M Design

Apr 30

Autodesk Q&A with Marc Haley of M Design UK Ltd

Mar 29

Revit Architectural and Revit Structural working seamlessly together. One of the projects we are very proud of and looks great! Thought you might all like to see this!

Feb 15

Stadium of Light for the presentation ceremony for the LABC Building Excellence Awards for Sunderland City Council!! M Design won the best partnership award for the ongoing professional relationship with the authority!

Feb 09

We could have used the picture of our nice new ISO 9001 Certificate we obtained today but more entertaining is our poor Craig’s mishap on the ice this morning……..fortunately he is ok!!

Dec 20

BIM = BIG?

There seems to be a school of thought that BIMS are for the large national consultants and for the large projects but north east based M Design are proving this not to be the case.

M Design have been using BIM design principals for some time now in relation to their engineering designs which utilise AutoDesk Civil 3D fully and can design site levels, roads and drainage in full 3D.

They have now however also added Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit M&E to their arsenal of BIM related packages. They are also using the Revit design methods to model smaller schemes such as individual houses and even for extensions. The advantage of this means clients can see in 3D what they are getting for their money.

So the short answer to the question is no. BIMs are not the reserve of the BIG consultants or for use only on BIG schemes. For friendly professional BIM help contact the team at www.mdesignukltd.com

Dec 01

BIMS & Revit

Continuing with their previous investment in cutting edge software, M Design now have full BIM capability following the purchase of Revit Architecture, Revit Structure and Revit M&E!

These are exciting times in the industry in the way consultants are now having to start designing in 3D. Being able to take a building design and model fully in 3D means we can take the structure directly into our analysis software and return this back to the architectural model fully designed with correct sizes for structural elements. That this can then be used to work out and model the cable runs, ductwork etc means a full 3D as built model of the building could be prepared; fantastic for planning future maintenance or adapting a building later.

The team would love to help you with any rev it or BIM projects so feel free to contact us at www.mdesignukltd.com

Oct 05

M Design Tips To Lower Self Build Construction Cost

M Design have many years of experience of self-build so we understand and can help. Here are some tips that will help and if you want more, just give us a call and get us involved!

The construction of a building not only demands great capacity and closeness in management, but also a magnitude of expenditure for the wide range of materials that are needed.

Operating costs for labour are often taken too lightly by amateur project managers - it is best if you complete an initial round of estimating before you complete a first sketch of your plans. By doing so you will have an approximate budget to aim for at an early stage. This will be your target against which you will try progressively for lower construction cost.

Here are some tips to guide you when estimating your building costs, with a view to keeping them low:

Use materials that are typical and have a high rate of supply because they are easier to get hold of. In addition, they cost less and can lessen inaccuracies in matching and avoid delays and programme interruptions (with the inevitable knock on effects). You must also consider removing features that are not really necessary or are just plain expensive for you. For example, shrewdly reducing the size and number of windows (planning permission allowing of course!) and avoiding elements of construction low on wish lists can dramatically reduce costs. You don’t have to be draconian or produce a lacklustre home, just keeping an eye on what is where (and asking yourself if you really need it) will help. Also, if you must have that ‘must-have’, making sure that you spend your hard earned cash on detail where you will appreciate it is a good start. A great example of this is a protruding brick plinth to the base of the external walls, a traditional and popular detail where appropriate, however ask yourself, does it really need to be around the entire perimeter of the building? Why not cut out ¾ of it and just have it on the primary elevation and not have it where it is not immediately apparent? Keep thinking ‘kerb appeal’, it really does work!
If you want to conserve energy to the extreme, go for a square or rectangular shape for your home. This is probably the most practical shape to use because it costs less energy for cooling and heating due to its lesser amount of wall surface open to the elements on its exterior. Furthermore, square buildings on plan cost less to build because you don’t have to put in additional work and equipment for curved walls, reveals and so on. Remember that you can utilize your materials more efficiently with fewer angles and corners.
The roof is probably the superlative design highlight that is most drawn attention to, but it need not be highly expensive. Compared to hip roofs, gable roofs are cheaper because they don’t require additional framing and minimize details. Your roof is protection from heat and cold, consider insulating your building to the utmost degree. This might cost a little more but will make the interior environment of the building more comfortable and will also save energy over time. Don’t worry, the building regulations will not allow yourself to over insulate one element and not insulate elsewhere as a ‘trade off’ to the point of risking relative cold spots and formation of the dreaded condensation – so go for it, trust that it will be a huge assistance to minimising your energy costs.
Choose a relatively standard size for the building and form spaces based on units of construction elements wherever possible. Using brick dimensions minimises masonry construction waste. Imagine how many bricks and blocks need to be discarded if you have to cut them at every corner of the building, then think about the wasted labour costs, then think about the workmanship (often overlooked) – if you had the choice would you annoyingly cut a brick then lay it, or just lay it satisfied that you were making good progress and the job looked neat. Another cost-effective design plan is to use even numbers to reduce discarded resources – why cut every plasterboard sheet when you can use one without wasting one (again, more unnecessary labour costs).

Once you have an rough idea of the costs that your project will entail, you will have a guide in modifying any adjustments you need for your budget. It is important to specify all the necessary details beforehand so that you minimise risk of unexpected overspend and will also avoid too many changes to the design as the build advances. Don’t forget a sensible financial contingency and be keen to use up those valuable favours built up over the years!

Here at M Design we have a different attitude as we like to be involved with you and your project from the first day to the last. We will come and meet you, start sketching designs and then take your project right the way through the design process to detailed design and tender stage if required. You can have as much or as little control of the process as you feel comfortable with.

That means for you, as our client, you can get speedy answers on anything on your project.

So if you want to be looked after by real people who will look after you and your project from start to finish and look after every aspect of it for you, then please contact us today!

Aug 15

Independent PV Surveys (Solar Panels)

The whole solar panel industry in the UK seems to be attracting the murkier side of headlines at the moment with pressure sales and overestimated returns being high on peoples gripe list.

M Design have been carrying out PV surveys constantly for the last few months for a local authority client. They carry out the solar survey as well as the structural survey at the same time (something plenty for over eager sales guys are happy to omit!). M Design have taken a different tact from suppliers in that they don’t sell PV or have any vested interest in who supplies any given system. This means they can give honest independent advice on installing PV - or whether to not bother in the first place.

The multi-dispiplined team at M Design means that carrying out the surveys is just the start of the service on offer; calculations on feed in tariff returns, preparing existing and proposed elevations, submitting planning applications etc can all the bolted on the initial surveys. They can even go a step further for you can get you some competitive quotes based on real designs which takes the risk out of PV for many people.

The team include structural engineers with years of experience in all kinds of domestic and commercial structural surveying and design. This means that if any parts of the building need improving structurally to withstand the PV panel weight or uplift from the wind, then they can produce a fully detailed design solution - all without speaking to a PV salesperson!!

The key staff have undertaken the PV Specifiers course at the NAREC centre in Blyth and prior to this were already qualified structural engineers. This is a key difference with other PV companies.

Contact the team at enquiry@mdesign.uk.com or speak to Marc Haley on 01661 854444.

Aug 03

JOB VACANCIES

Due to continued growth and workload, M Design are please to announce they are now looking to recruit another two members of staff.

Structural Engineer:

Ideally we are looking for someone who has good experience in the industry and who has experience of design in all the main structural materials. The ideal candidate will have the skills to work independently and as part of our team and must be ready for the challenge of increasing our existing client base. Whilst being a chartered engineer would be ideal we are also willing to hear from quality graduates who maybe have the experience but haven’t completed their professional review yet.

Architectural Technologist:

We are flexible on the exact qualifications required for this busy and exciting role. We wish to appoint someone who can fit into the current team and be able to prepare planning application submissions through to designing and submitting building regulation applications. We would like to hear from qualified technologists but also anyone who is maybe in the middle of a course and would like to complete this on a day release basis whilst working the other days. M Design have a proven track record in providing this kind of experience.

Both positions will be at our Horlsey Village office in Northumberland and the successful candidates will be personable and hardworking.

M Design offer competitive salaries and good holiday entitlements and offer a friendly place to work.

You can apply via e-mail to info@mdesign.uk.com

Jun 23

We love Photovoltaics!

M Design are in the middle of a huge number of PV Surveys encompassing the structural and solar surveys for our client; a local authority with big plans for PV installation this year.

Building on their 20 years of structural engineering experience, staff have also undertaken the PV Specifiers Course run by NAREC in Blyth; ensuring they are the perfect people to help you with any PV installation.

The buildings currently being surveyed include school, fire stations, libraries, nurseries, sports centres, swimming pools and sure start centres. Generally they are all on three phase electric supplies enabling quite large systems to be installed.

The hurry to install is being driven by the reduction in the fee in tariffs which will kick in at the end of this financial year.

Now really is the time to install your own system and the team at M Design are ready to help. Contact them at www.mdesign.uk.com or on 01661 854444