06 358 8880
Industrial
We provide structural engineering for industrial projects of every scale - from single lifting-device installations and dairy sheds through to major infrastructure and pipeline projects.
Industrial work often involves multiple consultants, contractors and trades, so we coordinate closely with the wider project team to land on an approach that is efficient, practical and buildable.
We work with 3D CAD models and shared models where needed, helping ensure the whole team is working from a common model before the design reaches the site.
Practical industrial structural design - clear, coordinated and cost-effective, with straightforward advice and drawings that keep your project moving.
Industrial projects
A selection of industrial and specialist engineering projects we've helped deliver across New Zealand and Australia.
Kaimanawa St Workshop
Liquid Natural Gas Pipeline Structures
House Prefabrication Factory
Industrial structural engineering FAQs
Answers to some of the questions we are most often asked about industrial structural engineering.
An industrial building generally needs full specific engineering design – it's rarely covered by the prescriptive residential standard NZS 3604. A structural engineer would normally design the structure of the building and prepare CAD drawings then issue a PS1 for building consent. The structural engineer then usually undertakes construction monitoring and issues a PS4 construction review for the Code Compliance Certificate. The design must reflect the building's importance level and its wind and seismic actions. Larger or higher-consequence buildings may also require independent peer review (PS2). Vert-X provides commercial and industrial structural design nationwide.
Yes, most do - dairy sheds, implement sheds, woolsheds and larger farm buildings typically fall outside NZS 3604 and need specific engineering design, especially for clear-span portal frames, heavy point loads (plant, silos, gantries), effluent and wet environments, and exposed rural wind and snow zones. Simpler, lighter structures may be IL1, which lowers the design loads, but the engineer confirms that classification. The engineer designs the frame, slab and foundations and provides a PS1 for Building Consent. Rural sites also often have variable ground, so geotechnical input can be needed.
Importance level rates the consequences of a building failing, and it directly scales the wind and earthquake loads it must be designed for, under AS/NZS 1170.0. There are five Importance Levels: IL1 (minor structures – farm sheds, small outbuildings etc); IL2 (normal buildings – most houses, offices, warehouses, retail etc); IL3 (crowds or high community value – buildings holding large numbers of people, conference centres, larger schools); IL4 (post-disaster critical – hospitals with emergency facilities, fire/police stations, key lifelines); and IL5 (catastrophic-consequence – major dams, hazardous facilities). Most industrial buildings are IL2 however some industrial buildings with Infrequent entry and short duration of use can be IL1. Higher IL buildings must be designed for larger, rarer earthquakes and wind loads with often stricter performance requirements, which increases cost. This can be complex where structures may need to support high hazard plant for example and require a higher than normal IL. Getting the IL right early is critical as it can change the whole design basis and is something we work through with clients at the project outset.
A portal frame is a steel (or timber ) frame of columns and rafters joined by rigid, moment-resisting connections, giving a clear, unobstructed span – which is why it's the workhorse of warehouses, factories, farm buildings and retail sheds. It resists wind and earthquake through the stiffness of those connections rather than internal bracing. This can provide maximum usable floor area and headroom. A structural engineer sizes the members and connections, designs the footings for uplift and lateral loads, and specifies roof and wall bracing. Spans commonly range up to 30–40m but can be much greater.
It may, if it's an older building, of unreinforced masonry or pre-1976 construction, or your council has flagged it as potentially earthquake-prone (i.e. an Earthquake Prone Building or EPB). Under the Building Act 2004, councils identify potentially earthquake-prone buildings and require the owner to provide an engineering (seismic) assessment, generally within 12 months of notice. A building rated below 34%NBS is legally earthquake-prone and must be strengthened or demolished within set timeframes. Assessments are also commonly triggered by purchase, lease, insurance or refinancing. Note the EPB system is under reform (Bill introduced December 2025) - if enacted, Auckland, Northland and the Chatham Islands leave the system and the focus narrows to pre-1976 concrete 3+ storey and unreinforced masonry buildings. Vert-X can provide ISA and DSA assessments plus practical seismic strengthening designs where required.
Peer review is an independent check of the structural design by a second qualified engineer, recorded as a PS2 (Design Review). Councils commonly require it for larger, taller, higher-importance-level or unusual buildings or where an alternative solution or complex analysis is used, to give reasonable grounds that the design complies before consent. Getting a Peer Review can also sometimes speed up the processing through building consent. Whether your project needs it depends on the council, the building's scale, Importance Level, its complexity and also on the general design and building consent programme. Vert-X can provide advice on a project-by-project basis.
Structural engineering design of an industrial building or structure varies from project to project. Generally, it involves means designing the building structure, support systems for plant and pipework and foundations – plus the cladding support and any precast or blockwork wall panels – to carry gravity, wind and seismic loads. Working closely with the mechanical engineers, the structural engineer confirms the importance level and allows for items that affect the design such as gantry cranes, pipework, mezzanines or racking. The structural engineer issues a PS1 for consent and a PS4 for construction review. Floor slabs for heavy loads or poor ground need specific design. Vert-X handles industrial structural design for projects nationwide.
Industrial structures are generally designed to specific engineering design using the loadings and materials standards, not the residential NZS 3604. The key ones: AS/NZS 1170 for loads (including NZS 1170.5 for earthquake actions), NZS 3404 for steel structures, NZS 3101 for concrete, and NZS 4230 for masonry. The overarching requirements are Building Code clause B1 (Structure) and B2 (Durability). Depending on the type of industrial structure, other codes of practice may also need to be considered for items such as cranes and pipework. In industrial design, consideration of deflections and interactions between plant and structure is particularly important.