Who are NJA Consulting

NJA Consulting was founded circa 2000 and has been providing structural engineering services throughout Queensland, Northern Territory and Australia wide for around 25 years. We are a small to medium-sized consultancy with a growing team of 15 technical and non-technical employees. Our engineers and drafts persons have extensive technical knowledge and experience capable of delivering high quality structural engineering design and documentation and forensic engineering services. We pride ourselves on our friendly team environment and the long-standing relationships we have developed with our clients over the years.

NJA team member John Van De Hoef

John Van de Hoef

Director and Senior Engineer

John is a highly experienced senior member of NJA with over 35 years of experience as a structural engineer. His passion for engineering combined with years of experience allows him to effectively take part in the planning, design, and construction management of forensic and structural engineering projects. Specialising in subsidence investigations, John offers a wealth of knowledge to the office, and it always on hand to answer any queries related to his projects and their associated stakeholders.

He strives to provide his clients with a positive and professional experience when working with him, and his technical understanding of valuable engineering principles and standards allows him to offer his clients well thought out solutions and practical construction procedures. John regularly provides expert advice for Queensland Courts. John is recognised by those who know him as a highly competent and admired engineer, with his friendly demeanour allowing him to connect well with both colleagues and clients alike.

NJA team member John Mayer

John Mayer

Senior structural Engineer

John is a key, longstanding senior member of the NJA family bringing invaluable guidance and a wealth of experience in structural design and forensic assessment to his engineering colleagues and technical staff since completing his degree (with honours) in 2003.

John’s diverse background experience in structural design throughout Queensland and South Australia has exposed him to extensive varying localised methods of construction and techniques which have provided him with a significant depth of experience and an extensive library of design methods and tools for determining the best design solutions for the right applications, whether it be for a: multi-level in-situ concrete apartment building; tilt-panel commercial warehouse facilities; or smaller residential renovation framing designs.

John has been involved on a significant number of structural forensic assessments since 2015 involving varying structural aspects including: building movement; water ingress; retaining wall failure; and, subsequent rectification design and detailing. John has completed forensic assessments for a range of clientele including home owners, insurance companies, and for solicitors as an expert witness on several occasions.

NJA team member Adam Buckley

Adam Buckley

Senior FORENSIC Engineer

Adam Buckley, a highly regarded senior forensic and structural engineer, boasts over two decades of experience. Specialising in structural failure causation analysis, fire damaged structural investigations, and design of engineering rectification works, Adam has contributed to investigation teams reviewing major incidents. His ability to communicate complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders sets him apart, facilitating informed decision-making.

Beyond his professional achievements, Adam mentors aspiring engineers and actively participates in ongoing engineering learning and education.

NJA team member Shane Cummings

Shane Cummings

structural Engineer

Shane is a highly motivated and competent structural engineer with a diverse range of forensic and structural engineering experience. Forensically, he has been involved in numerous investigations of distressed residential, industrial, and commercial structures. Most notably, Shane was involved in the investigation of hundreds of building defects across multiple service stations as part of a multi-million-dollar dispute between the owner and the builder. He also formed part of a team of engineers which carried out a comprehensive condition assessment of multiple large scale industrial buildings at the Opal ANZ paper mill site in Botany Bay, NSW.

Shane has a strong technical understanding of engineering principles which affords him the ability to provide clients with practical and cost-effective engineering solutions. He is competent in the design of steel, timber, concrete and aluminium structures to Australian Standards, across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. Recently, Shane has successfully delivered engineering services for multiple steel and timber truss footbridges, various steel portal frame structures and a full aluminium roof replacement for a large water reservoir tank.

In addition to his technical roles and responsibilities as an engineer, Shane is also NJA’s Office Manager. He is directly involved with the day-to-day operations of the business, staff recruitment and organisation, and business development management.