Design Engine have a wide and extensive project portfolio of refurbishment projects across a wide range of clients with very different briefs and scope of service. Our experience has shown that there is a temptation to over-simply recladding works to make the scale of the task more palatable. However, we firmly believe that each building is unique, has unique issues that may present a risk to residents and occupiers and the replacement of combustible materials (while uppermost in the public imagination at present) cannot always be undertaken at the cost of the other requirements of a façade; thermal performance, air tightness and air permeability, structural movement & acoustic performance.

Design Engine have extensive experience of investigating the root cause of latent defects. We start by reviewing the available technical information to establish if the design is robust and compliant at the time of construction. If found not to be compliant, we offer our professional opinion in support of any action our client may wish to take. If the design is compliant, we are able to attend site for intrusive surveys to observe, record and provide professional opinion on the cause of the defect. We are also able, as is our nature, to provide workable solutions to correct the defect, not as a temporary measure, but as a permanent and reliable solution.

When purchasing a building, understanding the potential liabilities is of utmost importance. With facades being costly and complicated to repair and essential to the performance of the structure, understanding of this area is key and it needs to be done at timescales to suit the deal.

Design Engine offer a technical due diligence service where we will review the historic information available and attend site to develop an understanding of the installed systems and any visible defects or concerns. All of this is then distilled down into a risk rated report for client consideration.

We are specialists in light steel framing systems, our team have worked with leading system manufacturers and market leaders and helped to develop their services and systems. We are experts in the detailing and specification of light steel frame and timber structures.

Our experience of window, door and curtain wall systems across the UK market means that Design Engine are the ideal partner to advise, design, engineer and detail your window, door and curtain wall systems so you have the reassurance that you will have the most robust, effective and cost efficient design possible for your project.

Our team of designers use various modelling packages to realise our clients vision. We can provide data rich solutions to projects conforming to the clients BIM requirements. Design Engine have worked on many BIM solutions as well as offering advice to local authorities and manufacturing businesses.

From bespoke fabrications to special design concepts, our breadth of experience and skills offers our clients a consultancy service able to pull solutions to unique problems from different areas of construction, producing designs that are truly unique in both thought and practice. Our creativity and resourcefulness means that you can have confidence that we can offer you a range of solutions optimised to suit you.

From the formation of the company, we identified a significant weakness in many service providers who didn’t fully understand the effect of structural compliance on projects. We have a large team of specialist structural engineers who have a complete understanding of niche products, their interaction and performance under load. Rather than looking at individual elements of a construction, we understand how separate elements interact and behave under load, allowing us to offer our clients elegant, cost efficient and simple design solutions.

Our Designers are used to working with system suppliers to develop their in house capabilities. We have worked on a wide range of development activities covering bespoke software tools, Offsite technology and system development to improve service offering without the need for internal recruitment.