Consulting civil and structural engineers
Shaping spaces throughout the UK from our office in Cambridgeshire with innovation, resilience and sustainability since 1987. Work with Richard Herrmann Associates Ltd to maximise your project’s potential and advance its progression, from Feasibility to Completion.
Expert engineering services in Cambridgeshire
Our dedication to excellence sees us serve both our loyal, longstanding clients and those new to the fold, spanning a myriad of industries. Where appropriate, our teams utilise advanced computer analysis, allowing accurate design of structure to ‘feed’ the subsequent detailing and drawing production.
00
Years Est.
00
Clients
00
Years Experience
An experienced team of Chartered Engineers
Becoming a Chartered Engineer is a lengthy and challenging process but one that ensures the engineer meets the high standards set by the Institution of Structural Engineers or the Institute of Civil Engineers. After earning a degree in structural engineering, a graduate must accumulate years of experience in the industry before sitting a rigorous seven-hour exam that tests their design, drawing, and communication abilities. With only a 25% first-time pass rate, successfully completing this exam signifies a high level of technical expertise and professionalism.
We are proud that every project we undertake is either designed or overseen by a Chartered Engineer. This ensures that the extensive technical knowledge and experience gained throughout our careers is applied to every project we put our hands to. Having a Chartered Engineer involved guarantees the project is coordinated at all stages - both within our team and with external parties - a factor that’s crucial for avoiding common pitfalls and ensuring your project’s success.
Working with a broad range of sectors
Years in the business have taught us that complexity isn’t something to shy away from. With adaptability and attention at the forefront of our approach, we embrace difficult or challenging projects, especially those involving specialist designers, contractors or products that often require the utmost care and attention. Whether your project includes highly technical medical equipment or caters to particularly sensitive occupants, we’re confident we can offer support that makes all the difference.
-
What is the likely cost of your services?Each project is priced individually based on the scope of the project; one of our senior structural engineers will carry out an initial appraisal to evaluate the likely time that might be required to resolve any issues or prepare a design. Our fee is then based on an hourly rate multiplied by the anticipated time involved. As we rely on this information to advise on costing, the more information you can provide at an early stage, the better.
-
What is the expected timescale of a project?Each project varies based on the extent of works required, but typically a lead-in period of 1-3 weeks is needed before we can conduct a visit or commence with design. That said, we can prioritise more urgent projects. We can then produce design details and/or reports, usually within the following days or weeks.
-
What information do I need to provide?Within our quick enquiry form we’ll ask for your contact information, the sector your project falls into, and a clear and brief explanation of the scope of your works, outlining the service/s you would like us to provide. Any useful drawings to better illustrate your project or problem are beneficial towards helping us understand what needs to be carried out.
-
Will a Chartered Engineer be involved in my project?Yes, every project is either directly dealt with, or overseen by, one of our Chartered Structural Engineers. This allows us to ensure consistent quality standards for every client.
-
Do you have experience in my particular project?Having been around since 1987, we’re proud to hold a vast level of knowledge and experiences from all areas of civil and structural engineering. It’s very likely that we have dealt with something similar before and can bring our expertise to your project.
-
What payment method do you accept?We accept bank transfers.
-
Do you inspect on properties to buy?Typically, a thorough investigation into the structural stability of a property is limited when dealing with a building that you do not yet own. Until you have purchased the property, we are unable to utilise many of the techniques that allow us to identify the potential cause of an issue, such as monitoring cracking movement over a period of time or carrying out intrusive inspections to understand the structure of the property. If the highlighted issue is something that can be commented on based on visual inspection alone then we might be able to assist, but the scope of what can be achieved ‘pre-purchase’ will be limited. This approach is often contrary to what a lender’s surveyor will suggest, since the wording within a valuation survey report will often suggest that a Structural Engineer will be able to not only determine the cause of the movement, but also advise the extent of remedial works and their costs. However, this is not feasible, and we believe in being honest and ethical with our clients.
-
What is subsidence and heaving?Many people have heard the term 'subsidence' related to building movement. You might even have heard the term 'heave' too. These terms refer to the tendency for buildings to lose foundation support or to be lifted by the underlying ground, most commonly as a result of changes in the moisture content of cohesive soils like clay. These changes usually occur as a result of nearby vegetation roots extracting moisture from the soil, resulting in the soil shrinking in volume. If this volume change occurs once the building is supported by the soil, the building will subside. If the soil volume increases whilst the building is supported on the soil, as can be the case if a tree is removed or dies, this can result in the building being lifted by 'heave'.
-
What happens with a soil investigation?The nature of the soil investigation can be tailored to suit the scheme, with simple 'trial pits' being carried out at one end of the scale, through to involving specialist site investigation companies at the other end of the scale. We are more than happy to provide a consultant service role to our clients to assist them in determining what approach is most suitable, and also to help them minimise the potentials risks to the project that might otherwise occur and result in significant costs and delays at construction stage.
-
Why is soil type important?All clay soils have a potential for volume change however, some have a greater potential than others. This means that the recommended site investigation should include more than simply confirming the soil type, but it should also determine the soil properties to ascertain the degree of'volume change potential. This will directly inform what a suitable foundation depth would be related to any vegetation type, height and distance from the proposal.
Book a call back
Contact the team
Our long-standing, ‘Blue-chip’ client list has been achieved by ensuring that a Chartered Structural Engineer is responsible for your project at every stage. You could be next to experience the difference our experience and precision could make to your development. Complete our online form to get started or call 01480 455179.