Projects - SWAL Engineering

Completed steel-framed industrial unit with roller shutter doors at Uplands Business Park — Completed unit - external elevation

Clear-span interior of a steel portal frame unit showing columns, rafters and bracing — Portal frame interior - clear span

Terrace of new industrial units with brickwork bases and profiled cladding — Terraced units - site frontage

P.01 / Site record photographs

Commercial / Industrial

Uplands Business Park

Walthamstow, London

New steel-framed industrial units on a tight urban site, designed around an existing sewer and constrained ground conditions.

Steel-framed warehouse units
Piled foundations and reinforced concrete ground beams
Cantilevered foundations over a live sewer
Portal frames with bracing to clear-span interiors

Interior of the curved corrugated agricultural building at Sunningdale Farm before conversion — Existing arched structure - pre-conversion

Three dimensional structural analysis model of the arched frame showing deflection results — Analysis model - serviceability deflections

P.02 / Site record photographs

Rural / Conversion

Sunningdale Farm

Ely, Cambridgeshire

Conversion of an arched agricultural building to a dwelling on peat ground, with the existing frame analysed and retained.

Conversion of arched hut to domestic dwelling
Piled foundations and reinforced concrete ground beams
Peat ground conditions
Class Q barn conversion
3D analysis of the existing arched frame

Curved passenger canopy and buses at Chelmsford Bus Station — Curved canopy - passenger concourse

SWAL Engineering general arrangement drawing of the bus station canopy roof plan — Roof canopy general arrangement

P.03 / Site record photographs

Public Infrastructure

Chelmsford Bus Station

Chelmsford, Essex

Survey, assessment and remedial detailing of the curved passenger canopy, coordinated with the station operator.

Condition survey of the curved canopy roof
Assessment of existing steelwork and connections
Remedial details and repair specification
General arrangement drawings for the works

Red brick facade of Harwich Arts Centre — Existing building - street elevation

Timber roof structure inside the roof void of Harwich Arts Centre — Roof void - timber structure survey

P.04 / Site record photographs

Heritage / Assessment

Harwich Arts Centre

Harwich, Essex

Roof loading assessment of a historic building, with full access to the roof voids to check timbers before new plant and finishes were added.

Roof loading assessment
Inspection of concealed timber roof structure
Capacity checks on rafters, purlins and ceiling joists
Recommendations for strengthening

New timber roof carpentry and blockwork gable under construction at Cliffsea Grove — New roof structure - under construction

Steel beam supporting new roof timbers over blockwork walls — Steel beam - roof support

P.05 / Site record photographs

Residential

Cliffsea Grove

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Two-storey extension and roof alterations, with steel beams threaded through masonry to open up the ground floor.

Two-storey extension
Steel beams on padstone bearings
New cut roof and gable construction
Foundation design near existing structures

New steel beam bearing onto an existing concrete column inside the Ravens building — Beam to column connection

Internal strip out with temporary props and new steelwork in place — Alterations in progress

P.06 / Site record photographs

Commercial Refurbishment

Ravens

Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Internal structural alterations within an occupied building, with temporary support to columns and beams while new steelwork was installed.

Internal structural alterations
New steel beams and column connections
Temporary propping to existing columns
Phased works within an occupied building

Rows of photovoltaic panels mounted on a large flat commercial roof — Existing array - flat roof

Photovoltaic panel rows and rooflights on a commercial roof under clear sky — Panel rows and rooflights

P.07 / Site record photographs

Sustainability / Assessment

Roof-mounted PV Array Assessment

Essex

Structural capacity assessment of an existing flat roof carrying a large photovoltaic array, including wind uplift and ballast checks.

Assessment of existing roof structure
Additional dead load from panels and ballast
Wind uplift checks to the array
Report for the building owner and installer

Masonry arch bridge over a watercourse with staff gauge in place during inspection — Masonry arch bridge - inspection

P.08 / Site record photographs

Infrastructure Inspection

North Weald Bridge Inspection

North Weald, Essex

Principal inspection of a masonry arch bridge, recording defects to the arch barrel, parapets and wingwalls with a load capacity opinion.

Masonry arch bridge inspection
Defect recording to arch barrel and parapets
Scour and erosion assessment at the watercourse
Maintenance and repair priorities

Diagonal crack running through internal blockwork wall at Great Dunmow Youth Centre — Diagonal cracking - internal wall

Crack width being measured with a rule against a cracked plastered wall — Crack width measurement

P.09 / Site record photographs

Defect Investigation

Great Dunmow Youth Centre

Great Dunmow, Essex

Investigation of progressive cracking to blockwork and brickwork, with crack monitoring and a repair strategy for the building owner.

Structural defect investigation
Crack width measurement and monitoring
Assessment of movement causes
Repair and monitoring strategy

Needle beam installed through masonry with adjustable props during temporary works — Needling through masonry

Adjustable steel props supporting a beam during structural alterations — Proprietary propping in place

P.10 / Site record photographs

Temporary Works

Temporary Works and Propping

Essex and East London

Temporary works design for wall removals and needling, keeping loads supported safely while permanent steelwork was installed.

Temporary works design and checks
Needle beams through masonry
Proprietary propping layouts
Sequencing for safe load transfer

Reinforcement bars and spacers being measured before a concrete pour — Bar spacing check - pre-pour

Reinforcement cage to a concrete ground beam ready for pouring — Ground beam reinforcement cage

P.11 / Site record photographs

Concrete Consultancy

Reinforced Concrete Inspections

Various

Pre-pour reinforcement inspections and cover checks on reinforced concrete ground beams, slabs and pile caps.

Pre-pour reinforcement inspections
Bar size, spacing and lap checks
Cover and spacer verification
Inspection records for building control

Selected projects.