The construction trade has a particular character for being a tough 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 that is firmly rooted in the academic world.
One part of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This type of work demands a great balance of specific technical knowledge as well as experience of the industry and a genuine intuition for the intricacies of the job. This article explores the ins and outs of this work.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a study of the actual features of a given piece of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made traits of a particular landscape to a high degree of precision. Whilst topography itself can refer to the surface of virtually 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 number of factors, such as ground variables or vegetation, and as such can be used for a multitude of tasks. A few of the more common uses are discussed below.
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 amount of information about the landscape 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 people or companies are looking to build any kind of structure they will need to undertake extensive surveys as part of the design stage of the project. These surveys are often an important 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. Businesses in these industries will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to make sure that they can guarantee the safety of their workforce on site. As a result, topographical surveys are often a legal prerequisite for these types of projects.
Any location due for demolition work might undertake a demolition survey regarding staff protection and monetary planning reasons.
Types of Survey
The world of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to determine what form of topographical survey is suitable for a particular situation. A few of the more common types of survey required for construction sites are reviewed below.
“Lie of the land” Surveys
These types of topographical surveys are fashioned to create a summary of the physical characteristics of any given plot of land. Although the data collected 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 generally include a boundary survey that sets out to define the extent of the site and highlight 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 land and the various gradients that exist.
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 industry because 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 detailed plan of the external and interior proportions of a building. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey might provide simple building “footprint” measurements, 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 described above. This information will be necessary so the demolition company can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and safe.
Surveys will often contain information about the utility services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an important safety aspect because 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 buildings, based upon the existing availability 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 sorts of materials that can be located 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 company can more accurately determine the need to import building resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different project.
For demolition projects throughout urban areas, topographical demolition surveys may identify potential challenges with the disruption of utilities and facilities in the region.
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 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 highlight any potential problems 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.
The inventory of site supplies, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction organisation working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves expensive, but importing 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 money.
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 equipment 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 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 stages of a building project, the apparatus required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey data will often be kept 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. It is therefore sensible to move this equipment off-site during demolition.
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 initial position on site. This will allow for efficient data gathering to take place for a post-demolition study, and maintains a single point of contact for anyone who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying companies will oversee this redeployment.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Since topographical site surveys can play such a critical role in the success or failure of a building or demolition venture it is vital that they are undertaken thoroughly by the correct people. There are different divisions of site surveying and each one will have unique certificates associated with it.
When selecting 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 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 staff.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once an adequate level of details has been gathered by a site survey it must be handed out to the appropriate people on-site. Who gets which 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 midway through construction for example.
Project Planners
Project planners will generally need access to all of the information collected by a topographical survey, although 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 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 framework 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 site. It is normally the case that they will want to assemble on a flat surface, so they will use details about the natural lay of the land to determine what work will be required to create a steady foundation for any structure.
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