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Structural engineers in Edinburgh

Structural engineering, building warrant calculations and surveys for homes, developments and commercial projects across Edinburgh, delivered remotely nationwide with site visits arranged across the city and the east of Scotland.

Structural engineering across Edinburgh

Edinburgh has a rich and carefully protected building stock, from the Georgian terraces of the New Town, to the tall stone tenements of Marchmont, Bruntsfield and Leith, Victorian and Edwardian villas in areas such as Morningside and Trinity, and interwar and post-war housing across the outer suburbs. Much of the older stock sits within conservation areas and includes listed buildings, which raises its own structural questions when owners alter flats, remove walls or form new openings, alongside the more familiar work of extending villas and houses.

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

Ground conditions around Edinburgh

Edinburgh's geology is unusually varied, shaped by ancient volcanoes and by glaciation. Hard igneous rock, dolerite and basalt, forms Castle Rock, Arthur's Seat and the crags and provides firm bearing where it is near the surface, while much of the city sits on the Carboniferous Coal Measures and sandstones, the source of the local stone. These are overlain by thick glacial till and, in the lower-lying areas and around Leith and the Water of Leith, by soft raised-beach, estuarine and made ground. The coalfield to the south and east means old workings 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. Where hard rock is shallow we design to take advantage of the firm bearing, in the coastal and low-lying areas we allow for soft deposits and made ground, and where old workings may be present we recommend the appropriate coal authority and ground checks.

How we work with Edinburgh clients

Most structural work is done from your drawings and survey information, so a service-area model suits Edinburgh projects well. We turn desktop calculations and reports around quickly, and we coordinate with your architect, builder and the local authority so the structure and the design agree before anything is priced on site. In Scotland work needs a building warrant under the Scottish building standards, and our calculations are prepared to support the warrant application for your project.

Where a physical inspection is needed, for a survey, a movement assessment or a check of existing tenement or listed structure, we arrange a visit across Edinburgh and the east of Scotland. 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.

Edinburgh

Local considerations.

What tends to govern a structural job in this area.

New Town Georgian stock, stone tenements and villas, much in conservation areas
Hard volcanic rock at the crags and Coal Measures sandstones elsewhere
Thick glacial till and soft coastal deposits around Leith
Old coal workings on some plots to the south and east
Scottish building standards and building warrant applications

Services

The full structural remit in Edinburgh.

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 Edinburgh and the east of Scotland?

Yes. We provide structural calculations, surveys and design across Edinburgh and the wider area, from the New Town and Marchmont to Leith, the outer suburbs and into the Lothians. Desktop work is delivered remotely and site visits are arranged across the region.

Do you need to visit my property in Edinburgh?

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

Do I need a building warrant in Edinburgh?

Most structural alterations in Scotland need a building warrant under the Scottish building standards before work starts. We prepare Eurocode calculations and drawings to support the warrant application and coordinate with your local authority.

Can you work on listed buildings and in conservation areas?

Yes. Much of Edinburgh's stock is listed or within a conservation area. We design structural alterations that respect the existing fabric and coordinate with your architect and the local authority on the consents your project needs.

Elsewhere in the UK