Industrial, commercial, agricultural and domestic building design
The design of buildings to serve any function

Project Management
We can manage Construction projects for and on behalf of clients. This is particularly useful where clients have no previous experience of building projects.

Foundation Design
The design of foundations required for all types of structures and in all sorts of ground to ensure the building performs as intended.

Highway Engineering
The layout and design of roads, pavements, culverts, car parks, etc.

Retaining walls
The design of walls to contain soil in constricted sites.

Sheet piling
Design of Sheet piling for temporary and permanent works in marine and land based applications.

Bridges
Design of Short span Bridges and underpasses

Computer aided design
The use of computer software to assist in modelling, designing and drawing the structure whenever necessary

Earth Impounding Structures
Design of suitable structures to retain water and other fluid materials.

Infrastructure Planning and Design
Planning and design of the backbone of developments, including roads and all matters underground. E.g. drainage, Foul and surface water disposal, water storage tanks, water supply, electricity, etc.

Civil Engineering Quantity Surveying
Quantifying the materials required in a Civil Engineering project and hence an estimate of the construction cost

Architectural Design of Industrial Buildings
The development of the requirements of the building with the industrial users and as a consequence the external and internal appearance of the building. Leading to the submission of the planning applications.

Structural Engineering

Structural Design in Steel, concrete, timber, alloys and masonry
Design of single components or whole structures in all principle constructional materials. Our input can be far ranging for example, in steelwork; alternative concept designs right through to full geometric resolution and joint design. Our knowledge of buildings enables us to advise and design to meet our clients’ requirements and budget.

Building Regulation Applications
We can prepare all necessary drawings, calculations, details etc. needed to submit Building Regulation Applications. We usually deal with industrial/ commercial application developing planning scheme drawings. However we can also make the Planning Application and regularly offer such a service to Design and Build Contractors. Where the project is largely of a structural nature in a domestic property clients often find it more efficient for us to handle the Building Regulation Application.

Structural Failure Studies/ Subsidence Claims
Such works are often insurance funded and typically involve evaluation of the visual distress, disruptive investigation, monitoring, preparation of a report to identify the reasons for failure and possible remediation. For such repair works we can fully specify, prepare drawings, seek competitive tenders and supervise the construction works

Temporary Works Design
Our input can be part of the enabling works for a larger permanent design we are undertaking or purely temporary works design on a project in which we have no further input.
Works can vary from such matters as structural stabilisation of buildings, limpet dam access to quayside to lifting frames.

Party Wall Surveys
The Party Wall Act 1996 requires a Party Wall Surveyor and often structural appraisal and advice. Plandescil can undertake both these tasks or offer specialist structural advise to the general surveyor.

Structural Surveys and Structural Suitability Surveys
Plandescil’s Chartered Engineers can evaluate and report on domestic, commercial and industrial properties. Surveys are often undertaken for mortgage purposes, for barn conversions to industrial use or in any other type of change of use.

Structural monitoring
This can be undertaken as part of a structural report to determine whether movement is significantly progressive.

Professional Expert for Litigation
Plandescil have acted as an expert witness for a variety of clients where a dispute has arisen. Our multi disciplinary range of services means our expertise is not limited to structural issues alone.

Structural Enhancement / remedial works
The demands of the modern world mean clients often need to adapt their buildings to uses not envisaged at construction. Plandescil can assess the structure and its foundations and advise on the most appropriate and economic manner of modification.

Environmental Engineering

Water supply, boreholes, treatment, storage and distribution
The design of water systems from abstraction to storage and delivery

Foul and surface water sewer design
The design of systems to remove foul (waste) water and surface (rain) water from sites and properties.

Effluent treatment and disposal
Design of systems to treat and dispose of waste from domestic and industrial premises.

Drainage scheme design
Design of systems to drain sites to prevent flooding and remove wastewater.

Flood risk assessments
Preparing reports assessing the likely risk of flooding on site after buildings and hardened areas have been constructed, which prevent the natural flow of water into the ground. This is increasingly becoming a requirement for Environment Agency prior to planning permission being given.

EA consent applications
The Environment Agency is increasingly limiting the amount of water it will allow to flow into rivers and the amount it will allow to be taken out. To discharge or abstract from a river requires the consent of the Environment Agency, a process with which Plandescil is familiar and able to undertake on behalf of our clients.

Pollution control
Advice and design systems to prevent pollution entering the ground and /or water course.

Environmental remediation work
Design of methods to remove environment problems from sites

Contaminated land surveys
Another recent condition of many Planning Permission is the discovery and treatment of any contamination on sites. Plandescil can carry out studies to determine previous uses and arrange for appropriate tests of the soil and or water on the site to discover the level of contamination and advise on any action to be taken.

Environmental impact assessments
Larger scale projects are required to provide Environmental Impact Assessments as part of their Planning Application Procedure. This look at the affect any development will have on the environment and covers such matters as traffic, noise, air pollution, ground contamination, ecology, archaeology, and aesthetics. We can provide some of this information ourselves and coordinate information from all the experts required to produce a final report for submission to the planning Authority.

River engineering, and urban drainage and flood alleviation
Design of systems to prevent riverbanks collapsing and restricting the flow, widening rivers to prevent flooding, designing flood attenuation tanks and other system to prevent flooding from rivers and water courses.

Surveying

Site surveys
Details surveys of sites using an Electronic Measuring Device (EDM) picking up all relevant features, including where required and visible including buildings, hedges, manhole covers, kerbs, road edges, lamp posts etc.

Volumetric analysis
Calculation of the volume earth or empty space in an area. This is particularly useful where soil needs to be removed or added before a project can progress.

Site area computations
Calculation of the area of piece of land. This may be required before selling or buying the land.

Co-ordinated setting out
Accurate placing of pegs or markers in the ground to show where buildings, roads or other structures should be located on a site.

Measured building surveys
Measuring and drawing plans of an existing building and if required its surrounding area. This is particularly useful if the building is to be extended or altered.

As built drawings
Drawings of what was actually built in a new structure. These are particularly useful for continuing maintenance, any future expansion and are now required to complete the Health and Safety File under the Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations

Asset record plans
A combination of a site and measured building survey to produce drawings showing the assets of accompany, business or developer. This assists with future development planning and maintenance.

Resolution of boundary disputes
Accurate site surveys can provide effective information to resolve boundary disputes.

Topographical surveys
3-Dimensional Site surveys including information on the level of the ground and features.

Property boundaries
Surveys and setting out to establish exactly where a boundary lies between two properties or sites.

Sewerage network surveys
A survey of the drains on a site to establish where the sewers are located and which carry Surface and foul sewage water.