Structural Investigations

Make informed decisions and reduce design risk about your infrastructure or building stock with comprehensive structural investigations that reveal hidden conditions and prevent costly failures.

Your infrastructure assets represent significant investment and carry substantial safety responsibilities. When managing concrete structures on highway networks, understanding their true condition is essential for effective asset management.

Where de-risking construction contracts when designing refurbishment projects by establishing building details is crucial, we are there to help.

Our suite of structural investigation services provides the detailed insights you need to make confident decisions about maintenance, repair, design and replacement strategies.

Concrete Testing & Investigation

Don’t let concealed deterioration compromise your concrete structures. Our UKAS-accredited concrete investigation services identify corrosion, concrete degradation, and structural defects before they become critical failures.

From half-cell and cover meter surveys to material sampling and bond strength testing, we provide comprehensive condition assessment data that enables proactive maintenance planning and extends asset life.

Building Structural Fabric Surveys

Uncertainty about what lies beneath finishes or within structural elements can derail projects and inflate your project costs.

Our building fabric investigations use advanced non-destructive techniques alongside targeted intrusive surveys to reveal steel, concrete and masonry condition and geometry, identify RAAC, assess floor slab capacity, and detail structural connections.

From Ferroscan Surveys to crack monitoring and paint analysis, we give you clarity about your building’s condition and performance.

Highway Assets Assessments & Specialist Coring Services

Highway maintenance decisions require accurate data about pavement construction and condition. Our highway coring services, combined with dynamic cone penetrometer surveys and coal tar analysis, provide the evidence base for effective maintenance strategies.

We help you prioritise interventions, ensure compliance with highways standards, and optimise your maintenance budgets.

Take Action Before Problems Escalate

Delaying structural investigations doesn’t make problems disappear. It makes them more expensive.

Whether you’re concerned about visible deterioration, planning major works, or simply need confidence in your asset management strategy, we’re here to help.

Our team work with you to design an investigation programme that delivers the answers you need, within your operational constraints and budget.

Contact us today to discuss your requirements and discover how our structural investigation services can protect your assets and give you peace of mind.

Scott Grayson,Head of Structural Investigation

Contact Scott Grayson

General enquiries:

Phone: +44 (0)345 5040 303
[email protected]

If you would like to discuss your project, you can arrange a call with one of our consultants today

Arrange a call

Structural Investigations FAQs

The right investigation approach depends on your specific concerns and objectives.

For concrete structures showing visible deterioration or reaching critical age, condition surveys and material testing provide baseline data. If you’re planning load changes or structural alterations, fabric surveys and load assessment testing are essential.

Many clients start with non-destructive surveys to identify areas of concern, then follow up with targeted intrusive investigations where needed. This phased approach optimises both cost and disruption whilst providing clarity.

For Building Fabric Surveys, our highly experienced team offer professional advice and guidance on the latest technology available to obtain the most from your surveys within buildings to get best value for money.

Operating without adequate understanding of your structure’s condition exposes you to significant risks. Unexpected failures can lead to emergency repairs at premium costs, often 3-5 times the expense of planned maintenance. Beyond immediate repair costs, unplanned closures disrupt operations and impact service delivery.

Compliance risks are equally serious. Without evidence-based condition data, you may struggle to demonstrate due diligence in your structural safety responsibilities. This becomes particularly critical following incidents or during regulatory inspections.

Our systematic investigation programmes provide the audit trail and evidence base that supports compliant, cost-effective asset management whilst minimising operational risk.

Structural investigation programmes move your asset management from reactive to proactive, delivering substantial cost savings over asset lifecycles. By identifying early-stage deterioration, we help you plan interventions during optimal windows, typically saving 60-70% compared to emergency repairs.

The data we provide enables prioritised, targeted maintenance rather than wholesale replacement. Understanding exactly which areas require attention allows you to extend overall asset life whilst addressing only the specific defects identified. This evidence-based approach optimises capital expenditure and demonstrates value for money in procurement decisions.

We understand that maintaining business continuity is crucial. Our investigation methodologies are specifically designed to minimise operational impact whilst delivering comprehensive data. Many of our surveys use non-destructive techniques that can be conducted whilst buildings remain occupied or highways stay open to traffic.

Where intrusive investigations are necessary, we work closely with you to schedule activities during planned closures, low-traffic periods, or phased programmes that maintain partial operations. Our experience across sectors from healthcare to highways means we understand the unique constraints different environments present.

Our approach includes:

Phased programmes that spread impact over manageable periods
Out-of-hours working where beneficial
Rapid mobilisation and demobilisation to minimise on-site duration
Clear advance communication about access requirements
Immediate site reinstatement following intrusive works

Most importantly, the short-term inconvenience of planned investigations prevents the far greater disruption of unexpected structural failures or emergency interventions.