Whether it be simply the need for a new beam to remove an existing load-bearing wall and open up your living room or the structural design of your dream home to allow unobstructed views of the Marlborough Sounds, SES can assist you in achieving these goals.

If you require a new warehouse, office building, winery barrel hall, workshop, school gymnasium or any other type of commercial structure then SES can assist. We provide designs on all types of steelwork, precast concrete, blockwork and timber structures. In addition, if you want to alter or extend your existing building we can provide an appropriate engineering solution for you.

Since the recent Christchurch and North Canterbury Earthquakes there has been a heightened focus on the condition of existing buildings by councils, building owners, investors, tenants, banks, insurance companies and real estate agents. Most commercial buildings will require a seismic assessment be carried out before it goes on the market for either sale or lease. We are able to provide the two levels of seismic assessment, an initial Seismic Assessment (ISA) [previously known as an IEP assessment] or a Detailed Seismic Assessment (DSA). These assessments will provide you with a %NBS score for the building (percentage New Building Standard). We have carried out seismic assessments on over 90 Commercial Buildings in Marlborough & Kaikoura.

In Marlborough we live in one of the most seismically active parts of the country with the Alpine Fault running right through our district and multiple other faults criss-crossing our region. Following the November 2016 North Canterbury earthquake I carried out over 100 building inspections within the month following the earthquake. A large percentage of the inspections were to provide the peace of mind to staff working in the building about whether or not they were still safe to occupy their premises. There is no way of knowing when the next significant earthquake will occur but it is certainly a matter of ‘when not if’ for this region. If you would like to register with us to have your building inspected post-earthquake we will put you on our priority list such that your buildings are the first that we inspect. There is no cost to register for this service – we will simply request you to provide all the necessary contact details in advance and we will keep the record on our file so that we can get straight to work for you when the need arises.

Generally buildings with a %NBS score less than 34% will require a seismic upgrade to be carried out within 15 years in areas of high seismic risk such as Marlborough. Many building owners take the initiative to upgrade within that time frame to increase the commercial value of their properties. We understand that the process can be complicated and confusing so we are happy to help guide your thorough the necessary legislation and requirements. Each building is very different in terms of what parts are at risk and in need of strengthening. Our aim is to identify and address the areas of critical structural weaknesses in the building and focus on improving these elements to bring the building up to an acceptable level. We pride ourselves on providing cost effective and appropriate solutions for the upgrades without making the building economically unviable. We can also design solutions to work around existing building occupants so that in most cases the buildings don’t have to be vacated during the upgrade works. We have designed the upgrades of over 30 Marlborough buildings so have considerable experience that we can bring to our design solutions.

The Marlborough District Council require resource consent renewals to foreshore structures generally every 15 years. As part of this process, engineering inspections and reports need to be submitted. We can provide the necessary engineering inspections of existing foreshore structures such as jettys, boatsheds and slipways to support your resource consent renewals.

We can provide peer review services and issue PS2 Producer Statements if you require any structural engineering work reviewed.

There are a multitude of bridges over various rivers, streams and creeks throughout Marlborough. If you have a bridge that you would like inspected and/or assessed for loadings to ensure that it is suitable to carry your vehicles, livestock, farm equipment or forestry trucks we would be happy to assist.

If you require a retaining structure as part of your building, property or driveway we are able to assist with a timber pole, rail iron pile, concrete or blockwork design to best suit your site conditions.