The demolition trade has a certain character for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thinking; however this impression is far from correct. There is a substantial amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector which is firmly rooted in the academic arena. Moreover, this unseen work is vital to the success of the more visible procedures.
One part of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely 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 natural 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 map 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 broad range of landscapes, from open countryside to urban developments and across a variety of elevations and land surfaces. Surveys can be developed to take into account a great number of factors, such as ground variables or vegetation, and as such can be used for a number of tasks.
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 detail about the landscape they relate to, including waterways, elevations and ground surface, all of which will have been collected via a topographical survey. This information is also being offered online.
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 perform extensive surveys as part of the design phase 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 such as mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the terrain, such as demolition and infrastructure. Companies in these fields will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to ensure that they can guarantee the safety of their staff on site. As such, topographical surveys are often a legal requirement for these types of projects.
On sites where there are buildings to be removed, building demolition surveys generally aid strategists during the demolition phase of the job.
Types of Survey
The world of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to identify what type of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular situation. A few of the more typical types of survey required 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 characteristics of any given plot of land. Although the data collected by the survey will be very accurate, and might be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to provide a site summary.
These surveys will usually 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 plot the elevation of the land and the numerous 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 apparatus and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of study is more commonly associated with the demolition sector since it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished.
A building survey will probably include a measured survey, which involves creating a precise plan of the external and interior dimensions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey could provide basic building “footprint” measurements, or might produce a highly detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to create internal floor plans and even roof plans.
Content of a Topographical Site Survey
A survey of a demolition site will almost definitely include the information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys mentioned above. This information will be required so that the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and safe. Often these surveys will also be legally requested.
Surveys will often include information about the utility services that are present on a site before any demolition or construction work happens. This is an important safety factor because any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity could be very dangerous. The information could also be used to plan new structures, based upon the existing availability of these ammenities.
Another aspect of the site study will often be an audit of resources on the site. This type of study 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 used 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 resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different job.
Project managers may discover financial benefits once topographical demolition surveys collect material levels available on-site that can be recycled.
Importance of Site Surveys
Perhaps the most important reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the individuals who will be working on the site. The industrial sectors that most commonly 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 critical reason to get a suitable survey done is to highlight any potential problems that may arise because of the physical properties of the area. Particular things may not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be uncovered once digging or demolition has begun. By then it may be too late to resolve these problems, or at best they will be costly issues to solve.
The inventory of site materials, as previously mentioned, can be of great benefit to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are construction 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. Only by taking an accurate audit of these supplies can a company properly plan its imported material needs.
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 certain vehicles or equipment then a new access route or alternative equipment will have to be found.
Positioning of Survey Control
During the surveying and construction stages of a construction 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 obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the machinery is both costly and sensitive.
Once the demolition has occurred and the site has been deemed safe for workers 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 survey, and keeps a single point of contact for anyone who needs the topographical survey information. Most surveying companies will oversee this redeployment.
One of the most technical parts of industrial demolition regards removal of dangerous substances that may be harmful to the natural environment.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Because topographical site surveys can play such a vital role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition project it is vital that they are carried out 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 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 business with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see examples of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their performance on past projects.
Who will use the Survey Information?
When an adequate level of details has been accumulated by a site survey it must be handed out to the appropriate personnel 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.
Project Planners
Project planners will generally need access to all of the information collected by a topographical survey, though 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.
Demolition Experts
Demolition businesses will want to know about the internal and exterior properties of any building or structures that they are arranged to take down. Whilst every job will have different requirements, demolition workers will generally 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 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 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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