Written by Russell Wrapson, this article was originally published in 2022 as a LinkedIn Article – but we thought we’d share it on the website so more people would have a chance to read it. SWJ’s team have diverse backgrounds. Not all the directors, or the team have degrees in structural engineering, proof that university is not the only way into the profession. However, two of the youngest and newest members of staff are both graduates (or will be) and it is interesting to hear from them what their opinion is on a degree v’s an experience-based route into the industry. I am interested to disc ..read more

Parth Shah joined SWJ with a Master’s in Advanced Structural Engineering from Heriot-Watt University. He has a passion for the challenges of refurbishment projects. “What I find most interesting with refurbishment projects is the challenge of understanding how the existing structure behaves. Whatever type of building it is, whether residential or commercial, it is already built, and you don’t know exactly how it has been built and what you might find. “Part of the enjoyment for me is imagining how the existing structure works. From there I can start to think about how to design the changes or ..read more

Position: Structural Revit Technician Reports to: Jordan Day Position type: Full Time, Office Based Location: West Oxfordshire, UK Level/Salary Range: £35,000 + Date updated: 13/02/2024 Job Description SWJ Company, a rapidly growing, award-winning, and highly respected Structural Engineering Practice based in West Oxfordshire, is seeking a Structural Revit Technician to join our team. As a firm of structural engineers, we are dedicated to delivering exceptional standards of work and pushing the boundaries of digital construction techniques. We offer a stimulating and supportive work environm ..read more

Lateral stability is often misunderstood and underestimated when it comes to the design of a home. Lateral Stability is a structure’s ability to resist horizontal loads or forces, most commonly wind, earth, and in some cases earthquakes, seismic loads. Wind and earth horizontal loads Wind loads can not only be applied to the surface of a structure, as you might expect, they can also be applied away from the structure, causing suction or uplift. These are called positive and negative pressures. You need to be sure that your structure is strong enough to resist wind loads and sufficiently ancho ..read more

Unlike residential homes that are inherently stable because they are essentially a cluster of smaller rooms, commercial and industrial buildings don’t tend to have the same number of internal walls adding stability to the structure. Lateral stability is the structure’s ability to resist wind loads and in some areas seismic activity. Wind loads increase the higher they are applied on a structure, so on a high rise there is a significant difference to the loads experienced at the top of the structure compared to the ground floor. The need for lateral stability is often a secondary consideration ..read more

When specifying block density there is a balance to be had between weight and insulation efficiency. Soundproofing might also factor into the decision, but this is not the primary concern of a structural engineer. The density of the block does not affect its strength, so this is not a factor. You can have a dense block with a compressive strength of 2.9 N/mm2, and an aerated block with a compressive strength of 10.9 N/mm2. The factors to consider is that a lighter aerated block has a higher U-Value (offers more efficient insulation), but less sound proofing. A heavier, denser block offers les ..read more

We are asked about wind posts and their necessity in our designs all the time. This article explains why they are important and why we include them but also the steps we take to avoid the use of them – so our clients know we have done all we can to avoid their use. Why are wind posts necessary? Wind posts are primarily used to restrain lateral wall panels and protect against wind loads. The need for them is increasing as the trend for larger windows and bifold doors grows. When you replace masonry with an opening – you need to replace the support that masonry gave to your structure, with eith ..read more

How much room does a retaining wall need? How do you know if a building is in the wrong place on site? And what can you do about it Retaining walls are used to support soil at different levels on two sides – to provide a ‘wall’ that restrains a slope of soil that would otherwise naturally fall. The answer to how much room does a retaining wall need is – is it depends. It depends on the height of the retaining wall and the working room available. Retaining walls have to have the strength to resist the loads of the soil and not be turned over, slide or cause bearing failure. There are several t ..read more

Bed joint reinforcement is a fabricated steel system that comes in a flat ladder or truss design and is added to the mortar between layers of blocks to strengthen masonry panels without thickening the wall. They are flat so they can fit in the mortar or be overlaid and not disrupt the layers of blocks. Bed joint reinforcement is used for two reasons to help prevent cracking and to help strengthen a masonry panel laterally. This is especially important if a panel has been weakened by a large opening like a door a window. The masonry panel in the image below is likely to span up and down, as th ..read more

The floor depth, or the structural depth, is a function of the clear span of the floor, the clear span between the supports; which might be steel beams, a wall, or column. There are span tables for different types of construction methods, produced by the manufacturers. In a beam and block floor for example you can see from the manufacturer’s table that you’ll get 5m span from a 150mm (6 inch deep) structural floor. A plank floor (also called a hollow core floor) can normally span a little more so for the same structural floor depth of 150mm you can get a 7.5m span. What tends to happen, parti ..read more