TRSC – About Us – TRSC | Structural Engineering & Heritage Asset Specialists Brisbane

About Us

Who We Are and What We Stand For

Our Philosophy

TRSC operates on two foundational principles: transparency and fairness. These values inform every project, client relationship, and internal decision. Rather than defaulting to replacement solutions that benefit consultants through extended engagements, we focus on understanding actual structural capacity and delivering what assets genuinely require.

This approach benefits clients through reduced costs, benefits the environment through asset preservation, and benefits our team through equitable profit sharing tied directly to project outcomes.

What We Do

TRSC specializes in structural engineering for heritage buildings and aged assets where standard approaches prove inadequate. Our work determines actual structural capacity through systematic investigation, enabling evidence-based decisions about remediation, monitoring, or certification for continued operation.

Core Services

Structural investigation using advanced NDT and material testing
3D LiDAR scanning for as-built documentation
Structural health monitoring with IoT sensor networks
Remediation design prioritizing targeted intervention over replacement
Form 15 and Form 12 RPEQ certification for Queensland projects
Post-disaster rapid assessment and recovery planning

Key Differentiator

TRSC does not service new construction markets. This eliminates conflict of interest when working with incumbent engineers and when assessing whether existing structures require replacement or retain capacity for continued use. We will fight tooth and nail to retain the asset so long as it stacks up commercially, socially and environmentally.

Why Clients Choose TRSC

No Conflict of Interest: We don’t design replacements, so we have no financial incentive to recommend unnecessary work.
Evidence-Based Decisions: Investigations provide quantified data about actual capacity, enabling informed choices rather than conservative assumptions.
Cost Savings: Documented savings ratios of 6:1 to 17:1 across our project portfolio through accurate assessment avoiding unnecessary replacement.
Operational Continuity: Make-safe and monitor approaches maintain building operation during extended remediation planning, preserving revenue and minimizing disruption.
Technical Innovation: World-first monitoring systems combining IoT sensors with AI analytics provide continuous asset surveillance.
Professional Accountability: RPEQ certification and professional indemnity insurance provide legal accountability for all engineering decisions and certifications.
Southeast Queensland Expertise: Brisbane headquarters with established operations throughout Southeast Queensland enable rapid response and local knowledge of regional conditions (marine exposure, subtropical climate, heritage building stock).

Our Approach: Make-safe and Monitor

Standard engineering practice often defaults to replacement when structures show deterioration. TRSC investigations determine what existing assets can achieve through systematic testing and analysis.

Intervention Heirarchy:

Make-Safe – Immediate temporary measures preventing imminent hazards
Repair – Targeted remediation of deteriorated elements
Strengthen – Capacity upgrades where analysis proves inadequacy
Monitor – Continuous surveillance detecting issues before failure occurs

Documented Results: Investigation investments of $100,000-$500,000 regularly achieve cost avoidance of $1.7M-$6M across our verified project portfolio. Savings ratios range from 6:1 to 17:1.

This methodology converts capital replacement costs into programmed operational expenditure through monitoring and targeted maintenance, providing superior value while maintaining safety.

Lachlan Pagan

Managing Director

MIEAust, CPEng, NER, APEC Engineer, IntPE(Aus), RPEQ (QLD, NSW,VIC)

Philosophy on Asset Management

“Most engineering companies lack capacity to complete detailed investigations into existing assets and therefore default to conservative design assumptions. We push boundaries by understanding Performance Condition State and Durability Condition State precisely, allowing reuse and increased utilization of existing structure.

Our focus is on existing assets with investigations, informed engineering, and make-safe monitoring regimes. Instead of high capital expenses, we move clients into programmed operational cost models via make-safe and monitor regimes.

This approach requires eliminating commercial conflicts of interest. By never competing in new construction, we maintain independence to provide honest assessment of whether replacement is genuinely necessary.”

Lachlan founded TRSC on principles developed through 10+ years working within traditional engineering firms where commercial incentives often conflicted with optimal client outcomes. He observed that firms designing replacements have financial incentive to recommend new construction, while accurate assessment of existing capacity may reduce project scope and fees.

This misalignment led to TRSC’s founding principle: operate exclusively in existing asset assessment, never in new construction. This eliminates conflict of interest and enables honest evaluation of whether structures require intervention or retain adequate performance.

Transparency In Practice

Lachlan has also established transparent operational structures throughout TRSC and its parent organization Trinity DAO:

Financial Transparency

Project costs and profit margins disclosed to clients upon request
Team profit sharing (40% of project profit) distributed based on documented contributions
Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) providing equity to all full-time staff
Annual third-party valuations ensuring fair share pricing

Technical Transparency

Investigation methodologies documented and explained to clients
Material testing results provided with laboratory certifications
Structural analysis assumptions stated explicitly with supporting calculations
Monitoring data accessible to clients 24/7 through cloud platforms

Operational Transparency

RPEQ certification authority providing legal accountability for engineering decisions
Professional indemnity insurance backing all certifications
Clear documentation of design assumptions and limitations
Construction phase reporting documenting actual conditions versus investigation predictions

Fairness in Practice

Fairness extends beyond client relationships to internal operations and industry collaboration:

Client Fairness

Scope limited to necessary investigation depth – clients not charged for unnecessary testing. Scope broken into stages with stages activated due to necessity
Evidence-based recommendations – structures not condemned without quantified justification
Make-safe and monitor options presented alongside replacement to enable informed choice
Cost-benefit analysis provided comparing intervention options

Team Fairness

Profit sharing: 40% of project profit distributed to project teams
ESOP allocation: Dynamic share grants based on tenure, position, and performance
10-year vesting schedule encouraging long-term commitment

Industry Fairness

Collaboration with incumbent structural engineers – TRSC provides investigation data supporting their design work
No competition for new construction projects preserving relationships
Knowledge sharing through conference presentations and publications
Training programs for emerging technologies (LiDAR, IoT monitoring, durability modeling)