We undertake a range of activities related to structural engineering. Some of them are listed below.
Sites prone to liquefaction generally require robust foundations that can tolerate the ground settlements after a larger earthquake. We provide structural design services for this type of foundation. Typically, a site-specific geotechnical investigation report is required to start the design of these foundations.
We undertake the structural design of bridge structures that adhere to the NZTA(Waka Kotahi) Bridge Design standards. Civil and geotechnical investigations are a key component before starting the structural design of the bridge structures.
Retaining walls become important when building in sloping sites. Seismic earth pressures generally govern the design of these structures in New Zealand. We provide structural engineering design services for retaining walls around Hawkes Bay using timber poles, precast panels or reinforced masonry.
These buildings are generally large span structures. Either hot rolled steel or form steel can be used depending on the specific project requirements. Sometimes precast panel walls are also required for these buildings. We can provide structural engineering design for these type of structures.
We provide structural engineering design services for commercial building design. We work with architects, geotechnical engineers, building services engineers, councils and other professionals to achieve a better outcome for the project.
We undertake structural design of residential houses. Often it is required to provide a steel portal frame to supplement bracing deficiencies. We will carry out these utilising the learnings from the damages due to the past earthquakes in New Zealand. We also undertake simple beam designs. Proper connectivity of beams to the foundations is essential.
Hawkes Bay is part of the high seismic risk areas after the new system on earthquake prone buildings came into effect. Click here to read more on the new system. We carry out detailed seismic assessments(DSA) and initial seismic assessments(ISA) on existing buildings. We also provide structural design services for strengthening of earthquake prone buildings.
We undertake inspections to check whether the construction is as per the design documents/drawings. Most of the time, councils require construction inspection records and a PS4 before issuing the code of compliance certificate.
We use component-based finite element method to analyse and design connections of steel structures. It is a synergy of the standard approach to connection design (component method) and finite elements. This allows us to analyse and design steel connections of any configuration.
During the design process, we do structural analysis using both computer models and hand calculations. We use SAP2000, ETABS, ROBOT and TEDDS for our structural analysis. Depending on the complexity of the project, we select the most efficient method of analysis.
We do independent peer reviews and issue a PS2 statement at the end of the process. We carry out these reviews as per the guidelines set by Engineering New Zealand.