The demolition trade has a particular character for being a tough environment in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thinking; 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 that is firmly rooted in the academic world.
One branch of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more specifically pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This sort of work calls for a good balance of specific technical understanding as well as experience of the industry and a natural intuition for the complexities 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 chart the naturally occurring and man-made traits of a particular landscape to a high degree of accuracy.
Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very wide range of landscapes, from open countryside to urban developments and across a variety of elevations and land surfaces. Surveys can be designed to take into account a great many factors, such as ground conditions or vegetation, and as such can be used for a number of tasks. A few of the more common uses are discussed below.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Perhaps the most widely used, and most generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great amount of information about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, elevations and ground surface, all of which will have been collected 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 carry out extensive surveys as part of the design stage of the project. These surveys are often an essential part of any application for planning permission too.
Surveys definitely play a key safety role in primary industries like mining, or in other industries that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these fields will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to be sure 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.
The newly understood health risks of asbestos make asbestos demolition surveys crucial for projects in which older buildings are being destroyed.
Types of Survey
The world of topography addresses a large number of physical features so it is beneficial to identify what form of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular situation.
“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. Although the information gathered by the survey will be extremely accurate, and may be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to give a site summary. They will often be the first type of topographical survey that is carried out on a project.
These surveys will generally include 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 measure the elevation of the land and the various gradients that exist. Any 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 sector since it can give a detailed plan of the structure to be demolished.
A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which entails 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 simple building “footprint” measurements, or might produce a highly detailed plan of the structure.
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 mentioned 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 happens. This is an essential safety aspect because any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity could 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 used as hardcore or even timber. 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 job.
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Importance of Site Surveys
Maybe the most important reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the people 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 integrity of the ground on which they are working. Taking a comprehensive 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 difficulties that may arise because of the physical characteristics of the region. Particular things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be discovered once digging or demolition has started.
The inventory of site supplies, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction company 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 reused on site provides an opportunity to save development time and funds. Only by taking an exact audit of these materials can a company properly plan its imported material requirements.
Topographical surveys can also highlight other areas that will be of use to the project planners. For example, if the gradients on a site would be prohibitive to specific vehicles or equipment then a new entry route or alternative equipment will need to be found.
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 stored on-site. This is clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition stage of a project since the equipment 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 workers to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its initial position on site. This will allow for efficient data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and keeps a single point of contact for anybody who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying firms will oversee this redeployment.
It is essential to perform surveys prior to and after the demolition of buildings since damage of electric services must be monitored closely.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Because topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition venture it is critical that they are carried out thoroughly by the right people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have unique qualifications associated with it. Getting 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 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 get feedback about their overall performance on past projects.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once an adequate level of information has been accumulated by a site survey it needs to be passed out to the appropriate people on-site. Who gets which pieces of information will mostly depend on the job roles being performed, but can also rely on the stage that a project is at. There will be less need for materials information midway through construction for example.
Project Planners
Project planners will generally require access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, although they will particularly need to use information concerning 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 assist the smooth running of the project.
Demolition Experts
Demolition businesses will want to know about the interior and exterior properties 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 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 terrain. It is usually the case that they will need to build 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 foundation for any building.