Demolition Surveys
The construction trade has a particular reputation for being a harsh environment in which brute force takes priority over calculated thinking; however this image is far from appropriate. There is a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry that is firmly grounded in the academic world. Moreover, this unseen work is critical to the success of the more visible operations.
One branch of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely 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 intricacies of the job.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a study of the physical features of a given plot of land. The aim 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 may 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 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.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Perhaps the most widely used, and most commonly 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 obtained via a topographical survey.
Topographical surveys also have a key role to play in the construction industry. When individuals or companies are looking to build any kind of structure they will need to carry out extensive surveys as part of the design phase of the project. These surveys are often an indispensable 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 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 workforce on site.
Under modern regulatory control, the experts who conduct demolition surveys must be properly qualified to guarantee the reliability of the survey findings.
Types of Survey
The world of topography addresses a large number of physical characteristics so it is beneficial to identify what form of topographical survey is suitable for a particular situation.
"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 information gathered by the survey will be extremely 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 carried out on a job.
These surveys will generally include a boundary survey that sets out to determine 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 terrain and the numerous gradients that exist. A survey can be customised to specification though.
Building Surveys
Building surveys are more generally concerned with man-made structures on a site, including the surveying of special apparatus and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of survey is more commonly associated with the demolition industry because it can give a detailed plan of the structure to be demolished.
A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which involves creating a precise plan of the exterior and interior dimensions of a building. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey could provide simple building "footprint" dimensions, 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 information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys described above. This information will be needed so the demolition company 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 prior to any demolition or construction work happens. This is an important safety aspect because any unmonitored damage 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 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 wood. By getting an accurate audit of site materials the construction company can more accurately gauge the need to import building resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different project.
Project planners may uncover monetary benefits after topographical demolition surveys collect supplies levels available on-site that may be recycled.
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 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 important reason to get a proper survey done is to identify any potential difficulties that may arise because of the physical characteristics of the area. Certain things may not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be discovered once digging or demolition has started.
The inventory of site materials, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves expensive, 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 funds.
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 machinery then a new access route or alternative equipment will need to be found. Equally, an appropriate site will need to be found for the base of management 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 apparatus required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey information will often be kept on-site. This is obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the machinery is both expensive and sensitive. It is therefore wise to move this equipment off-site during demolition.
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 original position on site. This will allow for effective data gathering to take place for a post-demolition survey, and retains a single point of contact for anybody who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying firms will oversee this redeployment.
As a result of its popular use within the building industry, concrete demolition forms a fundamental method of wok for all demolition firms.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Since topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a building or demolition venture it is critical that they are undertaken carefully by the right people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have specific qualifications associated with it. Getting surveyors with these specific skills will certainly be beneficial.
When choosing a company to undertake the surveying work necessary for your project it will be wise 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. It may also be worth thinking about 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?
When an adequate level of details has been accumulated by a site survey it needs to 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, although 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 businesses will want to know about the interior and exterior properties of any building or structures that they are set to take down. Whilst every project will have individual requirements, demolition workers will typically need to know about the fundamental structure 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 mainly interested in the survey data about the relief and topography of the site. It is normally the case that they will want to build 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 structure. They will want this information before and in the course of the construction stage of a job.