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structural engineering

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.

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.

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.

The Yealm development wins award

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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.”

Award-winning barn projects

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by Sophia Darke

PCA has been recognised for its work on two barn projects in Devon.

Willowplatt Barn, near Aveton Gifford in Devon, was an abandoned 230-year-old stone structure and has been transformed into a holiday rental property. PCA worked with BBH Architects and oak-framed building designer and makers Carpenter Oak to advise on drainage,  its structural condition and any adjustments they needed to be made.

Willowplatt Barn was chosen as Regional Winner in the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2021 in the ‘Best conversion to create a single new home’ category and went on to win the grand final later in the year. It also won Build It’s Best Oak Frame Home Award.

PCA was involved in this project from an early stage to give a pre-planning structural appraisal of the building and produce a drainage strategy.

But there was also an incumbent resident whose needs were also taken care of.

PCA director Ross Carpenter said: “I remember my first visit to undertake our survey and the resident barn owl sat happily up in the roof space while I looked around before flying the length of the barn over my head and out of the large south opening. The building work and final design was considered around the resident barn owl with a specific loft space set aside for the owl in the finished building.”

PCA also worked with S Tozer Construction on this project.

Meanwhile, Redhill Barn, also known as The Outfarm, had been a roofless ruined stone and timber barn nestled in the Devon hills. PCA worked with architects TYPE Studio and Carpenter Oak on the new timber frame. PCA advised on the 21-metre single truss that span from gable to gable with a fork at each end to accommodate large windows.

This barn project won three awards from The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): RIBA South West Award 2021, RIBA South West Conservation Award 2021, and RIBA National Award 2021. It also featured on the Grand Designs House of the Year.

New roof terrace to make the most of the view

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by Ross Carpenter

Roof terrace view

Our client wanted to gain some outdoor space in this amazingly located apartment, so Andrew Lethbridge Associates gained planning permission for a rooftop terrace within the existing roof pitch.

This project required a fair amount of structural intervention given that the existing roof was constructed using long-spanning trussed rafters, but the vision is now starting to come together thanks to our structural steel truss designs and great work by WM Construction.

It may seem like a lot of work for a terrace and balcony, but with views like that this, it is so worthwhile.

The wrap-around scaffold provides shelter from weather, but almost more importantly, stops the workforce from just staring at that view all day!

 

What you need to consider before fitting a bifold door – or sliding doors

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by Andrew Horton

In the last six months, fresh air has been key when it has come to gatherings of small groups of people. Even when two households were permitted to meet, these get-togethers often took place in the safety of a back garden and these meetings were clearly easier as social distancing measures went into the warmer summer months.

With six months of restrictions still to come and winter on its way, those outdoor gatherings may start to get tricky. While in England we are still allowed to meet indoors, vulnerable people may choose to stay outdoors or, at the very least, let plenty of fresh air in when they are indoors. Similar to schools having to open all the windows in classrooms.

Bifold or sliding doors make an indoor space feel part of the outdoors and certainly let plenty of fresh air in! They have become a popular replacement for French windows as they offer floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall natural lighting and help to bring the outside in, especially if you have a level threshold between your home and your outside space. Perfect for these COVID-19 times!

You can even get bifold or sliding doors that meet at a corner to give you light and space from two sides of your property. However, in the words of UK bifold door manufactures, Origin: “Hiring the services of a structural engineer is imperative if you plan to have a corner set of bi-fold doors installed. A structural engineer will survey your home to ensure it’s structurally sound and suitable for corner bifolds.”

As you would expect, you cannot just knock a hole in the wall and get cracking…even if you just want bifold or sliding doors for single wall and social distancing is making you feel a little hemmed in!

You will undoubtedly need a beam, or suitable lintel, to support the load above the new opening where the bifold doors will fit. External walls are an integral part of a building’s structure. They can be load-bearing walls, so it is important to understand what they are supporting, e.g. roof, floors and walls above, and we can then advise on the correctly sized beam or lintel to use so the load can be transferred adequately into the adjacent walls, as long as these are structural and have sufficient bearing and foundations.

Specialist door installers usually just come and fit the door, so you will need a builder to create the opening. Before you do this though, you may want to seek out our advice to ensure your home is suitable for a bifold or sliding door. Do not worry, most will be, but it is best to check before you buy!

Planning permission is often not required but advice from an architect or the local planning authority should be sought in the first instance before you make any decisions, especially when installing bifold or sliding doors where the house is listed or in a conservation area. You will need building regulation approval, however, and our involvement and design calculations and/or plans will help gain this.

If you are considering bifold or sliding doors, or any other alterations to help keep the fresh air flowing in the next six months as social distancing continues, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Dealing with landslides and collapsed walls

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by Andrew Horton

Wet weather earlier this year saw PCA called in to advise on how to rectify various landslides and collapsed walls…some of which have not yet been rectified or repaired due to lockdown.

It is not surprising we have saw so many in 2020 with February being the wettest month in the UK since records began in 1862. The UK received an average of 209.1mm of rainfall, which was 237% above the average for the month compared to Februarys between 1981 and 2010.

Such a volume of water can create hydrostatic pressure or causes surface water run off when the ground is saturated. These conditions contribute to landslides and collapsed walls, and flooding in areas of poor drainage. Erosion can also occur caused by weather, tides, rivers, etc.

Some walls are also at the end of their life with old mortar that simply gives out. Others are boundary walls where the ground has built up behind them overtime to, well, breaking point. Again, poor drainage, or lack of drainage, can contribute to the wall failure.

Whether your wall has already collapsed or an area of your land has started to shift or you are worried how the next bout of heavy rainfall will affect your property, we can help. We will assess the problem and will come up with varying solutions to replace your walls and shore up land.

We can also work within the standards required if your landslide or collapsed wall infringes on a highway and, where appropriate, we can work with loss adjustors if an insurance claim is warranted.

Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Challenging topography requires engineering solution for extension

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by Ross Carpenter

This project included alterations and small extensions to a residential property in Salcombe.

The alterations included wall removals and widening of an existing opening to link into an extension that replaced a previous conservatory.

Salcombe extension interiorThe new extension is formed in steel and glass. It leads out to a new decking area that cantilevers out over the site and path that leads up to the property.

Salcombe extension pilingDue to Salcombe’s typical topography, the steep site meant that foundations for the extension would be too deep for traditional concrete foundations, so a micro-piled solution was specified.

The restricted site meant that all materials and kit had to be walked up, so the piling and construction methods were designed accordingly.

Target Structural installed the piles with their hand-operated kit and Trevor Gillard was the main contractor who delivered a successful finish for the client.

PCA lends expertise to permanent exhibitions

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by William Cole

PCA was commissioned by Science Projects Ltd to analyse a bespoke steel frame and counterbalance, which allows a car to be lifted by the force of a child pulling down on a rope as part of an interactive permanent science exhibition.

XPLORE crane exhibitDue to be delivered to the XPLORE Entertainment Center in Athens – the largest theme and educational park in Greece – the Lamda crane exhibit experiments with the principle of levers, which was first proven by Archimedes in the 3rd century BC. He stated: “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”

Trawler for Experimentarium exhibitIn this instance, due to the unique geometry and focus of force around the pivot/fulcrum, we analysed the steelwork in robot structural software using finite element analysis.

PCA has previously been commissioned to design the structural steelwork for a trawler that was a feature of The Beach exhibition at Experimentarium in Denmark. Again, it was built by Science Projects in London before being transported to Copenhagen as part of a major refurbishment programme.

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