Ken Porter

Expertise

Ken is a Chartered Structural Engineer and Board Director at Gateley Smithers Purslow responsible for the Engineering Consultancy.

Ken is a Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers with over 30 years’ experience in the construction industry, involved mainly in the design and construction of building structures.

Ken assists and advises clients, from inception to completion, on a wide variety of projects ranging from residential developments or refurbishment of historic buildings to new-build schools and commercial/ industrial buildings.

Key areas of expertise include:

• Foundation design and defect diagnosis. (including Subsidence issues)
• Superstructure design and detailing, in all major construction materials.
• Inspection and assessment of existing buildings/ structures and design of appropriate strengthening/refurbishment schemes where required.
• Providing technical advice to a range of clients, including insurance companies, loss adjusters, solicitors, private individuals, local authorities, housing associations and house builders.
• Preparation of complex risk assessments and method statements in accordance with the CDM Regulations.

How do you help clients?

By applying my 30 years of experience in construction, I help my clients optimise their schemes to arrive at practical, cost effective solutions to their projects.

I am able to identify and characterise building defects and help my clients resolve them first time, saving on spiralling costs of further investigations and ineffective remediation.

Experience

1. Acting for a major insurance company when a “sink-hole” opened up in a policyholders’ garden, I was able to quickly arrange temporary safety work, carry out investigations as to the cause, prepare suitable drawings/ method statements for remedial work and engage a Contractor to undertake the work.
2. Acting for a major bank I was asked to consider the proposed scaffolding schemes for works to their high profile city centre tall building and suggest modifications to allow the works to go ahead safely.
3. Acting for a private individual I prepared calculations, details and method statements to facilitate the construction of a large basement below their existing building.
4. Acting for a major bank/ insurer I was asked to investigate a claim for a new private bridge and was able to save in excess of £1m by means of repairing instead of replacement.
5. Acting for a commercial client I have been involved in numerous projects involving the design and detailing of works necessary to extend the life and use of existing buildings, involving everything from roof strengthening to foundation work and retaining walls.