Member
MIEAust
Engineers Australia
ABOUT Principal-led
One principal. A clear standard.
Comten was founded on a simple proposition: clients should be able to speak to the engineer doing their work, whether the job is a $100M hospital or targeted residential certification.
Over a decade of experience.
A balanced practice, led by Lewis.
Comten's work is deliberately split across commercial PT design, forensic and insurance assessment, and residential structural work.
The principle behind it is simple: when you engage Comten, you deal directly with the engineer who signs the drawings. The public website should not imply a faceless team or a solo contractor; the right signal is principal-led accountability backed by real project proof.
Director and Principal Structural Engineer.
RPEQ-registered and Chartered, with over a decade designing structures across South East Queensland.
The engineer on the cover sheet should be close enough to the work to answer the question properly.Lewis Barry, Director
Director & Principal Structural Engineer
Lewis Barry
MIEAust | CPEng | NER | RPEQ 32317 | APEC Engineer | IntPE(Aus)
Lewis founded Comten in June 2024 after almost a decade of structural engineering across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Malaysia.
He started his career in contracts administration at Arondale Interiors, an unusual path into engineering that gave him direct exposure to how construction actually runs on site. He then joined BCA ENG briefly before spending seven years at EDGE Consulting Engineers in Brisbane, moving from graduate structural engineer to structural engineer.
After EDGE, Lewis took a senior role at Bespoke Engineering Solutions for fourteen months before founding Comten. His technical depth sits in post-tensioned slab design, multi-storey concrete structures and complex commercial work.
Comten was founded on a simple principle: when you engage the firm, you deal directly with the engineer who signs the drawings. No project managers gatekeeping. No juniors learning on your job.
Currently leading structural design for the $100M Maroochy Private Hospital and the $34M Ripley Police Station.
MIEAustEngineers AustraliaCPEngChartered Professional EngineerNERNational Engineering RegisterRPEQ 32317Board of Professional Engineers QLDAPEC EngineerInternational registerIntPE(Aus)International Professional Engineer
From contracts administration to principal engineer.
Lewis's commercial grounding is part of the story: he understands how construction actually runs on site, not just how structures work on paper.
Jun 2024 - Present
Director & Principal Structural Engineer
Comten Consulting Engineers
Apr 2023 - Jun 2024
Senior Structural Engineer
Bespoke Engineering Solutions
May 2018 - Apr 2023
Structural Engineer
EDGE Consulting Engineers
Jun 2016 - May 2018
Graduate Structural Engineer
EDGE Consulting Engineers
2014 - 2016
Early career - BCA ENG and contracts administration
BCA ENG | Arondale Interiors
Chartered
CPEng
Chartered Professional Engineer
National
NER
National Engineering Register
Registration
RPEQ 32317
Board of Professional Engineers QLD
Asia-Pacific
APEC Engineer
International register
International
IntPE(Aus)
International Professional Engineer
Five things we believe.
The principles that shape how Comten approaches structural design, documentation and working alongside builders.
01
Principal-led, always
The engineer you spoke to is the engineer doing the work. No handover, no diluted accountability.
02
Honest first conversation
If Comten is not the right fit for the project, Lewis says so early and points the enquiry in the right direction.
03
Designed to be built
Drawings need to be clear enough for builders to price, coordinate and construct without avoidable rework.
04
Responsive on site
RFIs, site issues, inspections and Form 12 aspect certificates are handled with practical construction awareness.
05
Right-sized engineering
The structure should be sized to what the building actually needs: compliant, durable and commercially sensible.
→ Next step
Make contactTalk directly with the principal engineer.
Start with a clear conversation about the project, the issue and the next practical step.