What we cover.
A turbine is a tall, slender structure carrying cyclic load for twenty-five years. The engineering that matters sits at the two ends: the foundation resisting overturning and fatigue, and the access and lifting infrastructure that makes installation possible at all.
- Turbine foundation design, gravity and piled
- Tower and support structure assessment
- Crane pad and hardstanding design
- Access road and track engineering
- Onshore wind farm civil and structural packages
- Foundation assessment for repowering and life extension
- Small and medium wind turbine structural design
- Ground condition assessment and geotechnical interpretation
What wind structural engineering actually involves.
Turbine foundations are governed by overturning and fatigue rather than by bearing pressure. A gravity base resists the moment through its own weight and footprint; a piled solution resists it through tension and compression across the pile group. Which is appropriate depends entirely on the ground, which is why the site investigation is the starting point rather than an afterthought.
Repowering and life extension raise a different question: whether a foundation designed for the original machine can carry a larger, taller replacement. That is an assessment of the existing structure against new loading, and it is frequently the deciding factor in whether repowering is viable on a given site.
Access and lifting infrastructure is where wind projects most often stall. Crane pads carry extremely concentrated loads during erection, and access tracks have to take abnormal loads across ground that may be peat, soft or steeply graded. Engineering it properly at design stage costs less than discovering it with a crane on site.
We design turbine foundations for the overturning and fatigue cases that govern them, assess existing foundations against larger machines where a site is being repowered, and design the crane pads and access tracks that decide whether a scheme can physically be built. That last one is where wind projects most often stall.
What governs a wind turbine foundation?
Overturning moment and fatigue, not vertical load. The turbine weight is modest relative to the moment the rotor applies at hub height, so the foundation is sized to resist rotation and to survive millions of load cycles over its design life. Ground conditions then decide whether that is achieved through a gravity base or through piles working in tension and compression.
- Designs checked and signed by a Chartered Structural Engineer
- Eurocode design with UK National Annex
- £5m professional indemnity cover
- Foundations, civils and access engineered together
The codes behind wind structural engineering.
BS EN 1990 through BS EN 1999 govern the basis of design, actions, and the design of concrete, steel, timber, masonry and aluminium structures. Every calculation we issue references the relevant Eurocode part and its UK National Annex, and states which parts were applied.
Structural analysis and design in Tekla Tedds and Tekla Structural Designer, with Autodesk Robot, CSC Fastrak, CSC Portal Frame, MasterSeries and Hilti Profis used where a scheme suits them. Drawing production in AutoCAD, and modelling in Autodesk Revit where a project is delivered in BIM. Output is issued as readable calculations rather than raw software printouts, so a checker or a building control officer can follow the reasoning.
The Building Regulations requirement your local authority Building Control checks against. Our calculations and drawings are prepared to demonstrate compliance so your submission is accepted without back-and-forth.
Every report and calculation package is backed by professional indemnity cover, which is what lets a lender, Building Control or another engineer rely on it.
From enquiry to sign-off.
Enquiry
Send drawings or describe the problem. We confirm the scope, the deliverables and a target timescale.
Information
We agree the survey, drawings or data we need and any site access required.
Engineering
Design, calculation or assessment to the relevant Eurocodes and UK National Annex.
Issue
A clear, defensible report or set of calculations, with assumptions and limitations stated.
Real structures, surveyed and engineered.
Common questions
Do you design foundations for small wind turbines?
Yes. Small and medium turbines still transfer significant overturning moment and still need a designed foundation rather than a standard detail.
Can you assess an existing foundation for repowering?
Yes. Assessing whether an existing base can carry a larger replacement machine is usually the deciding factor in whether repowering is viable, and it is worth establishing before the turbine is specified.
Do you handle access roads and crane pads?
Yes. Both carry abnormal loads and both are common causes of programme delay when they are left to the contractor to resolve on site.
What do you need to quote?
Turbine make and model or the loading schedule, the site investigation if one exists, and a site plan. If the ground investigation has not been done yet, tell us and we will advise what is needed.
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