About Us
A high-end structural design consultancy, working across the private, corporate and insurance markets.
Who we are
Structural Design, Done Properly
BTA Structural Design is a structural design consultancy specialising in bespoke, heritage and contemporary building projects. This page covers who we are, how the business has grown, and why architects, developers and insurers choose to work with us.
Our history
The Evolution of the Business
2001
Where It Began
BTA Structural Design was formed in 2001 by our Technical Director and Founder, James Birdwood, and for many years provided core structural design services across the Cotswolds and London.
From the outset the practice set out to do more than make buildings stand up. We worked closely with architects and other professionals so that structure and design could develop together, on homes, extensions, listed buildings and distinctive new builds.
That collaborative, design-led way of working, and a reputation for careful, buildable engineering, is what the business has been built on.
April 2024
Part of the QuestGates Group
In April 2024, BTA was acquired by the QuestGates group, allowing the business to build upon and strategically diversify its existing high-quality services.
We continue under our existing management team, with the group’s strength and depth behind us. The relationship has broadened what we can offer developers, commercial clients and insurer partners, while our approach to design and our commitment to clients remain exactly as they were.
As a structural design consultancy within a larger group, we combine the responsiveness of an independent team with the resources and reach of QuestGates.
Today
Serving Our Communities and the UK
With offices now in the Cotswolds, the Peak District and London, we serve our local communities directly while providing UK-wide coverage for our corporate and insurer partners.
Alongside our sister company, Structural Surveys Limited, we support projects from first diagnosis through to final, buildable design.
Today we work across the private, corporate and insurance markets, from bespoke homes and listed buildings to commercial development and structural repair.
Purpose & positioning
What We Do, and Who We Do It For
BTA is a structural design consultancy specialising in bespoke, heritage and contemporary building projects. We work as structural engineering consultants, closer to an architectural or professional practice than a contractor or quote-driven engineering firm.
We deliver creative structural engineering solutions for developers, building contractors and architects across the private, corporate and commercial insurance markets, working on alterations, remedial works and new construction across high-end spaces, including listed buildings and distinctive new builds.
Our technical expertise is applied to the unique requirements of every project. We like to be involved early, so that structure and architecture can develop together, because we believe creative and collaborative engineering and design are essential to realising truly unique buildings.
Private
Discerning homeowners and their architects, on high-end and heritage projects.
Corporate
Developers, commercial owners and professional teams who need efficient, buildable design.
Insurance
Insurers and loss adjusters who need fast, defensible repair design.
Why BTA
Why Clients Trust Us
Clients trust BTA to deliver structural design that is technically robust, commercially aware and practical to construct. We work collaboratively with architects, building surveyors, contractors and other professional teams to achieve safe and visually appropriate outcomes, and projects that are more likely to achieve compliance first time.
Technically Robust
Sound, dependable structural design, grounded in evidence, sound judgement and a clear understanding of how each building behaves and carries load.
Commercially Aware
Design that respects programme, budget and buildability. We aim for efficient, proportionate solutions rather than engineering for its own sake.
Built to Be Relied Upon
The aim is never simply to design something that works on paper, but to deliver structural solutions that can be priced, approved, built and relied upon.
Since 2001
independent practice
Award-winning
Wood Awards & RIBA
3 offices, UK-wide
Cotswolds, London & Peak District
A QuestGates company
part of the group since 2024
Let’s Talk About Your Project
We like to be involved early, so structure and architecture can develop together.
Cotswolds (Tetbury) 01666 880532 · Peak District (Sheffield) 0114 267 6520 · post@bta.co.uk