Civil, Structural and Architectural Design

On most manufacturing sites, the building and the process inside it are designed by two different teams who rarely speak. The result is familiar: equipment that will not fit through the opening it has to pass through, no maintenance access around a vessel, a mezzanine that cannot take the load, ventilation routed around structure rather than through it. Each of those is cheap to solve on a drawing and expensive on site.

Projex Solutions provides civil, structural and architectural design as part of the same engineering team that understands the process. We design industrial buildings for regulated manufacturers in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and drink, FMCG and energy sectors, from site assessment through planning and detailed design to construction oversight. Because our building designers sit alongside process, mechanical and electrical engineers, the structure is shaped around the plant it houses, not the reverse.

Civil and structural

Our civil and structural service covers the full lifecycle, from the first site walk to handover.

• Project Initiation – Site visits, surveys and early assessment to define objectives and identify the planning, utility and regulatory requirements shaping the scheme.
• Conceptual Design – Preliminary layouts and structural options, testing materials, foundation types and build sequences so alternatives can be compared and technical risks seen early.
• Detailed Design – Construction-ready general arrangement drawings, sections, details and calculations verifying structural integrity under dead, live, wind and imposed loads, with materials and tolerances fixed.
• Permitting and Approvals – Preparation, submission and tracking of planning applications, building control submissions, drainage consents and highways approvals, including responses to authority queries.
• Procurement and Contracting – Tender documents and bills of quantities, tender management, evaluation on cost and technical capability, and advice on the right procurement route.
• Construction Oversight – Site engineers and construction managers verifying that what is built matches the approved design, reviewing method statements and inspection test plans, and monitoring safety.
• Industrial Buildings – Steel frame, portal frame, concrete and hybrid structures for factories, warehouses, process facilities and control rooms, including mezzanines, crane beams and equipment plinths.
• Environmental and Regulatory Compliance – Identification of the environmental constraints and consents applying to your site, with design that minimises waste, noise, emissions and water pollution.

Architectural

Our architectural service treats the envelope and interior as working parts of the facility, not decoration applied at the end.

• Building Layout and Spatial Planning – Circulation routes for people, materials and services that reduce congestion, limit cross-contamination risk and keep process areas close to their control rooms.
• Architectural Concept and Design Development – Early sketches and massing studies taken through to general arrangement drawings, elevations and sections at the detail needed for planning and costing.
• Exterior Design and Façade Development – Cladding, rainscreen, curtain walling and metal sheeting specified for weather protection, thermal performance and fire resistance as well as appearance.
• Interior Design and Space Planning – Offices, laboratories, control rooms, welfare and reception areas, with finishes selected for durability, hygiene and acoustics.
• Workplace Design – Industrial offices and technical spaces designed around actual job functions, balancing open-plan working with quiet and meeting space, and allowing reconfiguration.
• Natural and Daylighting Strategies – Orientation, rooflights, clerestory glazing and shading used to bring daylight deep into the building while controlling glare and overheating.
• Environmental Control and Indoor Air Quality – Layouts coordinated with mechanical systems so airflow, extraction, humidity control and intake positions work in cleanrooms, laboratories and production halls.
• Accessible and Universal Design – Level access, lifts, manoeuvring space, accessible WCs, visual contrast and reach ranges, so facilities are genuinely usable rather than compliant on paper.
• Sustainable Design and Green Practices – Reduced embodied and operational carbon through material selection, passive design, renewables, sustainable drainage and water efficiency.

Designing the building around the process

A manufacturing building is not a shed with equipment in it. The process dictates floor loadings, headroom, drainage falls, hazardous area classification, wash-down requirements, segregation between clean and dirty zones, and the routes needed to get a vessel out again years later. If those requirements arrive after the structural grid is set, the plant is compressed into a shape that does not suit it.

Coordinating the disciplines from the start changes the sequence. We establish the process layout and equipment envelopes first, then set structure, envelope and services around them. Clashes are found in the model rather than on site, and maintenance access, lifting routes and expansion space are designed in rather than lost.

It also keeps compliance coherent. Hazardous area classification, fire strategy, means of escape and ventilation are building decisions with process consequences, and handling them in one team means the fire strategy and the process safety case agree.

When clients typically call us

• A new production line is specified and no one is sure the existing building can take it.
• A new facility is planned on a greenfield or brownfield site and needs to get through planning.
• An existing building is being extended, subdivided or converted to a different process.
• Ageing structures, floors or drainage are limiting what the site can safely run.
• A capital project has an architect and a process contractor who are not talking.
• Planning conditions, building control or an insurer have raised objections needing a technical answer.

Frequently asked questions

Can you work on an existing building rather than a new build?

Yes. Much of our work involves extending and adapting facilities already in production, including load assessments on existing floors and structures before new equipment goes in.

Do you handle the planning application as well as the design?

Yes. We prepare and submit planning and building control applications, coordinate the supporting reports, and manage authority queries through to determination.

Can you take on just the civil and structural scope?

Yes. Disciplines can be taken individually or combined. The benefit is greatest when building and process scopes sit with one team, but we work alongside appointed architects and contractors.

Can you keep the plant running during construction?

Live site working is normal for us. We plan phasing, temporary works and logistics around production so shutdown time is kept to what is genuinely necessary.

Related: our construction services work is one of six areas covered under engineering services. We also work across a range of regulated sectors and industries.

If you are planning a new facility, extending an existing one, or you suspect the building is the constraint on what your process can do, we can help you test that early. Talk to us about your facility. Request a call