Engineered access
Scaffold design and engineering
Not every scaffold fits in a compliance sheet. When yours doesn't, it needs designing properly — with drawings, calculations and a designer's name on them.
TG20:21 covers a large proportion of standard scaffolds, and where a structure falls inside it we produce a compliance sheet and get on with the job. But a lot of real work doesn't fit: bridging over an entrance, heavy duty loading platforms, cantilevered lifts, temporary roofs, buttressed free-standing towers, restricted or non-existent tie opportunities, unusual façade geometry.
In those cases the scaffold is a temporary works structure and it needs to be designed as one. We arrange bespoke design with structural calculations before erection, so the temporary works coordinator has something to check and approve rather than a verbal assurance from a scaffolder on a ladder.
- TG20:21 compliance sheets produced as standard for conforming structures — no extra cost, no delay.
- Bespoke design and calculations for anything outside TG20, prepared by a qualified scaffold design engineer.
- Drawings your TWC can actually approve — plans, elevations and sections showing tie patterns, loading, bracing and foundations.
- Loading classes specified properly so nobody has to guess whether a platform will take the block delivery.
- Ground bearing and foundation checks — sole boards, spreaders, base plates sized for the actual ground conditions, not assumed ones.
- Design reviewed against the as-built so what's standing matches what was signed off.
Detail
What's included
Bespoke calculations
Structural calculations covering wind loading, imposed loading, tie forces, bracing and foundation pressures — signed by the designer.
Design drawings
Plans, elevations and sections issued as PDF, suitable for temporary works review, client approval and site use.
Temporary works compliance
Documentation that fits into a proper temporary works procedure, so your TWC has what they need to discharge their duty.
Buildability checked
Designs produced by people who have actually erected scaffold — if it can't be built safely as drawn, we say so before it's issued.
Fast turnaround
Design is often the critical path. We push for the shortest realistic turnaround and tell you the honest lead time up front.
As-built verification
On handover we confirm the erected structure matches the approved design, and record any agreed deviations.
Typical applications
- Bridged access over entrances
- Heavy duty loading platforms
- Cantilevered lifts
- Free-standing & buttressed towers
- Temporary roof structures
- Restricted tie situations
- Façade retention support
- Birdcage & internal access
- Complex or curved geometry
- High wind exposure sites
- Suspended & hanging scaffolds
- Public protection fans
FAQs
Scaffold design and engineering — your questions
When does a scaffold legally need a design?
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, a scaffold must be designed by a competent person unless it's assembled in accordance with a generally recognised standard configuration — in practice, TG20:21. So if the structure falls outside TG20, it needs a bespoke design. That's not a nice-to-have, it's the law.
Who is the temporary works coordinator on my job?
That's normally appointed by the principal contractor, not by us. We supply the design information the TWC needs to review and approve the scaffold. If you're a smaller contractor without a TWC in place, tell us early and we'll explain what you need to have in place.
How long does a bespoke design take?
It depends entirely on complexity. A straightforward bridge or loading bay is usually days rather than weeks; a complex temporary roof or façade retention scheme takes longer. We give you a realistic lead time at quotation stage so it can be built into your programme.
Do you charge separately for design?
TG20:21 compliance sheets are included. Bespoke design is priced as a separate line in the quotation so you can see exactly what it costs and, if you'd prefer, arrange it independently.
Can you review a design someone else has produced?
We can review a third-party design for buildability and tell you honestly whether we're comfortable erecting to it. What we won't do is take responsibility for someone else's calculations without proper review.
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