Buro Happold’s Buildings group has extensive experience in all major construction sectors, including commercial buildings, mixed use, retail, residential, education, healthcare, hotels, sports stadia, museums and public buildings. Our Building group is renowned for its imaginative, cutting edge design solutions which encourage the sustainable use of materials, energy and natural resources.
Structural engineering
Our Structural Engineers are original thinkers who often approach problems from a different angle to deliver innovative, bold and elegant solutions. They are versatile and intuitive, they apply technical excellence with rigour, they work with people, they listen, they lead where required. We value diversity in all our technical staff to ensure we are able to deliver on our wide project portfolio. Some are good at managing delivery of large projects; others focus on very specialist skills or specific market sectors. Whatever your skills, you will be a valuable asset in the range and diversity that is Structural Engineering in Buro Happold.
Building services/MEP engineering
Our building services engineers influence all areas of a building design to create an environment best suited to the building’s use while minimising its energy consumption. Our innovative design solutions embrace the latest technologies such as energy-saving facades, natural ventilation, recycling systems, solar water heating, wind turbines and photovoltaic cells to improve the building’s performance and sustainability.
Acoustics
Our consultants offer expert acoustic advice in all major development sectors ranging from high level initial strategic guidance and feasibility studies, through to detailed design and specifications.
Computational Simulation and Analysis
A specialist group within Buro Happold. Our experts are drawn from a wide range of backgrounds including engineering, aeronautics, electronics, fluid dynamics (CFD) and physics.
Cost management/quantity surveying
As well as traditional quantity surveying we can also advise on procurement methods for unusual and innovative designs – such as timber gridshells and tensile structures – and on the specialised area of building services costs. By carrying out appraisals of options and risk assessments, and giving advice to designers where appropriate, we can ensure that realistic budgets are set throughout the design process. Careful monitoring of project costs allows a detailed cashflow forecast to be produced reflecting the work schedule, while monthly reports highlight the effect of any design variations.
Façade engineering
As well as defining its outward appearance, the facade makes a major contribution to the sustainability of a building, influencing both energy efficiency and the quality of the internal spaces. By carefully analysing the environmental behaviour of different facade designs using advanced techniques such as thermal modelling, wind analysis, acoustic design, solar and glare studies, we can deliver high performance facades the provide superb occupant comfort with lower energy consumption and running costs.
Our specialist facade engineers advise clients on the most cost-effective way to develop, design and procure the building envelope. Using our practical knowledge of ventilation, shading and weather proofing systems – down to the technicalities to fixings and tolerances – we provide high level technical consultancy across the whole design process. Buro Happold is at the forefront of research into new materials and techniques, enabling us to design more reliable and creative facade solutions that contribute the most to a building’s overall performance.
Facilities management
Our consultancy services typically cover property management (e.g. pre-acquisition surveys, environmental audits and preparation of asset registers); building design and construction (e.g. commissioning of engineering systems, employer’s agent services and new works design and management); building operation (e.g. management of maintenance operations, procurement of contractors and defect analysis); plus procurement and management of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ facilities support services. The aim is to realise the building’s potential in the vital areas of systems performance, user comfort, operational efficiency, energy usage and future flexibility.
Fire engineering
The fire and safety engineering team provides design solutions which ensure the safety of occupants and property, protect business continuity and bring the architectural vision to life.
Geoenvironmental engineering
Buro Happold’s geoenvironmental team has extensive experience in working with contaminated land and impacted groundwater and are experts at identifying and resolving technical issues that arise on site during development. Comprehensive investigation of the soil and water environment enables us to identify potential hazards and then develop a range of appropriate remediation solutions.
Geotechnical engineering
Buro Happold’s ground engineering team identifies and implements solutions for structural foundations, basements, tunnels, retaining walls, earthworks and site remediation. With experience covering all major sectors, we carry out geotechnical investigations and contamination risk assessments to inform the design process, reduce costs and help clients get the best value from existing ground conditions.
Health and safety
Health & Safety Management enables organisations to meet their legal duties to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for their employees and others who may come into contact with their business operations. Following an examination of the organisation’s management policies and procedures and a site inspection tour, we produce a detailed report and recommendations that identify areas where existing procedures can be improved. We also provide accident investigation services in accordance with HSE guidelines.
Inclusive design
Setting out the principals of accessibility to ensure requirements are met for all users in the design and planning of a development, in addition to meeting the client’s aspirations for functionality and aesthetics.
Lighting design
Using a range of software packages and interpreting the results, our lighting designers provide detailed and accurate analysis of the ‘quantity’ and ‘quality’ of light, both internally and externally.
Project/design management
Project management is a professional discipline which separates the management function from the design and execution aspect. We take care of the day to day running of the entire project using established and proven management procedures, drawing upon our extensive knowledge of the engineering and construction process.
Sustainability and alternative technologies
To enable clients to procure ‘environmentally responsible’ buildings our consultants work with architects and clients to establish what sustainable construction involves and how it can be incorporated into the building and infrastructure design.
