As an engineer, it’s incredibly rewarding to work on a project from the initial sketch right through to the client handover, seeing designs take physical shape and adapting plans to the site and client requirements. However, engineers can assist in a number of ways and at different stages of a project and an interesting role we often assume is that of the checking engineer.
Anyone in construction knows mistakes can be very costly in terms of time as well as resources and a second pair of eyes can be very helpful in ensuring all work is precise and correctly fulfils the brief. A checking engineer will carefully and thoroughly review the finalised design on behalf of the contractor to spot any weaknesses or potential problems and also to confirm that the client’s brief is being perfectly fulfilled. This fresh perspective allows issues to be addressed before ground is broken and the checking engineer brings the full breadth of their experience and expertise to bear to ensure an excellent result.
We’ve enjoyed acting as the checking engineer on a number of projects across a variety of different sectors. One such project was NHP Westway, comprising the renovation of an office building underneath the A40 Westway road, next to Ladbroke Grove Station. The work involved transforming the building into a retail space and a school to serve the local area, and following our thorough pre-design assessment of the existing structure we were appointed to provide design ideas as plans were finalised. We were subsequently asked to act as a checking engineer on this ambitious project, to make sure the alteration plans delivered all the client required but also crucially were safe, due to the structure’s incredibly sensitive location. Following our green light, work started on this exciting project which was delivered to all parties’ satisfaction!
If something’s worth doing it’s worth doing well – and that’s where a checking engineer can come in hand. Any project is always a collaborative effort and at Lyons O’Neill we enjoy the chance to help finesse design plans to the highest possible standard.