Aniso Structures · nearing completion
Little Nodes
A Passive House north-east of Brighton, combining screw-pile foundations, a timber frame and a low-impact relationship with the landscape.
Independent structural engineering · Bristol
Designing with consequence. Advocating with clarity. Building with care.
We help homeowners, architects, developers, solicitors and self-builders understand the physical reality of buildings before important decisions are made.
Why Aniso?
Real materials are rarely simple.
The name Aniso derives from anisotropic. Timber has a grain. Masonry has a history. Concrete changes throughout its life. Steel derives its behaviour from manufacture, detailing and connection.
Understanding those characteristics is fundamental to understanding how buildings perform, age and fail.
Before calculations, there are materials.
Before software, there is physical reality.
Before solutions, there must be understanding.
Ideas in practice
Engineering shaped by materials, people and place.
Selected work from Aniso Structures and Tara Fraser’s earlier practice at Build Collective. Attribution is stated clearly because the story of the work matters.
Build Collective legacy
Linhay
Jumbo clay block walls, metal-web joist floors, a timber roof and custom precast concrete elements, with connections and reinforcement designed as one system.
Build Collective legacy
Highland House
A hybrid solution using jumbo clay blocks, timber framing above, a steel balcony and bespoke connection design with Kithurst.
Build Collective legacy
Clifton House
A refurbishment in which the rear extension was redesigned to help the existing house evolve through a carefully considered contemporary intervention.
Meet Tara
Engineering grounded in understanding.
Tara Fraser is a Chartered Structural Engineer with more than 35 years of experience across design, building pathology, forensic investigation and professional witness work.
Alongside engineering, Tara is also a qualified therapist and an annual Visiting Tutor in the Architecture Department at UWE Bristol. Both strands have strengthened a practice built on listening, clear explanation and independent judgement.
Buildings are made from materials. Projects are delivered by people. Good engineering requires understanding both.
About TaraHow we help
One philosophy. Several pathways.
Early feasibility and structural consultancy
Input before planning or layout decisions become fixed, including ground, structural form, materials, buildability and project risk.
Forensic and legal services
Independent investigation and professional witness support for defects, design failures and construction disputes.
Existing buildings and homebuyer concerns
Clear investigation of cracking, movement, survey findings and structural concerns, explained in plain English.
Self-build and retrofit support
Practical engineering, material choice, trade-package thinking and ongoing guidance for people delivering ambitious homes.
Passive House and material-first design
Structural solutions considered with airtightness, thermal continuity, moisture, handling and embodied impact.
Temporary works and buildability
Safe methods of work, temporary support and construction sequence developed as part of the design philosophy, not as an afterthought.
The Aniso approach
Experienced judgement, explained clearly.
01
Material first
Understand how the building is made before selecting a solution.
02
Evidence led
Observe and investigate before relying on assumptions.
03
Independent
If an idea is unsafe or unnecessarily risky, we explain why.
04
Clear English
Clients should understand the reasoning as well as the recommendation.
Initial site visits
Paying for understanding.
A site visit is a professional service and a working conversation, not a sales appointment.
The value is measured by the quality of the decisions made afterwards.
Bristol-area initial site visit
£195
Focused inspection, practical discussion and follow-up email observations.
- Understanding the original concern and wider objectives.
- Identifying connected issues beyond the first question.
- Explaining probable causes, risks and realistic next steps.
- Defining a further scope where appropriate.
Contact Aniso
Let’s turn uncertainty into understanding.
Every enquiry is reviewed personally. Tell us what you are trying to achieve, what is known and what is causing concern.
Tara Fraser BEng (Hons), PgDip, CEng, MICE, MIStructE
Chartered Structural Engineer
Bristol, England