PRO Structures Ltd

prostructures.co.uk/new-build-news-upton-gardens-whitminster-11-zero-carbon-homes-in-stroud/

Launched in 2025, this Newland Homes development has already secured reservations for more than half of its properties. PRO Structures is proud to have delivered structural ground beam and piled foundation design services for this impressive project.

prostructures.co.uk/backhouse-construction-new-2025-house-type-design/

PRO Structures is collaborating with the Architects Eric Cole and the client Backhouse Construction on the development of the 2025 range of standard house types by providing structural support to improve buildability and achieve cost-effective designs. The team is working with the architects to align with the intended architectural design.

prostructures.co.uk/stunning-new-build-in-windmill-hill-bristol/

A bespoke and unique collection of stunning 4 new build homes, in a popular and sought after Bristol suburb of Windmill Hill within close proximity to the City Centre.

The client proposes to build four new terraced houses on Eldon Terrace with access from Cotswold Road North. Construction will occur in two phases: plots 9 & 10 first, then 7 & 8. The three-storey homes, including basements, will feature zinc-clad roofs, large, glazed front and rear elevations, and load-bearing masonry walls. Traditional construction methods will be used, such as timber and steel structural elements, with retaining walls at the rear.

The 13th July 2025 marks a remarkable milestone for PRO Structures Ltd – EIGHTEEN YEARS since our company first opened its doors. This anniversary is not simply a measure of time, but a commemoration of vision, perseverance, and the collaborative spirit that has shaped our journey along the way. A big thank you to all our clients and the loyalty of our team.

As we celebrate the past, we also embrace the future with excitement and resolve, but our ethos remains the same as it did when we first started: to deliver outstanding value, foster meaningful relationships, and lead with integrity.

We shall be raising a toast to eighteen years of progress and partnership. May the years ahead be filled with new horizons, lasting relationships, and continued success for us all.

prostructures.co.uk/hot-rolled-steel-roof-purlin-designs-at-bishops-lydiard-engine-shed-at-west-somerset-railway/

The steelwork fabricator for our client, West Somerset Railway, contacted us as they were concerned with the condition of the roof’s structural support purlins, due to sustained steam from the engines. Several of these roof purlins required replacement and others had actually collapsed.

PRO Structures undertook new hot rolled steel roof purlin designs to support the existing cladding with sketch connection details plus new steelwork protection measure specification recommendations.

prostructures.co.uk/new-124-home-persimmon-development-at-beaufort-park-bristol-nears-completion/

Area H7(b) of this large-scale development, south of the old Filton Airfield, is now near completion with new residents starting to move in. We have been involved in this development of 124 new plots, comprising 2, 3 and 4 bedroom housing located off the A4018 into Bristol, with Persimmon (Severn Valley) for around three years.

For Areas H4 and H7(a), PRO Structures previously designed the substructure, foundations and all external retaining walls, plus screen walls for these homes, some of which also have standalone garages.

prostructures.co.uk/stunning-new-build-in-henleaze-handed-over-complete-with-dual-aspect-column-free-corner-on-the-ground-floor/

Our client, Durrance Developments, has built a stunning new two-storey residential building in north-west Bristol, utilising energy-efficient Insulated Concrete Formwork (ICF) on top of a raft slab foundation, due to the tall adjacent pine trees.

Durrance Developments requested a column-free dual aspect corner-to-ground floor design for the ‘wow’ factor. PRO Structures achieved this via the use of reinforced cantilevering wall depths within the insulated concrete forms, plus 3D modelling to ensure cantilever deflections were manageable. We believe that the house sold for approximately £1 million.

prostructures.co.uk/warehouse-in-essex-feature-sails-designed-for-increased-wind-loads/

These aluminium mesh sails are freestanding and will be restrained back to the main structural members of the building at each floor level. In so doing, they must remain stable in their own right in relation to the increasing applied wind loads at that height.

The structural verification designs created challenges due to the values of the applied wind loads, with the sails being fixed back to stiffened aluminium window mullions.

The sails are due to be installed in June 2025.

prostructures.co.uk/interesting-transformation-the-old-stables-box-hedge-farm-coalpit-heath/

The architectural brief for this project involves demolishing an existing single-storey stable to build a new two-storey residential property over the same footprint with the lower ground floor level being formed via a large subterranean dig. We were asked to provide the substructure and superstructure design for the development which incorporates stone gabion retaining wall designs, reinforced concrete raft slab design and traditional loadbearing masonry design with cut timber roofing. Excavation of this subterranean build commenced in early October 2024 with completion expected in December 2025.

prostructures.co.uk/phase-2-underway-at-the-blunsdon-development-in-swindon/

Building is progressing on Phase 2 of this development of 16 houses in the small town of Blunsdon near Swindon by Backhouse Construction Ltd. House type Q currently being built with these stunning feature trusses and a large, glazed elevation.

This project is due for completion in 2025. PRO Structures are providing consultancy structural engineering services for Backhouse Construction on this phase of the development.

prostructures.co.uk/11-zero-carbon-homes-to-be-built-for-newland-homes-in-whitminster-gloucester/

Inspired by its quintessential English rural setting and accompanied by generous green space and countryside beyond, this is a truly impressive development of 11 completely carbon-neutral homes near the River Frome and Cotswold Canals network.

PRO Structures was proud to undertake the substructure suspended RC ground beam GA layout and reinforcement design, along with the piled service load value calculations.

prostructures.co.uk/access-self-storage-high-wycombe/

Another successful collaboration with Advanced Automated Access. PRO Structures have provided the calculations for the mullion and transom sizing and design of bracket fixings of the curtain walling for this Self Storage building in High Wycombe. - check out our website for the photographs.

prostructures.co.uk/32-new-homes-for-curo-group-walnut-buildings-woodborough-road-radstock/

We are delighted to be working once again with the Curo Group, a not-for-profit housing association operating in the South of England. We have been asked to provide substructure building designs as well as retaining walls for this development comprising of 32 homes. The new homes will be a mix of one-or-two bedroom apartments, and two and three bedroom houses. 17 of these homes will be available as social housing through Bath and North East Somerset Council. Construction is likely to commence in October 2024, with completion in spring 2026.

prostructures.co.uk/grand-designs-at-1-kewstoke-road-weston-super-mare/

We are delighted to be involved with designing the structural elements of this amazing change of use scheme at 1 Kewstoke Road, Weston Super Mare, North Somerset. Beachland Developments’ vision is to turn this former shop, built fully into the ground, into a stunning home with kitchen, dining, lounge and patio/garden areas that have far reaching sea views over the Bristol Channel. The lower level will have subterranean bedrooms/bathrooms. We are currently seeking approval in principle for the retaining wall to the highway with North Somerset District Council so that piling can get underway in summer 2024

prostructures.co.uk/great-adaptations-three-exciting-extension-developments/

Hembury Cottage, Wookey, and Stanford, West Town Lane, in Bristol
PRO Structures has been asked to assist with the structural remodelling design of this quaint property in the village of Wookey near Wells. The central two-storey core of the original house will remain in place, while large new two-storey extensions to the rear and side elevations are planned, with an external terrace and large open plan dining kitchen area.

We can’t wait to share the progress as the transformation of this stunning rural cottage evolves! We are working with Gibson Architecture to design cost effective extension build proposals that match the clients sustainability requirements.

Complex sub-structure solutions for West Town Lane extension
Meanwhile, on West Town Lane in Bristol, PRO Structures is working on the design for a single storey rear extension to a property, while also extending the loft space with new dormers. The existing ground floor will be dropped 300mm to allow for greater head room, and all the existing foundations are to be underpinned to achieve this. We have obtained the Approved Inspectors’ permission to utilise strip footings for the new extension foundations following geotechnical testing and tree identification. This is so that the existing trees could be protected without piled foundations. Approximate build costs will be approximately £100,000 with completion estimated as September 2024.

Sustainable timber frame loft replacement, ground source heat pump and balcony providing solar louvres in Oldbury-on-Severn.
The carbon-friendly proposals for this property at Priest Orchard in Oldbury-on-Severn involves a full loft replacement in timber framed construction to increase the first floor area with ground floor remodelling work and a new green oak framed external first floor balcony. Our client’s vision is to update a traditional farmhouse-style home for the 21st century, replacing the whole upper floor with a timber-clad structure more appropriate to its rural surroundings. They will also add a balcony, to take advantage of the south-facing views over open countryside, and this will double up as a frame to carry solar louvres to assist with natural cooling solutions and reduce solar glare. Meanwhile, the existing ground floor will be over-clad with insulated render and re-modelled to create a more appropriately-sized kitchen diner, and the heating system will be replaced with an air source heat pump. This project is out to tender at time of writing, and will follow the model below when built.

prostructures.co.uk/climate-considerate-homes-at-daniels-estate-bath-road-stroud/

Climate-considerate homes are making headlines in Stroud, and PRO Structures has been tasked with the structural design for the substructure of the houses and highway retaining walls. Design is underway to transform the brownfield land between Bath Road and Dudbridge Road into 111 low and zero carbon homes, encompassing 88 two and three bedroom terraced, semi-detached and detached homes and 23 one and two bed apartments.

Latest renewable technology to surpass current building regulation requirements. The low and zero carbon, climate considerate homes in Stroud will be equipped with the latest renewable technology for heat and power. This means air source heat pumps will heat the houses in lieu of gas boilers, and the properties will also benefit from a significant array of high-performance solar panels to generate electricity.

Likewise, buildings have been orientated to maximise solar gain. They will be constructed with high levels of insulation to deliver significant energy savings, and wiring provision for electric car charging points will be provided. All these initiatives far surpass the UK’s existing building regulations.

Andrew Billings, Land Director at Newland Homes, commented:

“Redevelopment has been a long time coming. We’re eager to start regenerating the site to create a desirable collection of design-led, sustainable homes.”

prostructures.co.uk/on-the-drawing-board-eight-new-homes-on-ladymead-lane-langford-valued-in-excess-of-1-5m/

PRO Structures Ltd assisted both our client Stuart Flynn and architect Avec Design Ltd to deliver the superstructures and substructures for this development of eight detached, two-storey homes in the village of Langford, in the heart of the beautiful Somerset countryside.

This development will involve piled foundations with suspended concrete ground beams due to poor ground conditions, and has an approximate build cost in excess of £1.5 million. The piled substructure build is currently underway.

prostructures.co.uk/on-site-two-large-commercial-lets-on-tuffley-lane-gloucester-worth-approx-1-25m/

Construction started in January 2024 on one new 405 sq mtr and two new 200 sq mtr buildings for commercial lets. Back in 2021, PRO Structures was asked to undertake the sub and superstructure design for the erection of these 3No. steel portal frame buildings.

Completion of this project is scheduled for the end of this year, and the scheme is valued at approximately £1.25 million.

prostructures.co.uk/reusing-a-historical-arched-dome-at-fromeside-gymnastics-club/

PRO Structures was asked to undertake a visual structural assessment of the gymnasium’s historic segmental composite aluminium arched dome, to ascertain if the existing structure was stable and robust enough to be kept as part of the proposed new building extension planned for next year.

The goal is to provide extra space in the gymnasium complex, including a new public area with a mezzanine floor and viewing gallery, plus multi-use rooms, a cafe and office spaces.

The original aluminium framework was built in the late 1970s at the British Gymnastics HQ in Lilleshall, Shropshire. Fromeside purchased the structure and after acquiring suitable land, it was reassembled with a public area attached and opened for use in 1987.

From our observations, we came up with solutions to keep this structure going for as long as possible which was both good for the client and the environment!

prostructures.co.uk/new-bespoke-designer-property-at-oakfield-place-clifton-handed-over-to-another-happy-customer/

This stunning new contemporary, sustainable three-storey house for Square Peg Investments has just been completed. PRO Structures worked in conjunction with the architect, Dexter Designs, to achieve this unique home for a private client. The image shown on the website is taken from the west elevation, showing the contrasting exterior cladding and finishes, and the project is estimated to be worth £450k.

prostructures.co.uk/124-new-homes-at-beaufort-park-henbury-bristol-for-persimmon-homes-severn-valley/

We have been involved in this development of 124 plots comprising of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom housing. PRO Structures is proud to have designed the substructure, foundations and all external retaining walls for these homes, some of which will also have standalone garages, as well as the screen walls on site.

PRO Structures is proud to be contributing to sustainable solutions

We have successfully completed the structural design for Jaques Ltd to extend a steel framed biogas gantry structure for a 5.5 tonne manure decanter at a Herefordshire methane gas production facility. Cow waste and emissions are captured and converted into a useful fuel, and we are delighted to be able to assist with this vital project.

Construction is now almost completed, with build costs estimated at £25,000.

prostructures.co.uk/old-meets-new-extensions-to-two-victorian-properties-in-bath-and-batheaston/

This 2-storey side extension at Victory Gardens, a Victorian end of terrace property, will create an ‘old meets new’ fusion with extensive glazing, as well as exposed glulam timber frames. We are carrying out the glulam modelling for stability alongside John Hartley Surveyors for this scheme, which has an estimated build cost of £300,000.

PRO Structures is also working on another fusion extension for a Victorian terrace, this time on Westhall Road in Bath itself (pictured). The owner of this Victorian 2-storey end of terrace house wants a contemporary designed three-storey extension to the rear of the property with a loft conversion over the existing roof area.

This will require a degree of lightweight steel framing, from ground to first floor level, to achieve both stability and aesthetics to create a stunning open plan ground floor architectural vision. The superstructure build above this level is of traditional timber frame construction.

The client is striving to obtain designed U-valleys in line with Passive House specifications and the consultant team is working together to achieve this aim. We estimate that work will commence in summer 2023, with a likely build cost of £275,000.

prostructures.co.uk/the-reading-plane-has-finally-landed/

This former plane has been delivered to St Mary’s CEVC Primary School in Alveston, South Gloucestershire, where it will be turned into a new library. The project, with an estimated total value of around £15,0000, has been named “Flying High” by the pupils.

The plane itself was built in Filton, just a few miles down the road from our offices, in 1993 and for 25 years it was operated by Turkish Airlines and then Libya Air. it is now going to be entirely refurbished, insulated, carpeted and heated for the children, and PRO Structures is proud to have designed the cradle support in which it will sit.

prostructures.co.uk/new-build-news-blunsdon-phase-ii-29-new-homes-in-swindon/

PRO Structures are delighted to have assisted Backhouse Developments Ltd with their design of 29 beautiful bespoke and contemporary homes. These 2-storey detached and semi-detached homes, designed in 7 house types, are situated in the historic village of Blunsdon on the outskirts of Swindon, with an estimated build cost of approximately £11m. Completion is expected in 2024.

prostructures.co.uk/new-build-news-21-new-homes-in-wedmore-cheddar-for-uks/

This new development for UKS Ltd will create 21 new homes, mainly 3 bedroom semi detached properties, in 4 house types, all in timber frame on piled foundations due to poor ground. PRO Structures have provided tender substructure design for the client to tender against proprietary piled systems. Construction is due to start in May 2023.

prostructures.co.uk/construction-complete-at-gruffy-ground/

Construction has completed on a large (215 sqm, 4-bed) new single storey dwelling, shown below with a framed terrace as well as a liveable loft space. The build made use of sustainable Durisol ICF blocks for the external walls and blockwork masonry walls for the internal walls, beam and block ground floor.

Also of interest in this £300,000 scheme for Gibson Architecture were the specialist-designed attic trusses and terrace framing constructed of steel support beams and column

prostructures.co.uk/new-2-5m-centre-for-asylum-seekers-on-the-drawing-board/

PRO Structures is pleased to be assisting Nicholas Morley Architects on the civil and structural elements for this Lower Ashley Road development, worth £2.5m which will provide a 4-storey accommodation block with 90-bedrooms for asylum seekers at the entrance to St Paul’s, Bristol. We are, as a company, proud to be part of the solution in these testing times.

Design is underway for this complete new build on a former council site, and work is due to start on site in November.

prostructures.co.uk/sustainable-design-meets-architectural-beauty-in-clifton-village-for-square-peg-investments/

We were asked to design the structural elements for this new environmentally friendly three-storey dwelling for Square Peg Investments, which needs piled foundations due to unexpected ground conditions for the area.

This stunning house in Oakfield Place is structurally unique, in that it is formed in part by strip and part pile foundations with a semi-basement which is partly above ground. This semi-basement is especially interesting as the flooring is beam and block while the walls are formed using long contiguous piles, which posed a fascinating design challenge! The superstructure is in sustainable timber frame with load bearing masonry, and incorporates green roofs to reduce the net carbon contribution of the building.

Construction for this £550,000 scheme started on site in April, with a 12 month build programme.

prostructures.co.uk/construction-starts-on-1-25m-norman-scott-centre-sports-pavilion-patchway/

Work has also now started on this 3,400 sq foot, £1.25m sports pavilion, being built by contractors Melhuish & Saunders Ltd, and is expected to complete by the end of the year.

The re-design for this one-storey building (reduced from two to meet budgetary changes) will have a fully-equipped community café plus kitchen area, and four changing rooms for sports teams. There will be also be a plant room, disabled lift access and small office for Patchway Town Council staff.

As the appointed structural consultant, we have worked alongside the project manager, Melrose Associates and the client’s architects, The Bush Consultancy.

prostructures.co.uk/design-completed-on-substantial-structural-alterations-to-a-grade-ii-listed-3-storey-town-house-in-londons-kensington/

It’s not often we get asked to open up the basement space in a Grade II listed building, with all the structural implications that holds, in terms of both loadings and knowledge of the original structure.

To achieve the internal alterations at basement level, new steel beams were required that could support the internal masonry loading for the three-storey building above, allowing for historical unknowns in the original build. This led to large loads needing to be accurately chased down through the building, while the design work also has to satisfy complex party wall agreements.

Design is complete and work should start on site in July.

prostructures.co.uk/stunning-new-build-in-north-somerset-now-out-to-tender/

On the original site for this beautiful property stood a small bungalow which was demolished and replaced with this splendid new build with beautiful views across the Severn Estuary.

The main structural challenges for this project were to design the steel framing around the large glazed openings on the front elevation. The steel frame needed to be designed to resist the high coastal winds as well as fix onto the basement retaining walls.

This project is expected to start on site in July.

prostructures.co.uk/patchway-community-centre-extension-phase-1-handed-over-to-a-happy-client/

This large two-storey extension to encompass a purpose-built pre-school and a new community space on the first floor, was completed and handed over in October.

Designed in traditional load bearing masonry, with suspended concrete pre-cast flooring and a timber trussed rafter roof, the total area of this extension, which will enable the centre to offer greatly enhanced services, is 485m2.

Phase 2, a single-storey new entrance lobby area, along with over-cladding of the roof and other refurbishments, is on site now and should be completed by the end of January. PRO Structures is proud to have carried out all the structural design.

prostructures.co.uk/morley-house-adaptations-completed-for-freeways-trust/

Congratulations to the team at #AngusMeekArchitects and #Freeways on completion of this beautiful project. PRO Structures was privileged to have provided the civil and structural engineering design for both the adaptations and the extension.

Jacinta O’Shea, project manager for Freeways, said: “We are grateful to Ron and his team for their proactive approach, working closely with the team and the contractor, Campbell SW, to resolve issues as they arose during construction. As is so often the case on refurbishment projects, unforeseen issues arose and Pro Structures worked collaboratively to ensure practical, workable solutions.”

prostructures.co.uk/union-house-almost-complete-and-being-released-onto-the-market/

Union House – a disused 1970s office building in Trowbridge where we have used 3D modelling to design a new storey on both the front and rear elevations to create 15 new luxury apartments. The upper floors offer their own balcony and far reaching views across Trowbridge and beyond.

Particular detail was paid to the quality and finish of each apartment, a new marketing perspective is on offer with this development, formerly known as the Renrod Building.

prostructures.co.uk/antons-corner-shortlisted-for-insider-sw-award/

We are thrilled to announce that our work on Antons Corner, Bishopsworth, has been shortlisted for an Insider SW Residential Property award, in the small developments category.

We provided #HawkfieldHomes with the structural design for this superb development of eight family homes on the site of a former police station site, offering spacious accommodation in South Bristol.
Built and finished to the highest of standards using traditional load-bearing masonry, these 3-storey family homes have now been released for sale. The houses have a stepped profile down a slope, so part of our brief was to address site boundary retention to maximise use of the gardens.

The winners will be announced on 9th September 2021.

#SWResiAwards #property #residential #development

prostructures.co.uk/flying-high/

We are so excited! PRO Structures is going to be helping St Helen’s CE Primary School in Alveston, near Bristol to create a…. READING PLANE! The school has a longstanding relationship with Airbus and Bristol’s aviation history, and to commemorate this, a disused aircraft fuselage is going to be stripped out and turned into a school library/reading area, to enthuse the children, and no doubt the staff and parents, about both reading and our local traditions of flying high.

The cockpit and partial fuselage will be supported by steel formers matching the radius of the fuselage, attached to a steel beam which will be then bolted to a concrete base. We literally CAN’T WAIT!

check-out-our-spring-newsletter-a-5000-sq-foot-office-conversion-a-sport-england-standard-pavilion-and-much-much-more/

Loads of exciting stuff from us! https://lnkd.in/ggGSW-R
Check out PRO Structures’ spring update as we move towards a post-Covid world, with news of a 5,000 sq ft office development (change of use from a steel frame agricultural barn); a new Sport England standard sports pavilion for Patchway Town Council to serve a whole new community, connection design for some top London hotels, and much more… #structuraldesign #structuralengineeringservices

prostructures.co.uk/dynamic-seating-assessment-for-the-new-edinburgh-meadowbank-sports-centre/

We are thrilled to have carried out a crucial dynamic analysis assessment for the retractable seating arrangements for this brand spanking new sports centre, due to open its doors very soon!

This work was carried out for our valued client, Audience Systems Ltd.

Check out this video (our bit is shown between approx 1 min – 1 min 12). How cool will that be, when spectator sport can actually happen again?

https://youtu.be/KlMD6_nKCW0

prostructures.co.uk/on-site-the-shant-former-public-house-in-kingswood-and-7a-bell-hill-st-george/

The Shant
This former pub has now been demolished to make way for 10 semi-detached plots which will be built into two-storey private homes for Highridge Construction. We are proud to have provided the reinforced concrete substructure design, working with GeoTesting Services Ltd to ensure that the foundations can bridge over potential 2m wide voids on a site historically associated with mining.

7a Bell Hill
This three-storey building comprising 4 one- and two-bedroom apartments, for which we also designed the substructure elements, is now half built. Our client on this scheme is Nelson Developments and is scheduled to be completed in November 2020.

prostructures.co.uk/high-street-and-pembroke-road-shirehampton-social-housing-ready-to-welcome-new-tenants/

Change of use to create 10 new apartments plus 6 more new build –31-35 High Street and 24 Pembroke Road, Shirehampton

Our client, social housing provider Alliance Property Care, who own and manage around 6,500 homes in the South West, appointed us to modify an existing 3-storey commercial building. This was to provide an additional lightweight 2nd floor, while changing the 1st and 2nd floors, currently made up of offices and a break-out area, into 10 residential apartments. The ground floor has remained in use as a Job Centre, which Alliance currently leases out.

Our design to replace the existing second floor with a lightweight alternative on the change of use side made construction easier while saving cost, while the 3-storey new-build on adjacent Pembroke Road offering a further 6 one/two-bed apartments is pictured above right.

All the accommodation will be social housing. Barton Willmore, one of the UK’s leading independent planning and design consultancies, provided the architectural lead on both designs, and the contractor was Speller Metcalfe. The scheme was not without its complexities, and we are thrilled to see it reach a happy completion, with accommodation now ready for tenants to move in!

prostructures.co.uk/pro-structures-wins-at-the-build-awards/

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded ‘Best Structural Engineering Consultancy SME – South West England’ in the 2020 Home Builder Awards, proudly hosted for the fourth year by BUILD!

This is for our work on a bespoke detached mansion on Southfield Road, a five-bedroom mansion for Spring Homes, built on the site of the former tennis courts adjacent to Redmaids School in Westbury on Trym in North Bristol. A beautiful open plan, double aspect dwelling which makes full use of natural light and creates a ‘bringing the outside in’ ambience in harmony with the environment, it boasts five bedrooms, four bathrooms and an integrated garage. It was designed by Angus Meek Architects and built by contractor
B J Campbell (SW) Ltd.

PRO Structures provided all the civil and structural engineering designs to create this luxury home. Interesting technical challenges we encountered along the way included the need to design in an 11m3 underground surface water attenuation tank for Wessex Water SuDs drainage approval, along with the mansard roof bedroom area including a cranked steel framework to create more uninterrupted, column-free living space.

prostructures.co.uk/from-gatwick-airport-to-black-rock-farm-all-in-a-days-work/

Working for our client Advanced Automotive Access, we have been busy with the structural aluminium mullion and mullion fixing designs to the glazed elevations, as well as the entrance canopy support bracket design, of Gatwick 33 – a new 5,000m2 two storey office/warehouse, for Goya Developments.

Meanwhile, at Black Rock Farm in Lydney, we are working with Biddulph Architects Ltd to provide pre-planning structural appraisal advice for the conversion of historic barns and buildings into residential dwellings, for chartered surveyors Huthwaite Freston Wright.

http://prostructures.co.uk/celebrating-ten-years-business-office-move/

We’re not quite sure how it has happened, but we looked at the date and realised PRO Structures has actually been trading for ten years! In that time we have gone from a two-man band operating from a home office to a team of nine, including seven technical staff from students through to directors, plus office management and business services roles.

We have survived the deepest recession in recent times, and have moved from working primarily on small domestic extensions to volume house-builders such as Redrow; specialist structural glazing design for sporting venues in the south west and mixed-use developments in London; and fascinating bespoke projects including listed building conversions, mosque domes, community centres and changes of use to create apartments out of old office and agricultural buildings.

We will be celebrating our first decade with a move to a fantastic new office suite in Westbury on Trym, where we will be resident from 1st January 2018. The new address is:

53 Westbury Hill, Westbury on Trym, Bristol BS9 3AD. All phone numbers and emails will remain the same.

We’d like to thank all our clients and suppliers who have supported us over the years, and we hope to be partnering with you for years to come.

* Clients:
- Redrow
- Persimmon
- Alliance Homes
- Barton Willmore
- Prelon Developments
- GE2 Architects
- Angus Meek Architects
- The Windowglass Company
- Ridgeway Glazing
- GSH Architects

* Projects:
- Coniston Community Centre
- St Nicholas Markets
- Lansdown Ridge
- Weir House
- Stanley Park
- Easton Mosque
- Caledonian Road London
- Gloucestershire FA training facilities

Founded in 2007, PRO Structures offers civil and structural engineering for residential, office, public sector and commercial buildings. A rapidly growing company, we have recently recruited a permanent newcomer to our technical team as well as a business services director, while benefiting from the accumulated professional experience of a selection of sub-contractor engineers and draughtsmen. We also work closely with highly experienced and trusted civil and geotechnical engineers where appropriate, to enable us to offer a full service.


PRO Structures is run by director Ron O’Connor, a fully qualified and chartered structural engineer with 25 years’ post-graduate experience under his belt. Ron has a wealth of experience on projects both large and small, gained within the UK and the Caribbean, and a proven track record in successful project delivery from scheme design to final construction. He acquired a sound structural engineering grounding as a graduate with Jenkins and Potter before moving to work for larger, multi-disciplinary consultants such as EGP, Mouchel Parkman and WSP in Bristol.

Here he ran structural teams to deliver cost effective design solutions on projects as diverse as hospitals, colleges, business parks and motorway service stations. Ron then spent three years in Barbados as a senior engineer for David Lashley & Partners Inc, where he worked on prestigious projects such as the Regional Headquarters for the Royal Bank of Canada. Before deciding to start PRO Structures, he worked in the residential sector for Hydrock with small and large developers on schemes ranging from one to up to one hundred dwellings.


Please visit our blog for all our latest news

http://prostructures.co.uk/news-2/

http://prostructures.co.uk/autumn-update-pro-structures-jetties-city-living-office-move/

With summer a fading memory, we are now enjoying getting back into the swing of things as we head into autumn. It was a busy summer for PRO Structures, as two new recruits have been settling in, which in turn has made us realise that we need new premises!

We now have a team of seven, including 6 engineers ranging from students to directors, as well as admin and business services functions. We are delighted to welcome Antonio, who has come to us from Wintech with a background in structural curtain walling design, and Petra, our latest student placement who joins us from assisting Prime Properties. Meanwhile our other student, Martin, will shortly come back from a civil engineering placement in Swaziland as he enters his final year, and Vitalijus and Oliver are going from strength to strength in their career journeys.

On the drawing board – from Anguilla to Caledonian Road

Our work on the 15-storey Royal Wharf/Caledonian Road mixed use development in London for glazing specialist Ridgeway is progressing apace (pictured above), and we are proud to be providing the structural design for the glazed facades. Antonio has particular expertise in this area, which is proving very useful. The building’s curtain walling is currently being erected.

Meanwhile, we are providing the structural design for New Road Jetty in Anguilla in partnership with civil engineers DLN, which is currently at the detailed design phase and will go out to tender for contractors in the autumn and is worth approximately £6m.

Partly funded by the UK Government, DLN is providing crucial engineering consultancy advice for the scheme. This will include a determination of the preferred location for the new jetty, bathymetric surveys and geotechnical investigations, as well as work on the decommissioning of the old jetty.

The original timber Road Bay Jetty was built by British Army Engineers in 1970. This was then extended as a reinforced concrete structure in 1978 and again in 1986. As the only import jetty for containerised goods into Anguilla, Road Bay is of vital strategic and economic importance to the island, which will also have a great deal of work to do in terms of recovering and rebuilding in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Closer to Home
New build and conversion residental schemes

With an ever-increasing portfolio of clients and projects, our south-west workload is always close to our hearts. Driven concrete piling has just finished on a new 5 unit detached two-storey housing development in Congresbury, Bristol, for Creswicke Developments, for which we have undertaken the substructure design.

We are also providing structural engineering assistance to Logan Housing, for a new 23 unit scheme incorporating a degree of social housing, in North Molton, Devon. The scheme will use highly energy-efficient insulated concrete form (ICF) construction and driven piled foundations on part of the site, as there are large areas of historically made-up ground.

Meanwhile, construction is 50% complete on a bespoke mansion worth £500,000 for Spring Homes on the site of the former tennis courts adjacent to Redmaids School in Westbury on Trym in North Bristol, where we are providing engineering design services to the contractor B J Campbell (SW) Ltd.
Structural appraisal for barn conversions – a growing skill base

An area of work which we find ourselves in increasing demand for is providing structural engineering appraisal reports and engineering assistance for the conversion of agricultural barns into new residential or commercial dwellings. One such example is Phase 4 of the former Patrick Pinker Game Farm in Almondsbury, which is being converted to offices; this type of conversion throws up specific challenges which we are increasingly well placed to assist with as our expertise in this area grows.

Hotel knock-through at No 38
Boutique and Breakfast at your service…

Another technically interesting and challenging project on the board at the moment is for Boutique and Breakfast Ltd, where we are providing structural design for the partial conversion of 37 Upper Belgrave Road. This involves a ground to second floor expansion into the existing hotel next door at No 38 (pictured above with No 37 to the right), in order to create more hotel accommodation on the first and second floors, with a larger lobby being created on the ground floor by the knock-through between the buildings. The newly combined basement will also create accommodation and facilities for hotel staff.

This scheme is particularly interesting because the front elevation is listed, so we are working closely with architects Llewellyn Harker as well as the contractor Nelson Developments to addresses any unforeseen design issues as the building’s site strip gets underway, enabling the team to access the original structural elements central to and between t

http://prostructures.co.uk/easton-mosque-dome-extension-complete/

Bristol’s biggest mosque now boasts a domed extension in the courtyard of the former church hall where it is based, having commissioned a two-storey extension to cope with growing numbers of worshippers.

PRO Structures was delighted to provide structural superstructure designs along with site inspection services – and we are thrilled with the result.

http://prostructures.co.uk/straw-bales-caledonian-road/

These are exciting times for PRO Structures. We’re growing fast, with one new graduate engineer and another more senior engineer set to join us soon. We are thrilled with the scope and extent of our new schemes – which range from a wholly sustainable dwelling being designed with straw bales and rammed earth, to state of the art structural glazing design for a prestigious new development on London’s Caledonian Road.

Structural glazing design for Ridgeway on Caledonian Road

One of our most exciting current projects is the structural glazing design for a prestigious new mixed-use development on London’s Caledonian Road.

The 2.21 acre site comprises three main elements, all of which are poor quality, unattractive buildings: 431-435 Caledonian Road, the Balmoral Industrial Estate behind it, and the British Transport Police building to the south. Several of the buildings are unoccupied, and the commercial elements currently only sustain around 40 jobs.

The development consortium, made up of London Square, Family Mosaic, PKS Architects and Hawkins\Brown Architects, aim to create a modern, mixed-use, high quality development including 253 new homes, business and retail space which will generate up to 300 jobs, car share and cycle parking provision, and new landscaping and lighting.

We are proud to be working with Ridgeway Glazing to provide the mullion, transom and bracketry design for the glazing on the retail and commercial areas.

Office conversion for Briarlands Business Park out to tender

Our commercial work is ramping up, with the conversion of a 5,000 sqr foot steel frame agricultural barn about to go out to tender for contractors to create either one large or two smaller office units. Structurally we had to justify the existing steelwork for revised cladding loads, usage and changed external layout, to allow for multiple doors, windows and access points for office use.

Straw bales and rammed earth in Castle Carey



At the other end of the spectrum, we are working with DZ Architecture providing the structural design for a straw bale, rammed earth home. This totally sustainable, naturally insulated dwelling, being built on a sloping site, will look just like any other once built. Our team are hugely enjoying the design challenges of this innovative project.

Speedflex Thornbury

We’re also expanding into exercise space design, working with Speedflex to make internal alterations to Thornbury Leisure Centre, to enable the installation of a Speedflex dynamic exercise suite (billed as the perfect high-intensity yet low-impact workout). Speedflex have gyms in exotic locations from Dubai to Dallas, and are now rolling out their installations in the UK.

Residential News
We’re continuing to work closely with Hall Bros Builders in Coventry, on a new piled 3-storey apartment block called Lismore Croft; as well as on new bespoke residential schemes with GSH Architects and Nicholas Morley Architects.

Meanwhile, a change of use scheme to create 10 new apartments for Alliance Property Care, plus a new build, is about to start on site in Shirehampton.

Our client, social housing provider Alliance Property Care, who own and manage around 6,500 homes in the South West, proposes to modify an existing 3-storey commercial building to provide an additional lightweight 2nd floor while changing the 1st and 2nd floors, currently made up of offices and a break-out area, into 10 residential apartments. The ground floor will remain in use as a Job Centre, which Alliance currently leases out. Meanwhile, a new 3-storey apartment building will be situated on adjacent land.

We’d like to thank all our clients, colleagues and suppliers for their ongoing trust and support, and to wish you all a wonderful summer.

http://prostructures.co.uk/seasons-greetings-december-update/

With 2016 drawing to a close, and most people’s minds moving to the holidays, we just wanted to share a brief update and also take a moment to thank our clients and suppliers for their support this year. It has been a busy, change-driven year for us, seeing our staff numbers and capacity to take on larger, more complex jobs both increasing after a fairly challenging start – which makes the level of repeat business from many of our clients especially valued and a great endorsement of our work, and our desire to build long term relationships.

News just in… from the FA all the way to Barbados

We are thrilled to announce the winning of two exciting new jobs at PRO Structures – a new Gloucestershire FA football coaching facility, led by GSH Architects for which we will be providing the structural and civil engineering designs; and a headquarters for the Republic Bank Warrens, Barbados (images below).

The scope for the 2,475 sq ft Gloucestershire FA teaching/coaching and social facility includes new changing and social facilities, parking, landscaping, and associated works, and is led by project architects GSH.

Meanwhile the bank HQ is a 37,000 sq ft, six storey building with basement parking and a ground floor banking hall, and offices on the upper levels. With its Caribbean location, and it being a tall building, we will need to design for both hurricane wind loading and seismic activity, posing interesting challenges and further developing our knowledge base. With the higher level of software requirements for this job, including finite element analysis to assess the impact of a range of physical effects on a building, we now have the capacity to design for more complex and taller structures on any scheme, as well as non-standard shapes.

Georgian grandeur – a tale of two buildings
(and a fortuitous wine cellar)

We’re also delighted to be working once more with Clear Future Architects on 25 Upper Belgrave Road in Clifton, Bristol – this Georgian building has a listed front elevation and the client wishes to change all of the internal floor plans. This led to an interesting design brief, as we needed to work closely with both the architect and contractor to modify both the internal and external superstructure load paths in order to meet the client’s needs, while respecting the listed façade and historical nature of the building. As a result, PRO Structures has designed new steel frames, both internally and externally (for the rear elevation), to maintain the building’s stability and structural integrity without compromising the aesthetics. On site investigations also uncovered an original Georgian vaulted brickwork potable water storage tank under the building which is now going to be converted into a wine cellar for the client.

Glazed structures on the drawing board

We’re also working with structural glazing specialists Windowglass on another scheme; this time providing the component design and justification for Northamptonshire Police NAB (Northern Accommodation Building)’s main entrance, which will include a glazed façade.

Residential News

Our latest residential schemes to complete include a renewal of our relationship with Hawkfield Homes, following our work on their development on Okebourne Road in Brentry; this time we have carried out the structural design for two new 3-bedroom homes in Haw Lane, Olveston, which have now been built and sold (image below). PRO Structures has also carried out the civil and structural tender design for a new dwelling on the site of the former tennis courts on Southfield Road in Westbury-on-Trym for Spring Homes Ltd.

Meanwhile, a revised scheme design is underway on a new mixed use development on the junction of Wells Road with Redcatch Lane in Knowle, Bristol, to create a three-storey, 5,400 sq ft building with ground floor offices and six apartments on the 1st and 2nd floors. This work is for Curtis Wayne Affordable Homes and led by Foresight PM Ltd. Finally, the next phase of the Redrow development on the old Dings Crusaders RFC site will start in the New Year.

That’s it from us; it just remains for us to wish you a truly happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas, and all the very best for 2017, both at home and at work, and we look forward to being in touch in the New Year.