The construction industry has a particular reputation for being a tough atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thinking; however this impression is far from appropriate. There is a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry which is firmly rooted in the academic arena.
One part of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more specifically pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This type of work calls for a great balance of specific technical knowledge as well as experience of the industry and a genuine intuition for the complexities of the job.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a report of the actual features of a particular piece of land. The aim of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made features of a specific landscape to a high degree of precision. Whilst topography itself can refer to the surface of any kind of object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the planet.
Topographical surveys can be carried out on a very wide range of environments, from open countryside to urban areas and across a variety of elevations and land surfaces. Surveys can be designed to take into account a great many factors, such as ground conditions or vegetation, and as such can be used for a multitude of tasks. A few of the more common uses are outlined below.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Perhaps the most widely used, and most commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great deal of information about the landscape they relate to, including waterways, elevations and ground surface, all of which will have been gathered via a topographical survey. This information is also being made available online.
Topographical surveys also have a major role to play in the construction business. When individuals or companies are looking to construct any kind of structure they will need to undertake extensive surveys as part of the design phase of the project.
Surveys also play a key safety part in primary industries like mining, or in other industries that interact with the terrain, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these fields will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to be sure that they can ensure the safety of their staff on site.
On projects where there are structures to be demolished, building demolition surveys generally help planners during the demolition stage of the project.
Types of Survey
The arena of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is beneficial to identify what type of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular situation.
“Lie of the land” Surveys
These types of topographical surveys are designed to create an overview of the physical characteristics of any given plot of land. Whilst the data gathered by the survey will be extremely accurate, and may be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to provide a site summary. They will usually be the first type of topographical survey that is carried out on a job.
These surveys will usually incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to determine the extent of the site and spotlight any specific restraints that are determined by the geography of the site. They may also include a level survey that will measure the elevation of the terrain and the numerous gradients that exist. A survey can be customised to specification though.
Building Surveys
Building surveys are more generally concerned with man-made constructions on a site, including the surveying of special apparatus and even infrastructure features. This type of survey is more regularly associated with the demolition sector since it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished.
A building survey will probably include a measured survey, which involves creating a comprehensive plan of the external and internal dimensions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey might provide simple building “footprint” dimensions, or might produce a very detailed plan of the structure.
Content of a Topographical Site Survey
A survey of a demolition site will almost always include the details gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys described above. This information will be needed so that the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and safe. Often these surveys will also be legally requested.
Surveys will often contain information about the utility services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work happens. This is an important safety factor since any unmonitored damage to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity could be very dangerous. The information can also be used to plan new structures, based upon the existing supply of these utilities.
Another aspect of the site study will often be an inventory of materials on the site. This type of study will be a quantity survey of the various kinds of materials that can be located on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be used as hardcore or even timber. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction firm can more accurately gauge the need to import building resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different project. These surveys can be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.
Performing a thorough and complete house demolition survey ensures the protection of people in the immediate locality of the work site.
Importance of Site Surveys
Possibly the most important reason to perform a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the people who will be doing work on the site. The industries that most commonly call for site surveys are risky enough as it is without having to worry about the condition of the ground on which they are working.
Another critical reason to get a suitable survey done is to identify any potential difficulties that may arise because of the physical characteristics of the region. Certain things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be uncovered once digging or demolition has started. By then it may be too late to fix these problems, or at best they will be costly problems to solve.
The inventory of site supplies, as previously stated, can be of great benefit to a demolition or construction enterprise working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves costly, but importing them to the site could be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be recycled on site offers an opportunity to save development time and funds. Only by taking an exact audit of these materials can a company correctly plan its imported material requirements.
Topographical surveys can also highlight other areas that will be of use to the project planners. For example, if the gradients on a site would be prohibitive to particular vehicles or machinery then a new access route or alternative machinery will need to be found. Equally, a suitable site will need to be found for the base of management operations for the project. Good site surveying can help out in these less tangible ways.
Positioning of Survey Control
During the surveying and construction phases of a construction project, the equipment required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey information will often be kept on-site. This is clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the machinery is both expensive and sensitive.
Once the demolition has taken place and the site has been deemed safe for personnel to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its original position on site. This will allow for efficient data gathering to take place for a post-demolition survey, and maintains a single point of contact for anybody who requires the topographical survey information.
To truly rid any worksite of any building demolish the exterior structure and also the footings it was built upon.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Because topographical site surveys can play such a vital role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition project it is critical that they are carried out carefully by the right people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have unique qualifications associated with it. Finding surveyors with these specific qualifications will certainly be advantageous.
When selecting a company to undertake the surveying work required for your project it will be sensible to choose a business with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see reviews of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their overall performance on past projects.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once an adequate level of details has been accumulated by a site survey it needs to be passed out to the appropriate people on-site. Who gets what pieces of information will mostly depend on the job roles being executed, but can also rely on the stage that a project is at. There will be much less need for materials information half way through construction for example.
Project Planners
Project planners will usually need access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, though they will particularly need to use information about the physical relief of a site before the design phase, and a site materials record before they can plan the construction phase. The more data that can be made available to project planners will help the smooth running of the project.
Demolition Experts
Demolition organisations will want to know about the internal and external characteristics of any building or structures that they are set to take down. Whilst every job will have individual requirements, demolition workers will generally need to know about the fundamental framework of a building and the materials it is made out of.
Site Engineers
Construction engineers on-site will be particularly interested in the survey information about the relief and topography of the site. It is normally the case that they will need to assemble on a flat surface, so they will use information about the natural lay of the land to determine what work will be needed to create a stable footing for any building.