The demolition trade has a particular reputation for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thought; however this impression is far from appropriate. There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry which is firmly grounded in the academic world. Moreover, this unseen work is essential to the success of the more visible procedures.
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 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 report of the physical features of a particular 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. Whilst topography itself can 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 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 generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great deal of information about the landscape they relate to, including waterways, reliefs and ground surface, all of which will have been gathered via a topographical survey.
Topographical surveys also have a major role to play in the construction business. When individuals or companies are looking to build any kind of structure they will need to perform extensive surveys as part of the design phase of the project. These surveys are often an essential part of any application for planning permission too.
Surveys also play a key safety part in primary industries such as mining, or in other industries that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these industries will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to be sure that they can guarantee the safety of their staff on site.
On projects where there are buildings to get demolished, building demolition surveys will aid planners throughout the demolition stage of the job.
Types of Survey
The world of topography covers a large number of physical features so it is important to determine what form of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular situation.
“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. Whilst the data collected by the survey will be extremely accurate, and may be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to give a site summary.
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 may 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 typically concerned with man-made structures on a site, including the surveying of special equipment and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of study 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 precise plan of the exterior and internal dimensions of a building. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey could provide basic building “footprint” measurements, or might produce a very detailed plan of the structure.
Content of a Topographical Site Survey
A survey of a demolition site will almost always include the information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys described above. This information will be needed so the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and secure.
Surveys will often contain information about the utility services that are present on a site before any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an essential safety aspect since 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 inventory of materials 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 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 materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different project. These surveys could be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.
Even though it is a required immediate expense, a pre demolition survey may well produce economic gains in the long-term by highlighting potential complications.
Importance of Site Surveys
Maybe the most important reason to perform a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the individuals who will be doing work on the site. The industrial sectors that most frequently call for site surveys are risky enough as it is without having to worry about the condition of the ground on which they are working.
Another critical reason to get a suitable survey done is to identify any potential difficulties 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 begun.
The inventory of site materials, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction enterprise working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves costly, but importing 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 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 entry route or alternative machinery will need to be found.
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 data will often be kept on-site. This is clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the equipment is both costly and sensitive.
Once the demolition has occurred and the site has been deemed safe for personnel 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 study, and keeps a single point of contact for anybody who needs the topographical survey information.
The need for strict control and planning is critical in garage demolition projects since houses or other buildings may be close by.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Because topographical site surveys can play such a vital role in the success or failure of a building or demolition project it is critical that they are undertaken thoroughly by the correct 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 selecting a company to undertake the surveying work required for your project it will be wise to choose a business with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see reviews of their previous work and try to get feedback about their overall performance on previous projects.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once an adequate level of information has been accumulated by a site survey it must be passed 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 half way through construction for example.
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 record before they can plan the construction phase.
Demolition Experts
Demolition organisations will want to know about the internal and exterior characteristics of any building or structures that they are set to take down. Whilst every project will have different 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 statistics about the relief and topography of the site. It is usually 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 foundation for any structure.
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