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Structural engineers in Scotland

Structural engineering, calculations and surveys for homes, developments and commercial projects across Scotland, delivered remotely nationwide with site visits arranged across the country.

Structural engineering across Scotland

Scotland is defined structurally by its tenements and its stone. The Victorian and Edwardian sandstone tenements of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen carry loads very differently from the brick terraces of England, with load-bearing masonry gables, timber floors spanning between them and shared closes and stairs. The granite of Aberdeen and the harled stone of rural and Highland property add their own behaviour, and alongside all this sit post-war housing schemes, modern estates around the central belt and traditional cottages and steadings across the countryside. Alterations to tenements and older stone buildings need to respect how that existing structure was built to carry load before any wall is opened up.

We provide the full structural remit for Scottish projects: Eurocode calculations and drawings for extensions, loft and attic conversions, wall removals and new openings, structural surveys and defect reports, and design for new build and commercial work. Desktop calculations and reports are delivered anywhere in Scotland, and where a survey or inspection is needed we arrange attendance across the country, from the central belt to the Borders, the north east and the Highlands.

Ground conditions across Scotland

Scottish geology is generally strong but highly varied. The Midland Valley carries Carboniferous sandstones, mudstones and Coal Measures, with a mining legacy across the Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Fife coalfields that needs checking before foundations are set. The Southern Uplands and the Highlands bring older, harder greywackes, schists and granites, while glaciation has left widespread boulder clay, glacial till, raised beaches and, in valleys and along the coast, soft alluvium and peat that can compress under load.

We design foundations to suit the ground rather than assuming a standard depth, specifying strip, trench-fill, raft or piled solutions to match the bearing stratum, the water table and any made or mined ground. Where a ground investigation or Coal Authority search flags soft deposits, peat or old workings, we design the foundations to carry the loads safely so the structure does not move. On raised beach and till sites we check for variable bearing across the footprint rather than assuming it is uniform, and because Scottish ground can change over a short distance a site-specific investigation is often the surest basis for the design.

How we work with Scottish clients

Most structural work is done from your drawings, photographs and survey information, so serving Scotland as part of our nationwide coverage is rarely an obstacle. We turn desktop calculations and reports around quickly and coordinate with your architect, builder and the local authority so the structure and the design agree. Structural work in Scotland forms part of the building warrant process, and we prepare calculations to suit that submission.

Where a physical inspection is needed, for a survey, a movement assessment or a check of existing structure, we arrange a visit across Scotland. Every output is tied to the Eurocodes and their UK provisions and backed by professional indemnity cover, and the same standards let us support clients across the rest of the UK.

Scotland

Local considerations.

What tends to govern a structural job in this area.

Sandstone and granite tenements with masonry gables and timber floors
Carboniferous, Southern Upland and Highland geology with glacial till
Coalfield mining legacy across the central belt
Calculations prepared to suit the Scottish building warrant process

Services

The full structural remit in Scotland.

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 Scotland?

Yes. We provide structural calculations, surveys and design across Scotland, from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee to Aberdeen, the Borders and the Highlands. Desktop work is delivered remotely and site visits are arranged across the country.

Do you prepare calculations for a building warrant?

Yes. We prepare Eurocode structural calculations and drawings to support the building warrant application to your local authority, written to demonstrate compliance and to be followed on site.

Do you work with sandstone and granite tenements?

Yes. We assess tenement masonry, gables and timber floors, and design openings, beams and repairs in a way that respects how the existing stone structure carries load and shares it between flats.

Do you need to visit my property in Scotland?

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

Elsewhere in the UK