StructureMode are structural engineers founded in 2007 by Chartered Structural Engineer Geoff Morrow to promote and apply the power of intelligent innovative structural engineering and creative ideas to produce low-carbon, thoughtful and beautiful structures.
Most of our work is large new-build developments and complex historic refurbishments for both public and private clients, working in the residential, commercial, arts, entertainment and humanitarian sectors. We are known for cool stuff, such as pavilions, sculpture, bespoke staircases and furniture (and we still love doing this). We are world leaders in fabric formwork for concrete structures, lightweight funicular structures (using compression and tension only) and tensegrity structures. However, and thankfully, our clients keep us busy with large new-build housing, mixed-use developments, basement extensions and refurbishments of regular and listed buildings. Please give us more!
We take time to understand the brief and design intent, so we can introduce intelligent structural ideas that often change and improve the overall design. These interventions often eliminate unnecessary structure/materials and simplify the building process, which reduces construction cost and embodied carbon. We keep abreast of new materials and technology, promoting and using them to optimise our designs to further reduce carbon.
By producing clear, detailed and coordinated drawings, our projects run smoothly by giving the contractor the information they need to get on with the job. We also use our experience to help foresee and avoid difficulties, both of which help avoid increased construction costs and delay.
We are actively engaged in engineering research: conducting practice-based research and publishing peer-reviewed research papers; Industry Partners with the University of Cambridge on their EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Infrastructure and Built Environment: Resilience in a Changing World (FIBE2 CDT); and Industry Collaborators with the University of Bath on their research project ‘Healthy Housing for Displaced People’.
For drawings we use Revit for BIM projects, as well as AutoCAD, Rhino and Sketchup. For analysis and optimisation we use Oasys GSA and Grasshopper, and connections are designed using IDEA StatiCa. These modern modelling and design tools help us quickly develop more efficient, integrated and elegant structures.
