clear Archives - Michael Aubrey Structural Engineers

Today I’m talking to John Staves, our Managing Director about the issues of maintaining drill towers and external fire escapes and the need for regular structural checks.

Why Are Regular Maintenance Inspections So Important?

You have a safety obligation as an owner of that structure to maintain it in a reasonable way so that it doesn’t cause injury to anybody using it.

Regular maintenance inspections allows you to;

head off serious problems, which if left unchecked, can be far more costly
to identify problems before they become major issues and helps you avoid any unplanned maintenance activity
Increase the life expectancy of your drill towers and / or external staircases

How Often Should You Carry Out Maintenance Inspections?

I think maintenance inspections to check the structure every three years is sensible.

But this might be increased if you are in a more aggressive environment eg coastal where you have got marine effects on corrosion.

What Are The Main Cause of Deterioration?

External Staircases

Typically it’s weather exposure because they are external structures – they are bound to deteriorate over time.

Even a galvanised structure has a life to it. Just because it’s galvanised doesn’t mean it will last forever – you still have to schedule regular inspections!

Sometimes it’s poor initial design details, for example where a design has allowed water to pond in a particular location.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of age.

Drill Towers – Masonry Structures

Not only do they have the normal weathering environment (masonry does need re-pointing over a period of time anyway) but it’s accelerated on a drill tower because of the drill practice.

Most drill towers are subject to high pressure hosing (usually around first floor level) often there is damage to the surface of the brickwork, which would need identifying and treating.

Typically What Involvement Have You Had With Structural Assessments Of Drill Towers And External Staircases?

We have carried out 50 + of inspections of external staircases and drill towers across the UK for Fire Authorities and commercial customers.

Mainly as part of an on-going maintenance program, but recently we were called into a commercial property where they’d had a fire.

The fire brigade had attended the site and criticised the external fire escape. The owners of the building appointed us carry out a full structural assessment the condition of the fire escape and report on our findings.

What Do You Report On?

We visit sites and carry out a visual structural survey of the building fabric. We inspect staircases, platforms, walkways, ladders and drill towers.

We provide a Structural Inspection Report which includes a Schedule of Defects.

The Structural Report would;

identify any structural defects on, or around the staircase/drill tower
identify the causes of the defect
suggest remedial works, the urgency of repair and maintenance options

Planned Maintenance

We operate on a Red, Amber and Green system, helping you identify issues that are most urgent so you can plan your maintenance more efficiently.

For example, for one of our customers we had identified a number of staircases within their portfolio that required external painting.

They were able to package together the work so that the contractors could move efficiently from site to site and carry out the work for the lower cost.

Why Use A Structural Engineer To Carry Out An Assessments And Not A Surveyor?

Fundamentally drill towers and external staircases are structures.

If you are looking for a relevant competent person it makes sense that a structural engineer inspects the structure.

A good structural engineer will have knowledge of the actual structure and general building fabric. Drill towers are loadbearing structures, so it’s all structure and a structural engineer would be the most appropriate person to make the assessment.

Generally we are not looking at general building defects, we are talking about defects that affect the structural components – which is usually the basis of safety.

If your structure is failing – that’s a safety issue.

Are you responsible for the maintenance of any external staircases or drill towers?

When was the last time you carried out a Health Check on your External Staircases / Drill Towers?

Why not book a no obligation telephone consultation to find out how we could help you fulfill your Health & Safety obligations. Call us today on 0118 962 9666.

Testimonials

“Having worked well with Michael Aubrey Partnership before, they were an obvious choice to undertake structural assessments of external staircases/drill towers.

They surveyed a number of sites across a large geographical area. Their reports were clear and concise and the “Red, Amber, Green” assessment helped us easily identify sites where remedial work was urgent.

Using this information we were able to plan our maintenance programme in the most efficient way”.

Graeme Major, Estate and Facilities Manager, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service

“Michael Aubrey Partnership helped me massively with the assessment of our external fire escapes.

You identified a major risk with the structures of our fire escapes which led to us condemning one of them.

This has ensured that swift action could be taken to mitigate the risk to persons using the structure. Everyone I spoke with was very polite and helpful.

The reports were clear and issued within a short timescale.

I would like to thank you as I know that I added some pressure to complete the report as quickly as possible in view of the seriousness of the findings – thank you. I would recommend Michael Aubrey Partnership to friends and colleagues”.

Boundless by CSMA

Do you have an external stair case that requires a Structural Assessment?

I’m talking today to Jamie Redman, BIM Manager at Michael Aubrey Partnership about BIM adoption and answering some of your frequently asked questions.

So we’ll start with the obvious question;

What Is BIM (Building Information Modelling)?

BIM is not to be confused with software.

BIM is actually a process of collating information so that it helps us describe the building in such a way that we can ensure that the design is buildable and check everything works in a virtual world before it gets really expensive checking it on site.

What Is The Difference Between 2D CAD (Computer Aided Design) And BIM?

it is not as simple as one is 2D and one is 3D. It is not about software, it is all about process and intelligent use of information.

What Is CAD?

CAD – ‘individually drawn 2D lines’ – for each view created, every line has to be drawn individually and there are no restrictions or checks to where these lines are drawn. Each view is, therefore, unintelligent and susceptible to errors.

More importantly, each view is drawn separately, one by one, and are completely unconnected from every other view. As such, discrepancies between views often occur and may not be realised until a project is under construction. These errors have the potential to cause expensive issues when they are eventually discovered.

BIM V CAD

BIM – ‘intelligent 3D objects’ – each view is not created individually, instead views are generated from a single 3-dimensional model. This means that the information shown on every view is entirely accurate and concurrent to one another.

In BIM a model is built using objects, a wall is a wall and not just a set of lines, and each object can be assigned data parameters. BIM is a tool that provides real time design checking using these data parameters. The 3D model can be checked to see how every object interacts with one another; junctions can be scrutinised for practicality of construction. As a result, designs cannot be ‘fudged’ just to look right without intention. This all means that designs produced in BIM are coordinated and thought out before they reach project construction.

The use of the information collected within a BIM model is limited only to the level of data inserted. The potential of BIM, as a tool, goes far beyond that of CAD and can be used to intelligently collect, coordinate, process, analyse and produce design information that ultimately reduces risk and waste on site.

Why Do We Use BIM?

We insist on the use of BIM and recognise that it provides better quality and clarity, which, ultimately, saves you money. Drawings are clear, accurate and concise for your builder to price and build from and ensures that you are entirely aware of the extent of work involved.

How Does The Process Work?

Following a feasibility visit, we provide you a quotation for obtaining Planning and Building Regulations approval. If you instruct us, we charge these as two separate fees.

Our process consists of creating a single BIM model that is used to produce both the Planning and Building Control information, which is developed further at each stage. This ensures that the design is coordinated and consistent throughout so that you can have confidence in your scheme.

I Already Have My Planning Drawings In CAD. Can You Use These For My Building Regulations Submission?

We can use your CAD drawings as a template to start to build the model from, however we do not produce our information in CAD anymore because it does not allow us the benefits of BIM. We prefer to produce for you a higher quality of design to ensure it is entirely buildable and that you have the predictability during its construction.

Why Does It Cost More For Building Regulations Alone?

We endeavour to ensure that the design we produce in the planning stage is buildable and compliant with Building Regulations. Unless checked, someone could obtain planning permission for something that you cannot build or get building regulations approval for.

As our process of design starts at the earliest point, part of the building regulations work has already been completed within the planning stage. We use the same model for Planning to commence Building Regulations process. If we are instructed to do the Building Regulations alone, we do not have a model to start from, whereas we would cost for doing that work in the planning phase.

What Does This Mean For You?

Clarity of Information

We provide full detailed information on our plans, so it’s absolutely crystal clear what your builder has to build – they will then price for what you need.

In our experience, if drawings do not have clear, concise details and information you will end up paying far more for your extension in builders fees than if you had paid for a properly thought out design at the beginning of your project.

Built In A Virtual World

Effectively we are building in a virtual world, checking staircases will fit, walls and roofs will align etc, all before your builder starts working on site.

Testimonial From A Local Builder

Builders like our designs as they are clear and accurate and they can price your project accurately.

What does this mean for you? You can be confident that the price your builder quotes you includes everything that is on the drawings and detailed specification. No hidden “extras” at a later date, keeping you within your budget.

Here is a testimonial from a local builder;

“The more information we can get on the drawings, the more accurate we can be with our quotation, which means that the customer will only pay for what was on the original quotation.” Click here to read more.

Want to learn more? This excellent video from our friend Fred Mills at B1M describes what a BIM model is in less than 3 minutes.

Are you planning a project? Please give us a ring on 0118 962 9666 to see how we could help you.