The construction trade has a particular character for being a tough environment in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thinking; however this image is far from appropriate. There is a substantial amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector which is firmly rooted in the academic arena. Furthermore, this unseen work is vital to the success of the more visible procedures.
One branch of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more specifically pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This type of work demands a great balance of specific technical know-how as well as experience of the industry and a genuine intuition for the complexities of the job.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a study of the physical features of a given piece of land. The aim of a topographical survey is to map the naturally occurring and man-made features of a specific landscape to a high degree of precision.
Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very wide range of environments, from open countryside to urban developments and across a variety of reliefs and land surfaces. Surveys can be developed to take into account a great number of factors, such as ground conditions or vegetation, and as such can be used for a number of tasks.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Perhaps the most extensively used, and most commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great amount of information about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, reliefs 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 industry. When people or companies are looking to build any kind of structure they will need to perform extensive surveys as part of the design stage of the project.
Surveys definitely play a key safety part in primary industries like mining, or in other industries that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Organisations in these industries will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to ensure that they can ensure the safety of their staff on site.
Under modern regulating control, the specialists that perform demolition surveys ought to always be properly qualified to ensure the trustworthiness of the survey findings.
Types of Survey
The arena of topography addresses a large number of physical features so it is important to determine what type of topographical survey is suitable for a particular situation.
“Lie of the land” Surveys
These types of topographical surveys are fashioned to create an overview of the physical characteristics of any given plot of land. Although the data gathered by the survey will be very accurate, and might be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to provide a site summary.
These surveys will generally 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 can also include a level survey that will measure the elevation of the land 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 structures on a site, including the surveying of special apparatus and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of survey is more regularly associated with the demolition industry 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 detailed plan of the external and internal proportions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey could provide basic building “footprint” dimensions, or might produce a very detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to generate internal floor plans and even roof plans.
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 mentioned above. This information will be required so the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and safe.
Surveys will often contain information about the energy services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an essential safety factor because any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous.
Another aspect of the site survey will often be an audit of resources on the site. This type of survey 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 company can more precisely determine the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different job.
Project planners may uncover monetary benefits once topographical demolition surveys summarise material levels currently on-site that can be re-used.
Importance of Site Surveys
Maybe the most significant reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the safety of the individuals who will be doing work on the site. The industries that most frequently call for site surveys are dangerous enough as it is without having to worry about the condition of the ground on which they are working. Taking a detailed topographical survey can help to eliminate safety risks of this nature.
Another important reason to get a suitable survey done is to identify any potential difficulties that may arise because of the physical properties of the region. Particular things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be uncovered once digging or demolition has started.
The inventory of site materials, as previously mentioned, can be of great benefit to a demolition or construction enterprise working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves expensive, but transporting them to the site could be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be recycled on site provides an opportunity to save development time and funds.
Topographical surveys can also highlight other areas that will be of use to the project managers. For example, if the gradients on a site would be prohibitive to specific vehicles or equipment then a new access route or alternative equipment will need to be found.
Positioning of Survey Control
During the surveying and construction stages of a building project, the equipment required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey information will often be stored 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 occurred and the site has been deemed safe for workers to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its original position on site. This will allow for effective data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and keeps a single point of contact for anyone who needs the topographical survey information.
Because of its popular use in the building trade, concrete demolition forms a fundamental branch of wok for all demolition organisations.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Because topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a building or demolition venture it is vital that they are undertaken carefully by the correct people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have specific qualifications associated with it. Getting surveyors with these specific qualifications will certainly be advantageous.
When choosing a company to undertake the surveying work required for your project it will be sensible to choose a company with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see examples of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their performance on past projects.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once an adequate level of information has been gathered by a site survey it needs to be passed out to the appropriate personnel on-site. Who gets what pieces of information will largely depend on the job roles being performed, but can also rely on the stage that a project is at. There will be less need for materials information midway through construction for example.
Project Planners
Project planners will generally need access to all of the information collected by a topographical survey, though they will particularly need to use information concerning the physical relief of a site before the design phase, and a site materials inventory before they can prepare the construction phase.
Demolition Experts
Demolition businesses will want to know about the interior and exterior characteristics of any building or structures that they are arranged to take down. Whilst every project will have individual requirements, demolition workers will generally need to know about the fundamental structure of a building and the materials it is made out of.
Site Engineers
Construction engineers on-site will be particularly interested in the survey data about the relief and topography of the terrain. It is normally the case that they will want to build on a flat surface, so they will use information about the natural lay of the land to calculate what work will be required to create a steady foundation for any structure.