Project Types

Childs Engineering has designed a whole range of piers and wharves from multimillion dollar multi-use military waterfront facilities to small residential piers. Our range of clients include the Federal Government, Private Sector Fortune 500 companies, small towns, and residential home owners.

Childs Engineering has been involved in marine terminal projects for clients that use their facilities for small water taxis and large ferries to transport people, or for loading and unloading a variety of products including oil, scrap metal, coal, and wind turbine blades. The projects range from planning and development, through permitting and design, to construction services and final QA inspections.

Childs Engineering has been involved in marina projects from insurance inspections for sales to design of small repairs, to the design and permitting of new marina locations. Project locations have varied from small marinas in remote upriver locations to major marinas in along high profile city waterfront.

Our ability to mobilize our dive equipment and personnel has led us to underwater investigations worldwide. Working on both large multi-month to single day inspections we can inspect whole ports or just conduct an emergency inspection of a specific area that was impacted, using both destructive and non-destructive testing methods in addition to visual inspection.

Childs Engineering has conducted surveys for berthing analysis’ and dredging projects as far away as Japan by flying out our portable survey equipment and using a local boat but for more local projects we use our in-house survey boat. By tying hydrographic and topographic surveys together we are able to get a complete picture of the tidal zone.

Childs Engineering has been involved in the planning stages for many projects including several waterfront redevelopment projects in downtown Boston. Our expertise in being able to inspect and design waterfront projects help highlight potential issues early in the planning and development stage.

Child Engineering typically either completes the permitting or works with other firms or the client to provide support for projects that we design. Projects ranges from new pier construction to maintenance dredging projects.

Childs Engineering has been involved in small dredging projects with a few hundred cubic yards of material being removed on shore to projects where tens of thousands of cubic yards are being disposed at offshore locations. Our projects typically involve us conducting the surveys and material testing, followed by the design of the dredge area and the submission of permits, then preparing drawings and specs and any follow up surveys.

Childs Engineering has been involved in the design and inspection of both hard and soft shoreline protection systems. Our projects range from floating breakwaters to seawalls and revetments. We have also been involved in the inventorying and assessment of structures for State departments.

Childs Engineering, as one of a few specialists, are involved in dry dock engineering projects across the globe. Our projects include the design, inspection, and certification of dry docks, floating dry docks, marine railways, and other ship lift systems.

The mobility of our skills has led us to inspection projects on the other side of the world as well as a few miles from our office. We have inspected thousands of waterfront facilities and the associated components including mooring hardware, fender systems, utilities, drydocks and shiplift systems.

Childs Engineering has been involved in design projects ranging from new construction to the repair and rehabilitation of existing structures. Projects have included pier and wharves for the transportation of people and goods, berthing and fendering systems, shoreline protection, and most structures where the land meets the water.