The construction trade has a certain reputation for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thought; however this image is far from correct. There is a substantial amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector that is firmly grounded in the academic arena.
One branch of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This sort of work demands a good 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 particular piece of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to map the naturally occurring and man-made features of a specific 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 planet.
Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very wide range of landscapes, 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 variables or vegetation, and as such can be used for a multitude of tasks.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Probably the most widely used, and most commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern day maps include a great deal of information about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, reliefs and ground surface, all of which will have been obtained via a topographical survey.
Topographical surveys also have a major role to play in the construction industry. 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. These surveys are often an essential part of any application for planning permission as well.
Surveys definitely play a key safety part in primary industries such as mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these fields will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to ensure that they can guarantee the safety of their workforce on site. As a result, topographical surveys are often a legal requirement for these types of projects.
The newly understood health dangers of asbestos make asbestos demolition surveys significant in projects in which older structures are being demolished.
Types of Survey
The arena of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to identify what form of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular scenario. A few of the more common types of survey required for construction sites are discussed below.
“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. Although the data collected by the survey will be very accurate, and can be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to provide a site summary.
These surveys will usually incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to define the extent of the site and highlight any specific restraints that are determined by the geography of the site. They can also include a level survey that will plot the elevation of the land and the various 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 characteristics. This type of study is more commonly associated with the demolition sector since it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished.
A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which involves creating a comprehensive plan of the external 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 internal floor plans and even roof plans.
Content of a Topographical Site Survey
A survey of a demolition site will almost definitely include the information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys mentioned above. This information will be required so the demolition company can plan a demolition that is both adequate and secure. More often than not these surveys will also be legally required.
Surveys will often include information about the energy services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work happens. This is an important safety aspect since any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous. The information can also be used to plan new structures, based upon the existing availability of these ammenities.
Another aspect of the site survey will often be an inventory of materials 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 timber. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction firm can more precisely gauge the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different project. These surveys could be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.
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Importance of Site Surveys
Perhaps 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 condition of the ground on which they are working. Taking a detailed topographical survey can help to mitigate safety risks of this nature.
Another important reason to get a proper survey done is to highlight any potential problems that may arise because of the physical characteristics of the area. 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 expensive issues to solve.
The inventory of site materials, as previously mentioned, can be of great value to a demolition or construction organisation working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves costly, but transporting them to the site may 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.
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 specific vehicles or machinery then a new entry route or alternative equipment will need to be found. Equally, a suitable 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 apparatus required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey data will often be stored on-site. This is obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the machinery is both costly and sensitive.
Once the demolition has taken place and the site has been deemed safe for staff to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its initial position on site. This will allow for effective 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.
It is essential to carry out surveys before and also following the demolition of buildings since damage to utility services must be monitored carefully.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Since topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition venture it is vital that they are carried out thoroughly by the right people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have specific certificates associated with it. Getting 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 company with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see reviews of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their performance on previous projects.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once an adequate level of details has been gathered by a site survey it must 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.
Project Planners
Project planners will usually require 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 inventory before they can plan the construction phase.
Demolition Experts
Demolition companies will want to know about the interior and exterior characteristics of any building or structures that they are set to take down. Whilst every job will have individual requirements, demolition workers will typically 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 terrain. It is usually the case that they will want 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.
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