Engineering Services
Practical design from concept to post construction support.
Road Design
Road design and rehabilitation with a focus on safety, standards and lifecycle value. Typical scopes include resurfacing design (overlay, mill & fill), stabilisation, reconstruction, geometry and road drainage integration.
Road rehabilitation and design—plus investment timing advice. We help decide when to maintain and when to rehabilitate, then deliver standards-aligned designs that are practical to build.
Safety in Design — pre-design advisory (our point of difference)
- Identify: Condition, recent spend, drainage, speed environment, vulnerable users.
- Assess: Consequence of deferral, remaining life estimate, rehab triggers (typ. ~30-year cycle) Also Promoting use of Recycled products from landfills.
- Control: Drainage first, then pavement treatment (overlay / mill & fill / stabilisation / reconstruction) and safe interfaces.
- Recommend: Maintain-only vs Rehab-now vs Defer, with order-of-magnitude cost and program.
Standard design process (conventional workflow)
- Survey → 12d: Import survey, build the natural-surface TIN and confirm controls/utilities.
- Templates to standards: Apply Austroads/Australian Standards (crossfall, lanes, shoulders, superelevation) and integrate drainage & interfaces (driveways, pram crossings, kerb & channel).
- Quantities: Compute TIN-to-TIN cut/fill and pavement layer volumes; stage where helpful.
- Speed & markings: Speed-environment checks; pavement marking/signage plans to the relevant standards.
- Documentation & estimates: Plans, typicals, set-outs, specification, BOQ and detailed estimates for each stage.
Deliverables
- SiD memo: maintain vs rehab (life estimate and recommendation)
- 12d model with design TIN and Strings, drawings and BOQ
- TIN-to-TIN quantities and staged detailed estimates
- Pavement marking/signage plan and construction notes
Guidance applied: Austroads & relevant Australian Standards; WHS/Safety in Design obligations; WorkSafe VIC principles.
Bridges & Culverts
Selection, adequacy and design — not just “a culvert here”. We determine whether a pipe, box culvert or small bridge is the right answer, then prove it hydraulically and structurally before design proceeds.
What we do
- Structure selection & adequacy: Catchment & flows, inlet/outlet control, headwater/tailwater & afflux, blockage/scour — confirm capacity & freeboard on site.
- Options & lifecycle: For larger culverts/bridges we present 2–3 options with constructability, maintenance and whole-of-life cost.
- Boardwalks & light crossings: Value engineering (e.g., screw piles/modular elements) to reduce cost and environmental impact.
- Design & documentation: Hydraulics summary, structural design to Australian Standards, headwalls/wingwalls, scour protection, drawings, BOQ and staging/traffic notes.
Note: Hydraulic adequacy reviews are often outside a typical road-rehab scope. We include them where a crossing affects flood behaviour or safety.
Deliverables
- Selection memo: pipe vs box vs bridge (with lifecycle & risk summary)
- Hydraulic calculations & adequacy check (inlet/outlet, headwater/afflux, scour)
- Concepts/drawings, BOQ and cost estimate (staged if required)
- Approvals checklist and construction/traffic staging notes
Drainage
Drainage is both overland and subsurface. Kerb & channel carry major overland flow; pits & pipes handle the minor events. In renewals, capacity is often replaced like-for-like and the overland path gets ignored. We design the minor network to work with the major route—rather than trying to build a separate “1% AEP system”, which is rarely economical.
What we fix
- Missing or blocked overland flowpaths (kerb & channel grades, sags without relief).
- Under-sized inlets/bypass causing ponding at crossings and intersections.
- Renewals that swap assets without checking capacity or downstream impacts.
- Disconnected major/minor systems leading to nuisance flooding.
How we design
- Map major flowpaths and set safe relief routes; confirm sag vs grade locations within survey domain.
- Size pits/inlets & pipes to the local minor-event standard, then test performance under a major event (e.g. ~1% AEP) with controlled overland conveyance.
- Coordinate road levels, pram crossings, driveways and kerb & channel upgrades.
- Provide headwalls/wingwalls, scour protection and constructable staging.
DDA crossings — grades first, TGSI only if still needed
On brownfield sites, TGSI is often added as a shortcut to “show compliance”. Our approach is to achieve compliant grades first and reserve TGSI for genuine residual hazards. With proper grade design, compliant outcomes are achievable on the majority of sites (often ~80%).
Deliverables
- Drainage concept showing integrated major/minor network and constraints.
- Kerb & channel plus pit/pipe layouts with grading and inlet capacity notes.
- Crossing layouts with grade checks and a DDA compliance summary (TGSI rationale if used).
- Quantities, staged estimates, drawings and construction notes to relevant standards.
Retaining Walls
Right wall, proven for the site. We select and engineer the most suitable retaining system for location, height and budget—then deliver defensible calculations and clear detailing to the relevant Australian Standards.
Systems we design
- With spread footings: Reinforced concrete cantilever walls; gravity/crib; post & sleeper; gabions.
- Without spread footings (embedded): Sheet-pile and secant-pile walls for deep or water-adjacent sites.
- Mechanically stabilised earth (MSE): Reinforced soil/segmental systems where speed, aesthetics and settlement tolerance matter (levelling pad; no large footing).
Selection & advice
- Height & surcharge: Traffic, structures and geotechnical loads.
- Ground & groundwater: Bearing, passive resistance, drainage/durability.
- Location constraints: Waterfronts, boundaries, services, access and vibration limits.
- Lifecycle vs upfront cost: Maintenance, replacement and constructability staging.
Example: For some waterfront structures around ≈5 m retained height, embedded sheet piles can be more economical than massive concrete—subject to ground and access conditions. We test options before we design.
Deliverables
- Option study & recommendation (type vs cost, program and constraints)
- Design calculations and checks to relevant Australian Standards
- Plans: alignment, elevations/sections, footing or embedment, drainage & backfill details
- Quantities/BOQ and construction staging or temporary-works requirements
Bulk Earthworks
Earthworks planning, volumes and formation. We produce TIN-to-TIN cut/fill quantities and constructable grading for landforms, landfill cells/closures, and basin/pond works—showing clear options on materials and staging.
What we do
- Volumes & balance: Import survey into 12d, build existing/design TINs, compute cut/fill by material class, mass-haul and balance/spoil strategy.
- Landfill cells & closures: Cell layout and staging, liner/cap grades and batters, drainage corridors/berms and haul/access planning.
- Basins & ponds: Storage/footprint inputs, freeboard checks, embankment batters, spillway and outlet details, access benches and maintenance paths.
- Recycled materials (where suitable): Assess recycled/treated materials as alternatives to conventional fill with compliance/testing notes and risk controls.
- Erosion & sediment basics: Temporary works and sequencing to limit rework and environmental impact.
Deliverables
- 12d model with existing/design TINs and set-outs
- Volume report (by area/material class) and mass-haul summary
- Grading drawings (batters, benches, drainage/spillway/outlet details)
- Staging plan and construction notes
- Options memo: conventional fill vs recycled/treated materials (cost, program, QA)
Hardstands & Raft Slabs
Practical slab design with thickness and jointing that works. We size hardstands and large raft slabs using industry best practice and local standards, then plan joints so cracking and durability are managed from day one.
What we do
- Loading & subgrade check: Traffic/forklifts/point loads, rack legs & services; CBR/support review and subbase options.
- Thickness selection: Recommend slab thickness (incl. edge thickening) using proven charts/design checks; advise on recycled base options where suitable.
- Jointing strategy: Expansion, contraction and construction joints; panel sizing; dowels/tie bars and load transfer; isolation at pits/columns/walls; saw-cut timing and joint sealants.
- Reinforcement & detailing: Mesh/rebar for crack control, temperature/shrinkage steel, stopper beams, local thickening and raft stiffening beams where required.
- Drainage & durability: Falls/crossfalls, threshold details, surface drainage; mix/exposure class, curing and finishing notes.
- Constructability & staging: Pour sequence and panel layout to suit programme and access.
Deliverables
- Slab thickness recommendation with basis of design
- Joint layout plan (expansion/contraction/construction) and saw-cut timing spec
- Reinforcement schedule and details (dowels, edge thickening, isolation joints)
- Falls & drainage plan; durability/curing notes to relevant Australian Standards
- Quantities and BOQ for procurement
Engineering Support
Development Application Support
Documentation aligned to local regulations and standards.
Structural and Civil Design Support
Design support throughout all project phases, from concept to completion.
Certification and Compliance Advice
Guidance on Australian Standards compliance and certification pathways.
Construction Engineering Support
On‑site or remote support to keep delivery on track.
Digital Tools
Excel templates, AutoCAD, SPACEGASS, MIDAS Civil and 12d to deliver precise, defensible outcomes.
Engineers Australia
Professional accreditation and industry recognition
CPA Australia
Finance support by a CPA member