the north means old workings can feature on some plots.

We design foundations to the actual ground rather than a default depth, specifying strip, trench-fill, raft or piled solutions to suit the plot. On the reclaimed dockland and river ground we allow for made ground and soft alluvium, where weathered mudstone and trees combine we check foundation depth against the shrinkage risk, and where old workings may be present we recommend the appropriate ground checks.

How we work with Cardiff clients

Most structural work is done from your drawings and survey information, so a service-area model suits Cardiff projects well. We turn desktop calculations and reports around quickly, and we coordinate with your architect, builder and the Building Control team so the structure and the design agree before anything is priced on site. In Wales the Building Regulations are set by the Welsh Government, and our calculations are prepared to meet the requirements that apply to your project.

Where a physical inspection is needed, for a survey, a movement assessment or a check of existing terrace or warehouse structure, we arrange a visit across Cardiff and South Wales. Every output is tied to the Eurocodes, backed by professional indemnity cover, and we work for clients across the UK on the same Eurocode basis.

Cardiff

Local considerations.

What tends to govern a structural job in this area.

Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas and dockland conversions
Mercia Mudstone and limestone bedrock under glacial and river deposits
Soft alluvium and made ground on reclaimed dockland and river ground
Old coal workings on some plots towards the coalfield
Welsh Government Building Regulations applied to your project

Services

The full structural remit in Cardiff.

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 →

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Manufacturing and industrialWienerberger, Tamworth

EducationCarlisle College

Film and mediaDragon Studios, Pencoed

Questions

Common questions

Do you cover the whole of Cardiff and South Wales?

Yes. We provide structural calculations, surveys and design across Cardiff and the wider area, from Cathays and Roath to Penarth, the Vale and the valleys. Desktop work is delivered remotely and site visits are arranged across the region.

Do you need to visit my property in Cardiff?

Not always. Calculations for extensions, lofts and wall removals are usually done from drawings and photos. A visit is arranged where a survey, movement assessment or inspection of existing structure is needed.

Do the Building Regulations differ in Wales?

Yes. Building Regulations in Wales are set by the Welsh Government and differ in some respects from those in England. We prepare Eurocode calculations to meet the requirements that apply to your project and coordinate with your local Building Control team.

Can you provide calculations for Building Control in Cardiff?

Yes. We prepare Eurocode structural calculations and drawings ready for your Building Control team, written to demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations that apply in Wales and to be followed on site.

Elsewhere in the UK