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Structural engineers in Greater London

Structural engineering, Building Control calculations and surveys for homes, developments and commercial projects across Greater London, delivered remotely nationwide with site visits arranged across the capital.

Structural engineering across Greater London

Greater London is a dense mix of building types across 32 boroughs and the City. Victorian and Georgian terraces run through inner boroughs such as Camden, Islington, Hackney, Wandsworth and Lambeth, Edwardian and 1930s suburban housing fills the outer ring from Ealing and Bromley to Barnet and Croydon, and mansion blocks, mews and modern flats appear throughout. Much of this stock now sees basements, loft conversions, side returns and rear extensions, all of which put real demands on structure that was never designed for open-plan living or for the extra storey a loft adds.

We provide the full structural remit for London projects: Eurocode calculations and drawings for extensions, loft conversions, side-return infills, wall removals and new openings, basement and underpinning design, structural surveys and party wall related inspections, and design for new build and commercial work. Desktop calculations and reports are delivered anywhere in the capital, and where a survey or inspection is needed we arrange attendance across all boroughs.

London Clay, gravel and basement risk

Most of Greater London sits on London Clay, a firm but highly shrinkable soil that swells and shrinks with moisture and is very sensitive to the mature street trees found across the capital. Over it lie river terrace gravels and sands along the Thames and its tributaries, alluvium and made ground in the valleys and former marshes of east and south London, and outcrops of Lambeth Group, Thanet Sand and chalk beneath. This layered ground governs how foundations, and especially the basements now common across the inner boroughs, must be designed and sequenced.

We take the ground into account rather than assuming a standard depth, checking foundation depth against clay shrinkage and nearby trees to NHBC guidance and designing strip, trench-fill, raft or piled foundations to suit. For the basements and lowerings that are common in London we design retaining walls, underpinning sequences and waterproofing to control ground movement and groundwater, and coordinate with party wall matters where neighbours are affected. On the gravels along the Thames a high water table is common, so we allow for it in both the temporary works and the finished waterproofing.

How we work with London clients

Most structural work is done from your drawings, photographs and survey information, so we turn desktop calculations and reports around quickly for London clients. We coordinate with your architect, builder and the borough Building Control team or your approved inspector so the structure and the design agree before work is priced on site, which matters on tight urban plots where access, scaffolding and neighbours are all constrained.

Where a physical inspection is needed, for a survey, a movement assessment, a basement check or an inspection of existing structure, we arrange a visit across Greater London. Every output is tied to the Eurocodes and Approved Document A and backed by professional indemnity cover, and the same standards let us support clients across the UK.

Greater London

Local considerations.

What tends to govern a structural job in this area.

Victorian, Edwardian and suburban stock adapted for open-plan living
London Clay shrinkage with dense street trees affecting foundations
River terrace gravels, alluvium and made ground along the Thames
Basement, underpinning and party wall related design on tight urban plots

Services

The full structural remit in Greater London.

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 all London boroughs?

Yes. We provide structural calculations, surveys and design across Greater London and all 32 boroughs plus the City, from inner areas such as Camden and Wandsworth to outer boroughs like Bromley, Ealing and Barnet. Desktop work is remote and site visits are arranged across the capital.

Do you design basements and underpinning in London?

Yes. We design basements, lowerings and underpinning schemes with retaining walls, movement control and waterproofing, and coordinate with party wall matters where neighbouring properties are affected.

Do you allow for London Clay and street trees?

Yes. We check foundation depth against London Clay shrinkage and the influence of nearby trees to NHBC guidance, and design foundations to suit so the structure does not move seasonally.

Can you provide calculations for Building Control in London?

Yes. We prepare Eurocode structural calculations and drawings ready for your borough Building Control or approved inspector, written to demonstrate compliance with Approved Document A and to be followed on site.

Elsewhere in the UK