Team PCA attend ICE Tamar Bridge tour

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by Sophia Darke

Team PCA – Charlotte, Luke, Rob and Tim – went on a tour of the Tamar Bridge, organised by the Exeter City Club branch of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE).

The two-hour tour focused on two key factors of the bridge, beneath the road deck and in the anchorage. Led by Tamar Crossings, the organisation that manages the bridge, the visit also included the catwalks under the road bridge, offering great views of Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge.

The tour featured a walk to the main tower on the Devon bank and back. Following the under bridge tour, the group then descended to one of the anchorages on the Devon bank to view where the main cable enters the ground.

Speakers included Tamar Crossings’ engineering manager Richard Cole, heritage officer Mark Tebbs, and volunteer Robert Venn.

PCA engineer Luke Shackleton said: “The Tamar Bridge is a great example of engineering and there was lots of discussion about how this 60-year old-structure is being maintained and improved to ensure it is fit for the future.

“While this is on a slightly different scale to our normal projects, the principle of analysing the existing structure to understand how it is working and to decide whether repairs or strengthening is needed for current or future use is applicable to any structure.

“Thanks to the ICE Exeter City Club for organising a great informative visit to such an impressive South West structure.”

PCA takes SUP teamwork crown for second year in a row

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by Sophia Darke

PCA Consulting took to the water to help raise money for Above Water and The Wave Project by taking part in Waterborn’s 2024 Construction Teamwork SUP Challenge.

Ross Carpenter, Scott Doswell, Tim Little, Luke Shackleton and Harrison Ward had to navigate around the creek in Kingsbridge, undertaking various treasure hunt style activities and time trial races to collect team points.

Trust a team of engineers to get stuck in! They amassed the most points at the event yesterday and were crowned champions for the second year in a row.

Ross said: “Many thanks to Waterborn for hosting another great SUP challenge. We work well as a team and we all love the water. Home advantage may have helped us a little as we all know the creek. Cannot wait for next year!”

Above Water sends fully qualified teachers, who are also lifeguards, into schools, community groups, businesses and homes to teach water safety, drowning prevention and lifesaving.

The Wave Project improves children’s mental health and wellbeing through an award-winning surf therapy programme.

PCA supports Samaritans’ garden design

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by Sophia Darke

Today is the 24/7 Samaritans Awareness Day so we thought we would look back at a project PCA worked on to bring a Silver-Gilt medal-winning garden to life for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The Samartians’ Listening Garden was inspired by stories of people who found the courage to reach out to Samaritans in their darkest times. It went on to win a Silver-Gilt medal.

The garden was designed by Darren Hawkes, who has recently qualified as a listening volunteer. The conceptual garden was designed to depict the challenging journey many people take when they reach out to Samaritans and the comfort and sanctuary they find when speaking to a listening volunteer.

It was created using materials that have been reclaimed from demolition sites or salvaged from scrap yards to tell the story of ‘crisis to hope’.

Darren engaged with PCA to consider the initial sizes of the beams he wanted to salvage for the steel frame at the show. Once the steelwork and concrete slabs had been sourced, we then provided a design to give to the show organisers to demonstrate that it was stable and safe.

The steel frame was designed to bear onto a compacted hardcore foundation to remove concrete from the temporary structure.

The steel frame was designed using a 3D computer model which allowed us to consider different load configurations to check that the frame remained stable regardless of the order that the panels were hung in, allowing Darren maximum flexibility when it came to assembling the frame on the display at the show.

The wires were all made up in different lengths to suit the individual heights of each concrete panel with the threaded stud each end providing some adjustment to allow the position, again to maximise flexibility for Darren when assembling the frame at the show.

PCA director Andrew Horton said: “It is always a pleasure working with Darren. His high standards and practical approach to design align well with our own principles so we were delighted to be able to help on this fabulous project.

“Darren’s initial sketches and thought process for the garden was something that we really bought into. The use of recycled materials and the ability to build the whole garden, compete with running stream, in just weeks was impressive.

“The amount of work that goes into the Chelsea Show gardens is simply extraordinary and while our input may have been limited, it was a pleasure to be a small part of this successful build.”

A remodelled version of Samaritans’ Listening Garden will be permanently relocated at a Samaritans branch.

Gold for Charlotte

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by Sophia Darke

We are very proud to announce that our graduate engineer Charlotte Spreckley has been awarded the Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Every young person who achieves their Gold Award is invited to attend a celebration event at a Royal Palace, attended by a member of the Royal Family. In Charlotte’s case, her event was hosted by Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh and new patron of the DofE Award.

Charlotte said: “Having recently come back from attending the awards ceremony in Buckingham Palace’s gardens, I have been reflecting on what I achieved to complete my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. As part of my Gold DofE, I completed more than 100 hours of volunteering and my BCU 2 Star qualification; the latter of which came in handy for our water-based expedition.

“On our expedition, we kayaked over 75 miles over 4 days on the River Wye between Hay-on-Wye and Monmouth, picking up litter and other debris from the river as we went. Our favourite piece we picked up was a large inflatable dinghy!

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to complete my Gold DofE award and value the experiences it gave me. I look forward to putting the skills I learnt into practice.”

Well done to Charlotte from everyone at PCA Consulting. We are proud of you.

 

Turning a stone barn into a home

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by Andrew Horton

A derelict, redundant stone barn in the countryside can seem so appealing to developers or people who dream of creating their own home in the middle of nowhere but turning a barn into a habitable property can be a challenge. That said, the end result usually outweighs the effort involved, so don’t be put off, but you will need to find a structural engineer to help you along the way.

As consulting civil, structural and conservation engineers, we are often involved in modern barn conversion projects from an early stage so that we can complete a pre-planning structural appraisal of the building and to also produce a drainage strategy as is often required from the outset.

What is a pre-planning structural appraisal?
This will help you determine whether your vision is possible before they go to planning. We will look at the topography of the site, boundaries, slopes, trees, and other on-site features before considering the existing structure and what will be required to achieve your plans or your architect’s designs. This preliminary advice will help with project costings too, which will enable developers and contractors to price their works more accurately. Examples maybe that the original stone walls are founded at a shallow depth and would become exposed due to lowering ground floor requirements and we can identify likely measures to facilitate this.

  • Lack of foundations
  • Poor ground conditions or adjacent to water so sodden support strata
  • Walls not sufficiently tied to floors or roof
  • Missing or collapsed first floor
  • Lack of roof or alterations to existing support elements
  • Missing or crumbling stonework
  • Close to slopes or rock faces
  • Protected wildlife in residence

Support and sensitive repair
Many of the above challenges can be overcome with the appropriate support works to maintain the character of the barn while ensuring it does not fall down! Internal timber frames have become popular, but we can design new support from floors or roof to provide the necessary restraint requirements of modern building regulations.  We can undertake all the calculations required for timber framing, steel frames/trusses and floor structures.

As conservation engineers, we have a great deal of expertise in sensitive repair work to ensure stonework is maintained where possible. Where barns are built into a rock face or are close to a slope, we can discuss solutions to overcome these issues to ensure your barn is both habitable and safe.

A protected species survey may need to be carried out before you begin work – not something we do – but we can advise you on possible workarounds to accommodate your furry or feathered house mates following the survey. We set aside loft space for a barn owl in a recent conversion we worked on!

All the above may seem like an enormous undertaking but, as I said in the opening paragraph, the home you end up with will be worth it.

The vaulted ceilings, the exposed stonework, the open-plan space, the opportunity for the sensitive use of glass, and so on mean you can create a unique home while preserving and repurposing an otherwise derelict building.

If you are considering a stone barn into house conversion project and have done a web search for “structural engineering companies near me,” and found PCA, then please do not go any further! Contact us now. We will be happy to help. Also, see our recent case study on Willowplatt Barn.

Celebrating World Heritage Day 2023

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by Andrew Horton

April 18th is World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. To celebrate this annual occasion, PCA has been reflecting on some monuments we have worked on.

The first one for your perusal is Stoney Littleton Long Barrow. This is a Neolithic chambered tomb with multiple burial chambers, located near the village of Wellow in Somerset.  It is an example of the Cotswold-Severn Group and was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1882. The entrance appears as a lintel supported by two jambs. It is 1.1m high and faces towards the south-east.

In 2022, PCA were called in to inspect evident cracking in the lintel over the door opening. Working with English Heritage, we carried out a structural inspection of the barrow, producing a report to confirm our findings and recommendations. The Barrow is open to the public and an internal chamber with a transepted gallery grave associated with three pairs of side chambers and an end chamber. The gallery extends for 12.8m and varies in height from 1.2m to 1.8m.

Next is HMS Drake. Originally built in 1896 and grade II*-listed, this is the final piece of what was formerly known as Keyham Barracks. The clock tower at HMS Drake has been a prominent feature of the naval base and, indeed, Plymouth for more than 115 years at Drake Gate on Saltash Road.

Lastly, the grade II-listed Newton Abbot War Memorial. Built in 1920-22, it was added to after the Second World War and again following later conflicts. The First World War memorial was designed by the borough surveyor, Coleridge Dingle White, and takes the form of a column set on a substantial plinth bearing the names of the war dead on the four faces on bronze plaques. A bronze statue was added by the opening of the memorial in July 1922, which was sculpted and designed by Courtenay Edward Maxwell Pollock as a symbol of victory and freedom.

PCA involvement for both these monuments was to inspect their structural condition and give recommendations and specifications for repair.

Well, these are our top three monuments for 2023’s World Heritage Day. We hope you have enjoyed stepping back in time with us and the conservation engineering work we have carried out to maintain these historical sites.

Thanks to Linda Capon for pulling this information together for us. Until next year….

 

St Peter’s Church project wins another award

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by Sophia Darke

PCA is proud to announce that one of our conservation projects has won a prestigious award.

St Peter’s Church in Knowstone, Devon, won the John Betjeman Award at The SPAB Heritage Awards ceremony. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings’ award recognises excellence in the conservation and repair of places of worship.

The project involved the restoration of wall paintings, a rood loft stairway and early joinery. PCA’s Paul Carpenter worked with architects AJ Bunning and archaeologist Dr Stuart Blaylock. The wall painting conservation was carried out by McNeilage Conservation and the timber work by Hugh Harrison Conservation.

PCA advised and liaised with timber and plaster conservators on the structural repair to the rood screen stone stair shaft and other stonework repairs.

The SPAB Heritage Awards were held at Conway Hall in London and were hosted by Grand Design’s Kevin McCloud.

Photo credit: SPAB

Can I build a property on the side of a hill?

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by Andrew Horton

If you live anywhere in the South Hams or, indeed, in other Devon or Cornish coastal areas, you already know building on the side or into a hill is possible. So many houses or apartments in this area are perched on a hillside or seem to blend into a landscape of a sloping plot.

Some of these properties may have been there for decades but we are seeing plenty of new developments that require our engineering expertise to meet both structural and aesthetic requirements.

If space allows the ground can be removed and a space left between the retained bank or slope and the new property. The bank must be protected against landslides and depending on the strata, the retaining element could be gabion baskets, stone-faced reinforced concrete walls or rock anchored mesh to support deep cut faces.

See Ferncliff as an example of this or our photos from Woodspring where we used a deep mesh-covered wall to support the land at the rear of the house, as well as the driveway and level garden.

Where properties blend into the landscape or basements need to be dug out to ensure a roofline does not exceed recommended height for the area or boundary conditions dictate, there is often no space behind. This means waterproofing will also be needed to prevent damp. Willowplatt Barn is an example of this type of project, as well as The Boathouse where much of the property was carved into the hillside.

Large scale excavations will require substantial temporary works or permanent retention schemes and these need to be considered early in the project as can often be the key to unlocking difficult sites or realising these hillside schemes.

We also devised temporary works for Clock Cottage whereby proprietary piles were used to support the existing building while contractors dug out the hillside beneath to create a new basement area.

Securing the remaining hillside and damp-proofing are not the only challenges associated with building on a slope. Access can also be challenging. Roads to hillside properties can be narrow and driveways can be awkward to negotiate so getting equipment and building materials onto site can be problematic.

Drainage too must be considered when building on a slope. Rainfall must be directed away from your property’s foundations without flooding another property or public area, often both, during construction and in the permanent state. Sewage needs to be channelled the right way too and may require pump stations to connect to higher level connections.

Building on a slope can be costly due to the groundworks, extra time, materials and expertise potentially required, but the expense is often outweighed by stunning views, extra light and landscaping options that can be gained from being on a hillside.

If you have your eye on a hillside plot that you would like to build on or a property on a slope you would like to redevelop, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Expert advice is always key for a project like this.

We wore it pink!

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by Sophia Darke

Staff at PCA donned items of pink clothing to mark Wear It Pink day to raise money for Breast Cancer Now on October 21.

Breast Cancer Now’s Wear It Pink day is one of the biggest fundraising events in the UK. Taking place during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, thousands of people wear it pink in their communities, schools or work places for the UK’s largest breast cancer charity.

Being engineers, we also set ourselves a fun lunchtime task – yes, this is how we have fun!

The aim was to make the longest cantilever using spaghetti, tape and string in just 20 minutes. Ross Carpenter’s team were the proud winners.

We also raised £100 for Breast Cancer Now

The Yealm development wins award

On
by Sophia Darke

The Yealm has won the Boutique Development of the Year at the Insider Media South West Residential Property Awards 2022 held at Sandy Park in Exeter.

The Yealm is a former hotel that overlooks the twin villages of Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo. The judges were impressed with the great attention to detail throughout in creating luxury riverside and woodland accommodation out of a neglected site.

PCA Consulting Engineers worked with Devon Contractors, Red Earth Developments and Grainge Architects among others to help create six spacious lateral apartments, eight other contemporary apartments, and one stunning house.

We worked on the new balconies, which are a stand-out feature of the all the properties, together with intricate detailing to ensure supporting floors and roof structure were unobtrusive.

PCA director Andrew Horton said: “Congratulations to everyone involved in this stunning project, which is now a standout development in the South Hams. It is great to see it gain some recognition and hope to see it win many more awards.”

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