BES Resource Centre
Practical guidance on structural engineering, existing buildings, alterations, inspections, construction and design — written to help clients and project teams understand the issues that matter before and during a project.
Featured resources
Guide · BES-TG-001
How to tell whether your project needs structural engineering input, what an engineer actually does, and how that differs from the role of an architect or builder.
6 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, architects, contractors and developers
Guide · BES-TG-002
What makes a wall load-bearing, how the load path is re-established when it is removed, and what a structural engineer normally produces for the work.
6 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, architects and contractors
Guide · BES-TG-003
Why buildings crack, what makes a crack worth investigating, and how to record cracking usefully before a structural inspection.
5 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, landlords, managing agents and purchasers
Guide · BES-TG-004
What a targeted structural inspection covers, what it deliberately does not, and how to prepare so that the visit produces a useful outcome.
4 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, landlords, managing agents and facilities teams
Guide · BES-TG-005
The information that allows a structural engineer to quote accurately and design efficiently, and how requirements differ between residential, commercial and industrial projects.
4 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Clients, architects, contractors and developers
Guide · BES-TG-006
A practical guide to altering industrial buildings: assessing the existing frame, changes in loading, penetrations, plant, temporary stability and working within an operational facility.
7 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Facilities teams, project managers, architects, contractors and engineers
Guide · BES-TG-007
How a steel beam is actually designed — load path, loading, bending, shear, deflection, lateral-torsional buckling, bearings, connections and fire and corrosion protection.
8 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, architects, contractors, developers and project teams
Guide · BES-TG-012
The stages that follow issue of structural calculations — building control submission, tendering, construction, site queries, inspections, changes and keeping records for the future.
4 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, architects, contractors, developers and building owners
Guides
Substantive, plain-English guidance on the structural engineering issues that most often affect buildings, alterations and construction projects in the UK.
Guide · BES-TG-008
What temporary works are, why they matter on almost every structural alteration, who is responsible for them, and how propping, needling and sequencing are designed and removed safely.
5 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Contractors, homeowners, developers, architects and project teams
Guide · BES-TG-009
The difference between a homebuyer survey, a building survey, a structural inspection and a structural appraisal — what each covers, what you receive, and which one you actually need.
4 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, buyers, landlords, developers and building managers
Guide · BES-TG-010
How foundations for extensions and alterations are decided — ground conditions, trees, existing foundation depth, connecting to what is already there, and when underpinning or piles are needed.
6 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Homeowners, architects, contractors and developers
Guide · BES-TG-011
Designing mezzanine floors in industrial and commercial buildings — loading, framing, columns and baseplates, slab capacity, stability, stairs, fire and building control.
5 min read · Reviewed August 2026
Building owners, occupiers, developers, contractors and project teams
Disclaimer
BES guides, FAQs and technical resources provide general structural engineering information only. They do not constitute project-specific structural engineering advice, inspection, assessment or design.
BES Technical Guides · Version 1.0 · Reviewed August 2026
