Dave Caddy’s Post

For 2025 our social media series is back! We are entering the year with a very prominent theme in structural engineering. Building Retrofit - Here is one of our favourite modern examples. The Antwerp Port House by Zaha Hadid. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects with Structural design by Mouton, the Antwerp Port House combines a historic fire station with a crystalline, elevated extension resembling a ship's hull or a diamond—a reinterpretation of Antwerp's moniker 'The City of Diamonds". Key structural highlights: - The glass extension is supported by a reinforced concrete central core and inclined front leg. The extension structure comprises longitudinal and transverse steel trusses, forming a stiff hollow tube. - Careful engineering preserved the original building below whilst transferring the load of the upper floors through a system of inclined columns—conceptually the positions of the columns were chosen to transfer vertical and horizontal loads to the foundations in an optimal manner. - The highest point of the glass extension cantilevers 36m with respect to the footprint of the front leg. This project is a testament to how innovative engineering can honour heritage while achieving modern functionality. The Antwerp Port House isn't just a building—it's an engineering feat that transforms how we connect history with the future. What’s your favourite example of cantilevered structural design? Let’s discuss!

Most post-secondary #architectural programs do not dedicate a great deal of time to pre-engineered #steel #building systems. But they should, because with the popularity and cost-effectiveness of the steel among #industrial and #warehousing clients, every architect is inevitably going to work with building partners using it. And when they do, #architects quickly realize how much power it affords them in expressing their #commercial design imagination. Gain the freedom to #design when working with an ideal #engineering and #construction partner.

While traditional timber frame structures and later light-frame wood structures have outward similarities, their structural behavior differs significantly, resulting in light-framed structures being more easily modified. What would be straightforward renovations in conventional light-frame wood construction may introduce complications requiring the involvement of a structural engineer in a timber frame structure. #residential #buildings #design #homeowners #construction #engineering #architecture #structuralengineering #timberframe #timberconstruction #timberengineering

Contrary to some thinking, #architects gain the freedom to design when working with pre-engineered buildings systems and an ideal engineering and construction partner like us. Read how! #design #architecture #buildings #building #steel #metal #preengineering #PEB #IMP

Discover why architects, engineers, and developers turn to structural Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) for modern construction projects. From durability to sustainability, efficiency to adaptability, find out how CMU is shaping the future of construction. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJ2Triwy

While traditional timber frame structures and later light-frame wood structures have outward similarities, their structural behavior differs significantly, resulting in light-framed structures being more easily modified. What would be straightforward renovations in conventional light-frame wood construction may introduce complications requiring the involvement of a structural engineer in a timber frame structure. #residential #buildings #design #homeowners #construction #engineering #architecture #structuralengineering #timberframe #timberconstruction #timberengineering

✅Southampton Stairs ✅South Western Railway INVVU were instructed by South Western Railway to carry out the initial survey and undertake the architectural feasibility option design for a new staircase, to replace the existing one on an embankment at Southampton Central Station. The feasibility design has been completed with a structural design report covering the GRIP 4 stage design of the proposed staircase option. INVVU proposed the most suitable option based on the client's requirements while minimising the design process time. Although the project is relatively small in scale, the proposed design includes an in-situ reinforced concrete (RC) retaining wall and foundation base, a prefabricated steel staircase, and mini pile/screw pile foundations. This approach ensures the most economical solution, considering the full life cycle of the design. #architecture #structuralengineering #designlifecycle #staircase #rail #station

✅Southampton Stairs ✅South Western Railway INVVU were instructed by South Western Railway to carry out the initial survey and undertake the architectural feasibility option design for a new staircase, to replace the existing one on an embankment at Southampton Central Station. The feasibility design has been completed with a structural design report covering the GRIP 4 stage design of the proposed staircase option. INVVU proposed the most suitable option based on the client's requirements while minimising the design process time. Although the project is relatively small in scale, the proposed design includes an in-situ reinforced concrete (RC) retaining wall and foundation base, a prefabricated steel staircase, and mini pile/screw pile foundations. This approach ensures the most economical solution, considering the full life cycle of the design. #architecture #structuralengineering #designlifecycle #staircase #rail #station

Structural steel is a wonder of the modern world. The strength, durability, and versatility of steel delivered a revolution in design and opened new frontiers of construction efficiency throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Steel allows us to build taller and to span larger distances than any previous material. This allowed skyscrapers to rise exponentially taller and bridges to reach across much wider waterways. Pre-engineered steel building systems package these advantages and deliver them to your home or business project at an affordable cost. Designed to your specs, then manufactured offsite, they are delivered to the jobsite ready to "bolt together." This shaves weeks off build times and puts money back in your pocket. What are you building next? #architecture #design #engineering

Structural steel is a wonder of the modern world...