Definition
What does a structural engineer do?
A structural engineer in Singapore designs and certifies the load-bearing systems of buildings and structures — foundations, columns, beams, slabs and walls — so that they safely carry the loads imposed on them. Under the Building Control Act, structural designs for regulated building works must be prepared and endorsed by a Professional Engineer registered in the civil branch with the Professional Engineers Board.
Pec.sg provides structural engineering as a registered consultancy: design, checking, certification and inspection, led by Er. David Zheng Zhijian (PE Civil, Reg. No. 4385), with geotechnical capability for foundations, slopes and earth-retaining works.
Structural design services
- Additions & alterations — new openings in structural walls, removal and replacement of structural elements, extension structures. See renovation A&A PE endorsement.
- Mezzanine floors and platforms — steel or concrete mezzanines for homes, shops, offices, factories and warehouses, designed to the intended loading and submitted to BCA where required.
- Strengthening and retrofit — floor strengthening for new equipment or storage loads, steel framing to enlarged openings, repair specifications for deteriorated members.
- Foundation design — pad, strip, raft and piled foundations, with geotechnical assessment of ground conditions.
- Slope stability and retaining structures — analysis and design for slopes, retaining walls and earth-retaining stabilising structures (ERSS), subject to site investigation data.
- Steel and racking structures — canopies, awning frames, equipment supports and storage racking certification for industrial premises.
Assessment and certification services
- Structural assessments — can this wall be hacked, can this floor take a jacuzzi or safe, can this roof carry solar panels — answered with calculations, not guesswork. For wall hacking specifically, see HDB wall hacking PE endorsement.
- Loading assessments — floor loading checks for gyms, archives, server rooms, tanks, machinery and storage systems.
- PE endorsement — certification of designs prepared by others, where the design is found to comply. See PE endorsement.
- Structural inspections — condition surveys, defect investigations and periodic inspections with PE-signed reports. See structural inspection.
- Expert reports — engineering opinions for disputes, insurance matters and pre-purchase due diligence.
How we approach structural work
- Understand the intent — what you want to build or change, and any constraints from your contractor, MCST, landlord or authority.
- Assess the structure — existing drawings where available, site inspection where needed, and conservative assumptions where records are incomplete.
- Design or verify — calculations to the applicable Singapore codes and Eurocodes as adopted, buildable details your contractor can execute.
- Certify and submit — PE endorsement, and BCA submission as Qualified Person where the works require plan approval.
Every design is subject to structural assessment, site conditions and applicable Singapore authority requirements. Where a client's preferred outcome cannot be achieved safely, we say so and propose what can.
Residential to industrial
The same engineering discipline applies whether the structure is a single HDB wall or a warehouse mezzanine — only the scale changes. Homeowners get clear answers and MCST-ready letters; contractors get buildable details and fast endorsement turnaround; industrial clients get loading certifications and racking sign-offs that satisfy their auditors and insurers.
Standards & deliverables
Codes we design to, documents you receive
Structural design in Singapore is governed by the Building Control Act and Regulations, with design to the Singapore-adopted Eurocodes and their national annexes, supplemented by BCA design guides and approved documents. Our calculations reference the specific clauses relied upon, so a checking engineer or authority assessor can follow the design logic without correspondence.
Depending on the engagement, deliverables include: endorsed structural drawings suitable for authority submission or construction; design calculations in a checkable format; PE assessment letters addressed to HDB, your MCST or your landlord; specifications for strengthening or repair works; and, where we act as Qualified Person, the full BCA submission set. Every document carries the endorsing engineer's name, registration number and stamp.
Where existing structural records are incomplete — common in older buildings — we state our assumptions explicitly and design conservatively, or specify the investigation needed to close the gap. What we do not do is guess silently: an assumption you cannot see is a risk you cannot manage.
A note on cost engineering. The cheapest structure is rarely the lightest one on paper; it is the one your contractor can build efficiently with available materials and without rework. We design with buildability in mind and welcome contractor input on methods, while keeping final responsibility for compliance where it belongs — with the endorsing engineer.
FAQ
Structural engineering — common questions
When do I need a structural engineer in Singapore?
Whenever works affect load paths or structural elements: hacking or forming openings in structural walls, adding mezzanines or heavy loads, extending buildings, repairing structural defects, or when an authority, MCST or landlord requires structural certification. If you are unsure, send us photos and plans — an initial answer costs nothing.
What does a structural engineer's fee cover?
Our fixed fee covers the stated scope: assessment or design, calculations, drawings where required, one site inspection where applicable, the PE endorsement itself, and responses to authority or MCST queries on the endorsed documents. Anything outside scope is quoted before it is done.
Can you design strengthening for an existing structure?
Yes — strengthening and retrofit design is a core service: enlarged openings with steel framing, floor strengthening for new loads, corrosion repair specifications and underpinning assessments, subject to structural assessment and site conditions.
Do you provide geotechnical engineering services?
Yes. As a civil & geotechnical consultancy we cover foundation design, slope stability analysis, retaining structures and geotechnical assessment for excavation and earth-retaining works, with PE endorsement where required.
Will the design work with my contractor's preferred method?
Where your contractor has a preferred buildable method, we design around it if it can comply with the codes. Where it cannot, we explain why and propose the closest compliant alternative — the endorsing engineer must be satisfied the design is safe.
Need structural design or certification?
Send your plans and intent on WhatsApp — we will scope the engineering and quote a fixed fee.