Tag

civil engineers

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.”

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.

PCA – serving the needs of Cornwall clients

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by Andrew Horton

While we have been based in Devon for 40 years, we have worked for most of these years in neighbouring Cornwall too.

As our illustration shows, we are currently working on numerous projects throughout the county, ranging from National Trust properties to commercial projects, alongside architects and contractors to help create bespoke homes for private clients.

Our engineers can often be seen crossing the Tamar Bridge to visit these sites and new schemes, so please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a project in Cornwall that may benefit from our structural, conservation and civil engineering expertise.

PCA celebrates 40th anniversary

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by Sophia Darke

PCA Consulting Engineers is celebrating its 40th year as a firm of structural, conservation and civil engineers.

Established in 1979 by Paul Carpenter, the Kingsbridge-based independent business has grown in both size and reputation to provide a friendly, considered and highly professional service.

Now under the leadership of directors Andrew Horton, Ross Carpenter and Sophia Darke, PCA works mainly in the South West with the region’s leading contractors and architects assisting with both commercial and residential projects of all sizes.

Among PCA’s most notable recent projects has been the conservation work for National Trust properties St Michael’s’ Mount, Killerton House and Greenway alongside new-build projects such as the award-winning Dar Gwenen, in Cornwall, and the luxury riverside development, The Yealm.

Andrew said: “I have been with PCA for 22 years and am proud to work for a firm that has stood the test of time for four decades and continues to strive for the best possible outcomes for our clients.

“PCA has won numerous awards during this time but has also nurtured the careers of many young engineers and technicians.”

PCA currently offers the services of eight engineers and three technicians supported by finance director Sophia and an administration team.

Andrew added: “The engineering side of construction may not always be the most obvious element of any building or conservation project, but our comprehensive advice and our pragmatic solutions ensure these projects are entirely fit for purpose, while meeting the design requirements of the client and their architect. This work ethic has served us well for 40 years and hope it will serve us just as well for another 40!”

Cold weather working

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by Andrew Horton

With November shaping up to be the coldest since 2010 and the Met Office already predicting the coldest winter for 50 years, it is worth noting the constraints of cold weather working.

While locally we rarely experience prolonged periods of freezing temperatures, it is important that specifiers and contractors are fully aware of cold weather working.

This may include protecting newly-laid concrete from frost, avoiding laying masonry units in falling temperatures (below or likely to fall below 2°C) or using suitable materials for site-mixed concrete. Temperatures should be checked throughout the day on a thermometer.

Although the temptation is to pop your hard hat on top of your woolly hat, remember that this may compromise the fit of the hat. Manufacturer-approved head warmers are available that can safely be worn under a hard hat, so you still get a good fit for your safety helmet without compromising its effectiveness.

If in doubt, please do give us a call and PCA can advise as necessary and ensure any structural works are not affected by cold weather.

New-look PCA

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by Tina Wyeth

New-look PCA is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and is looking to the future. The Kingsbridge-based structural, civil and conservation engineering company has appointed two new directors and has a new company name – PCA Consulting Engineers.

Director Paul Carpenter said: ‘During the last 35 years that we have been in business, I feel we are dedicated to covering a full range of commissions from small domestic projects to large-scale commercial and residential developments, including historic buildings.’ The PCA Consulting Engineers team sees Paul continue to work alongside Colin Souch and Andrew Horton in their new roles as directors to consolidate 90 years of senior engineering experience.

PCA Consulting Engineers will continue its tradition as a family business with Paul’s son Ross an integral part of the engineering team that boasts a core of young and talented professionals. The practice has been situated at the top of Fore Street for more than 30 years and has always collaborated closely with local architects and builders to produce the best results for its clients.

Colin said: “We believe we have the flexibility and adaptability to provide a truly bespoke service that offers pragmatic and well-engineered solutions. We are all dedicated to meeting and exceeding our clients’ needs both locally and further afield.”

PCA Consulting Engineers offers structural, civil and conservation engineering services, plus structural and party wall surveying, principal designer duties and CDM advice, project management, construction legal services, and temporary works design. PCA works with clients across the South Hams, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset, the south of England and London.

“The launch of PCA Consulting Engineers celebrates the culmination of 35 successful years in our field of expertise but also marks a new chapter in our history,” said Andrew. “We have strong foundations in terms of experience and links with architects, clients and contractors throughout the South of England, but are also more than prepared for the future with an enthusiastic and skilled team of young engineers at the heart of the practice. Together, we enjoy seeing the results of our combined efforts come to fruition in a variety of home, work space and conservation projects.”

Click the menu icon top left to explore the services PCA offers and view projects its engineers have worked on.