Tenants · Owners · Fit-out builders · Designers
Mezzanine and fit-out engineering in Hobart
A mezzanine, a new opening or a row of heavy shelving changes what the existing structure has to carry. We check the building, design the new work and give your building surveyor the drawings, calculations and Form 35 they need.
Documented for your surveyor
Drawings, calculations and a Form 35 your building surveyor can rely on.
Fixed quote in 1–2 business hours
Get a fixed quote for your fit-out
Send the floor plan, the intended use and photos of the existing slab, columns, wall or roof framing.
Fixed quote for your job. No obligation. Or call 03 6146 4747
In short
Mezzanine engineering in Hobart means designing the floor, beams and columns, then checking the slab or footings under each column for the load the mezzanine will carry. Fit-outs that cut new openings in commercial walls, add heavy shelving, or put rooftop plant or solar panels on an existing roof need the same check. You receive calculations, drawings and a Form 35, priced by fixed quote.
- Fee
- Fixed quote per project
- Quote
- Within 1–2 business hours
- You receive
- Calculations, drawings and a Form 35
When you need us
When does a commercial fit-out need a structural engineer?
A commercial fit-out needs a structural engineer when it adds load to the building, removes or cuts into structure, or hangs something new from it. Partitions, ceilings and joinery on their own rarely need structural design, but your building surveyor decides what documents the job needs.
| Fit-out work | What changes structurally | What we provide |
|---|---|---|
| New mezzanine floor | Column loads land on a slab or floor that wasn't designed for them | Mezzanine design, slab or footing check, base plate details |
| New opening in a wall | The wall above loses its support, and the piers either side carry more load | Beam or lintel design, propping sequence, pier and footing checks |
| Removing a column or loadbearing wall | The load path through the floors above changes | Transfer beam and connection design |
| Compactus, racking, safes and cool rooms | Concentrated loads on a suspended floor or a thin ground slab | Floor capacity check and, if needed, a strengthening design |
| Rooftop plant | Point loads, vibration and wind on air conditioning units, condensers and fans | Roof framing check and support frame design |
| Solar panel array | Extra permanent load, plus wind uplift on rails, fixings and purlins | Signed roof load assessment |
| Signs, awnings and hanging loads | New connections into existing steel, timber or masonry | Connection and fixing design |
Removing a wall in a house instead? See wall removal and beam design.
Mezzanines
How is a mezzanine floor designed?
A mezzanine floor is designed from the load it will carry down to the ground: decking, joists and beams, then columns, base plates and whatever sits under each column. Four questions decide most of the design.
What will the mezzanine carry?
Office use, light storage, archive shelving and plant are all different design loads under AS/NZS 1170.1, so the use goes on the drawings.
Known: we design for itUnsure: we agree a use and load with you firstAre there drawings of the existing slab?
Column loads usually land on an existing ground slab, and its thickness and reinforcement decide what it can take.
Yes: we check the slab from the drawingsNo: we confirm it on site, and quote any testing firstCan the slab take the column loads?
A thin slab on soft or reactive ground may not carry a heavily loaded column on its own.
Yes: base plates fixed to the slabNo: new pad footings under each columnIs it a supplier's kit mezzanine?
A kit design assumes a slab, a load and a building. Yours may differ.
Yes: we check the kit against your building and useNo: we design the frame, connections and bracing
Fire, egress and access
A mezzanine also raises fire safety, exit, stair and balustrade questions under NCC Volume One. Your building surveyor assesses those against the edition in force (NCC 2022 in Tasmania until 30 April 2027). We design the structure, stair and handrail supports to suit the layout they accept.
Key takeaways
- The slab under each column matters as much as the steel above it.
- The intended use sets the design load, so tell us what will be stored and how high.
- Kit mezzanines still need checking against your building, slab and use.
- You receive drawings, calculations and a Form 35 for your building surveyor.
New openings
Can you put a new opening in a commercial wall?
Yes. A new opening in a commercial wall needs a beam or lintel to carry the wall above, a temporary propping sequence for the builder, and a check that the piers and footings either side can take the extra load. What else matters depends on the wall.
Blockwork and concrete
Reinforcement and grouted cores are located before cutting. Precast and tilt-up panels also depend on their connections, so the panel is checked as a whole.
Brick and sandstone
Older masonry often relies on soft mortar and arching action. Works to a place on the Tasmanian Heritage Register need Heritage Council approval and drawings of the existing condition. See heritage and older buildings.
Steel and timber framing
New headers and jamb posts carry the load, and any bracing removed with the wall is replaced elsewhere.
Rooftop plant and solar
Can my roof take solar panels or rooftop plant?
Most commercial roofs can take a solar array or new plant, but each one should be checked: the risk is usually wind uplift on fixings and purlins, and point loads on older or corroded framing, rather than the weight alone.
Solar panels add a modest permanent load spread across the roof. The bigger questions are wind at the roof edges and corners, how the rails fix to the purlins and the purlins to the rafters, and whether an older roof is still in the condition its original design assumed. Hobart sits in non-cyclonic wind Region A, but the design wind speed for a roof depends on the site's terrain, shielding, topography and building height, so we work it out for each building.
Rooftop plant such as air conditioning units, condensers and exhaust fans puts concentrated loads on a few points. We check the framing under each support, design a support frame where the roof needs one, and allow for vibration and wind on the units themselves.
You receive a signed roof load assessment for your installer, landlord or building surveyor, or a support frame design where the roof needs help.
What to send for a fit-out quote
- The floor plan or fit-out layout, as a PDF, with the area to be engineered marked
- The intended use: what will be stored, shelving or racking type and height, equipment weights
- Photos of the existing structure: slab, columns, roof framing or the wall you want to open
- Existing drawings of the building, if the owner has them
- The supplier's drawings for a kit mezzanine, or the solar layout
- Your deadline, such as a lease start or the builder's program
You'll have a fixed quote within 1–2 business hours (Mon–Fri 8:00am–5:00pm), with whether a site visit is needed and when you'll receive the design.
More commercial engineering
Often needed alongside a fit-out
Steel structures & warehouses
Portal frames, sheds, warehouses and light industrial buildings, with site-specific wind loads, footings and slabs, designed and documented for your building surveyor.
Learn more
Commercial building inspections
Structural condition assessments, change of use checks, commercial defect reports and concrete spalling reports for car parks and older buildings.
Learn more
Wall removal & beam design
Load-bearing wall removal designed properly: the steel or LVL beam, the posts and the footings, with drawings your builder can build from.
Learn more