elitesocialmedia.net

The construction trade has a particular reputation for being a harsh environment in which brute force takes priority over calculated thought; however this impression is far from correct. There is a substantial amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry which is firmly rooted 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 understanding as well as experience of the industry and a genuine intuition for the complexities of the job. This article explores the ins and outs of this work.

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 can refer to the surface of any kind of object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the Earth.

Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very broad 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. A few of the more common uses are outlined below.

Common Applications for Topographical Surveys

Perhaps the most extensively used, and most generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern day maps include a great amount of detail about the landscape they relate to, including waterways, elevations and ground surface, all of which will have been gathered via a topographical survey.

Topographical surveys also have a key role to play in the construction business. When individuals or organisations 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 also play a key safety role in primary industries such as mining, or in other industries that interact with the terrain, such as demolition and infrastructure. Organisations 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.

Engineers as well as building personnel use building demolition surveys for detailed sizes of interior and external constructions.

Types of Survey

The world of topography covers a large number of physical features so it is important to identify what form of topographical survey is suitable for a particular scenario. A few of the more common types of survey necessary for construction sites are discussed below.

“Lie of the land” Surveys

These types of topographical surveys are designed to create a summary of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Whilst the information gathered by the survey will be very accurate, and might be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to give a site summary. They will usually be the first type of topographical survey that is undertaken on a project.

These surveys will generally incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to define 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 various 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 machines 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 almost certainly 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 project, a measured survey could provide basic 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 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 adequate and secure.

Surveys will often include information about the energy services that are present on a site before any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an important safety factor since any unmonitored destruction 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 availability of these utilities.

Another aspect of the site survey will often be an inventory of resources on the site. This type of study will be a quantity survey of the various types of materials that can be found on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be used as hardcore or even wood. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction company can more accurately determine the need to import building resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different job. These surveys can be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.

Topographical surveys and material quantity reviews make up one branch of demolition services offered by contemporary organisations that conform with business best practices.

Importance of Site Surveys

Perhaps the most significant reason to perform a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the people who will be working on the site. The industries that most frequently call for site surveys are risky enough as it is without having to worry about the integrity of the ground on which they are working.

Another important reason to get a proper survey done is to highlight any potential problems 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 discovered once digging or demolition has started. By then it may be too late to fix these problems, or at best they will be costly issues to solve.

The inventory of site supplies, as previously mentioned, can be of great value to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves costly, but importing them to the site may be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be reused on site offers an opportunity to save development time and funds. Only by taking an accurate audit of these supplies can a company correctly plan its imported material requirements.

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 certain vehicles or machinery then a new access route or alternative machinery will have 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 building project, the equipment required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey data will often be stored on-site. This is clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition period of a project since the machinery is both costly 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 effective data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and retains a single point of contact for anyone who needs the topographical survey information. Most surveying companies will oversee this redeployment.

As a result of its popular use within the building business, concrete demolition is a basic branch of wok for all demolition organisations.

Who can Perform Site Surveys?

Since topographical site surveys can play such a vital 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 unique certificates associated with it. Finding surveyors with these specific qualifications will certainly be beneficial.

When choosing a company to undertake the surveying work necessary for your project it will be wise to choose a business with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see examples of their previous work and try to get feedback about their overall performance on previous projects. It may also be worth considering how a company can deliver the survey data, i.e. in 3-D models or CAD ready formats, for ease of integration with other members of the project team.

Who will use the Survey Information?

Once an adequate level of information has been accumulated by a site survey it needs to be handed out to the appropriate people on-site. Who gets what pieces of information will largely 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 generally require 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 record before they can plan the construction phase.

Demolition Experts

Demolition businesses will want to know about the interior and external properties 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 mainly 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 required to create a stable footing for any building.