Practice

HTS offers a full range of civil engineering services, taking projects from feasibility through to detailed design and construction.

From advice on large scale masterplans to public realm interventions and the spaces between buildings, we create places and spaces for people to use and enjoy.

We provide detailed design for below ground drainage - including all technical discussions with water authorities for new connections, diversions and building over agreements - detailed external works, public realm and highways design services, and are leaders in the development of innovative SuDS strategies and flood risk assessments.

We’re committed to using our specialism and expertise to support both our community and wider worthy causes. Through our investment in HTS+ we hope to develop new and refine existing technologies to improve design efficiencies and reduce material use.

We are always on the look out for new CSR projects so please get in touch if we can get involved.

We invest energy and time in all our projects to research the existing sites and buildings we are working on. This is fundamental to our understanding the project constraints and opportunities and helps to inform the design process and reduce project risks. It can also critically reduce the level of structural intervention necessary, maximising the potential of an existing building, justify additional floors, create new floor area and improve space.

HTS+ is a self-funded research and innovation initiative dedicated to the development of new and improved structural techniques and technologies.

We invest up to 10% of our company resource in HTS+ innovation projects, working with industry partners and universities to generate better solutions for real life challenges in structural engineering.

HTS is keenly aware of the impact of their working HTS+ lives upon the environment, whether on a day-to-day level where over a third of staff travel to and from work by bicycle, or in relation to the significant construction works specified by us. As the proportion of embodied energy relative to operational  energy increases within building projects, so does our influence and responsibility as structural engineers to affect this balance.

In recognition to this we have developed real-time carbon cost tool linked to our Revit models. By then applying established parameters, we are able to approximate the carbon cost of multiple structural solutions and compare the relative environmental impact of a range of proposals. This allows our clients to make an informed environmental choice on the available structural options.

We have used Revit on all our projects since HTS+ we started in 2007 and are industry leading in modelling all types of structural design including work to existing buildings, phasing and temporary works. This unique position means that we are very comfortable working in a BIM environment. We have now undertaken the majority of our projects to BIM level 2. Data outputs for our models assist with clash detections, estimating and project phasing. Our modelling strategy enables our engineers to utilise the latest software packages and design directly in a 3D environment, constantly updating and refining our BIM models and offering real-time project visualisations.

We believe in the power of a good drawing. Whether these are hand sketches or 3D models, producing drawings of a high quality is one of the fundamentals of the practice and a cornerstone of our reputation.

Since our inception we have modelled all our projects in 3D using Autodesk Revit Structure. These models are used for design purposes, as a tool for coordination with other consultants but also to illustrate our ideas to our clients and the wider team.