Building Site Surveys
The demolition industry has a certain character for being a harsh environment in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thinking; however this image is far from correct. There is a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector which is firmly grounded in the academic world.
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 know-how as well as experience of the industry and a natural intuition for the intricacies of the job.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a study of the physical features of a given plot of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made features of a particular landscape to a high degree of accuracy. Whilst topography itself may refer to the surface of any object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the Earth.
Topographical surveys can be carried out on a very wide range of environments, from open countryside to urban areas and across a variety of reliefs and land surfaces. Surveys can be developed to take into account a great many factors, such as ground variables or vegetation, and as such can be used for a number of tasks.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Probably the most extensively used, and most generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern day 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 obtained via a topographical survey.
Topographical surveys also have a key role to play in the construction business. When individuals or organisations are looking to construct any kind of structure they will need to carry out extensive surveys as part of the design stage of the project. These surveys are often an indispensable part of any application for planning permission as well.
Surveys also play a key safety role in primary industries like mining, or in other industries that interact with the terrain, such as demolition and infrastructure. Companies in these industries will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to ensure that they can ensure the safety of their staff on site. As such, topographical surveys are often a legal requirement for these types of projects.
Engineers and construction workers use building demolition surveys for detailed sizes of internal and external constructions.
Types of Survey
The world of topography addresses a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to identify what form of topographical survey is suitable 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 very accurate, and might be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to give a site summary.
These surveys will generally incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to determine the extent of the site and spotlight any particular 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.
Building Surveys
Building surveys are more typically 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 industry because it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished. It may be used on other projects as well.
A building survey will probably include a measured survey, which entails creating a comprehensive plan of the exterior and internal proportions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey might provide simple building “footprint” dimensions, or might produce a highly detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to generate interior 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 described above. This information will be required so the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and secure. More often than not these surveys will also be legally required.
Surveys will often include information about the power services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an essential safety aspect since any unmonitored damage to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous.
Another aspect of the site study will often be an inventory of resources on the site. This type of survey will be a quantity survey of the various sorts of materials that can be found on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be utilised as hardcore or even wood. By getting an accurate audit of site materials the construction company can more precisely 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 and post-demolition.
For demolition projects throughout city areas, topographical demolition surveys might identify possible issues concerning the disruption of utilities and facilities in the area.
Importance of Site Surveys
Possibly the most significant reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the safety of the people who will be working on the site. The industrial sectors that most commonly call for site surveys are risky enough as it is without having to be concerned about the integrity of the ground on which they are working. Taking a comprehensive topographical survey can help to eliminate safety risks of this nature.
Another critical reason to get a proper survey done is to identify any potential difficulties that may arise because of the physical properties of the region. Particular things may 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 resolve these problems, or at best they will be expensive issues to solve.
The inventory of site materials, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves expensive, but importing them to the site could be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be reused on site provides an opportunity to save development time and money. Only by taking an accurate audit of these materials can a company properly plan its imported material requirements.
Topographical surveys can also identify other areas that will be of use to the project managers. 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 have to be found. Equally, an appropriate site will need to be found for the base of control 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 period of a project since the equipment is both expensive and sensitive.
Once the demolition has occurred and the site has been deemed safe for staff to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its original position on site. This will allow for efficient data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and maintains a single point of contact for anyone who needs the topographical survey information.
Las Vegas is the backdrop for a good deal of commercial demolition since older resorts need flattening so that new ones may be built in their place.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Since topographical site surveys can play such a vital role in the success or failure of a building or demolition venture it is critical that they are carried out thoroughly by the correct people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have unique qualifications associated with it. Finding surveyors with these specific skills will certainly be beneficial.
When choosing 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?
When an adequate level of information has been gathered by a site survey it must be passed out to the appropriate people on-site. Who gets which pieces of information will largely depend on the job roles being performed, but can also rely on the stage that a project is at.
Project Planners
Project planners will generally need access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, though they will particularly need to use information regarding the physical relief of a site before the design phase, and a site materials inventory before they can prepare the construction phase. The more information that can be made available to project planners will aid the smooth running of the venture.
Demolition Experts
Demolition organisations will want to know about the internal and exterior properties 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 structure of a building and the materials it is made out of. They will need this knowledge before demolition can take place.
Site Engineers
Construction engineers on-site will be particularly interested in the survey information about the relief and topography of the terrain. 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 calculate what work will be needed to create a steady footing for any structure. They will want this information before and during the construction stage of a job.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 4:55 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.