Building Site Surveys
The construction trade has a certain character for being a tough environment in which brute force takes priority over calculated thought; however this impression is far from appropriate. There is a substantial amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector that is firmly rooted in the academic arena. Furthermore, this unseen work is essential to the success of the more visible procedures.
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 great balance of specific technical know-how as well as experience of the industry and a genuine intuition for the complexities of the job.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a report of the physical features of a given plot of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to map the naturally occurring and man-made traits of a specific landscape to a high degree of precision.
Topographical surveys can be carried out on a very broad range of landscapes, from open countryside to urban developments and across a variety of reliefs 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 number of tasks.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Perhaps the most extensively used, and most commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great amount of detail about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, elevations 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 construct any kind of structure they will need to carry out extensive surveys as part of the design phase of the project.
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 industries will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to be sure that they can guarantee the safety of their workforce on site.
On sites where there are structures to get demolished, building demolition surveys generally assist planners throughout the demolition stage of the project.
Types of Survey
The arena 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 fashioned to create an overview of the physical characteristics of any given plot of land. Whilst the data collected by the survey will be extremely accurate, and might be very extensive, the objective 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 project.
These surveys will generally incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to determine the extent of the site and spotlight 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 various gradients that exist.
Building Surveys
Building surveys are more typically concerned with man-made constructions on a site, including the surveying of special machines and even infrastructure features. This type of study is more commonly associated with the demolition sector because it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished.
A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which entails creating a comprehensive plan of the external and interior dimensions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey might 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 definitely include the information 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 secure. Often these surveys will also be legally requested.
Surveys will often include information about the energy services that are present on a site before any demolition or construction work happens. This is an essential safety aspect because any unmonitored damage to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous. The information could also be used to plan new buildings, based upon the existing supply of these ammenities.
Another aspect of the site survey will often be an audit of materials on the site. This type of study will be a quantity survey of the various types of materials that can be located on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be used as hardcore or even wood. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction firm can more accurately determine the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different job. These surveys could be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.
Topographical surveys and material quantity surveys make up one particular faction of demolition services offered by modern organisations that comply with business best practices.
Importance of Site Surveys
Maybe the most important reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the safety of the people who will be doing work on the site. The industries 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 detailed topographical survey can help to eliminate safety risks of this nature.
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 region. Particular things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be discovered 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 supplies, 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 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. Only by taking an exact audit of these materials can a company properly plan its imported material needs.
Topographical surveys can also identify other areas that will be of use to the project planners. For example, if the gradients on a site would be prohibitive to particular vehicles or machinery then a new access route or alternative machinery will have 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 equipment is both costly and sensitive.
Once the demolition has occurred 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 efficient data gathering to take place for a post-demolition survey, and retains a single point of contact for anyone who needs the topographical survey information.
The demand for strict control and planning is crucial in garage demolition projects given that houses or other structures may be nearby.
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 project it is vital that they are carried out thoroughly by the right people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have unique certificates associated with it. Getting surveyors with these specific qualifications will certainly be beneficial.
When selecting a company to undertake the surveying work required for your project it will be wise to choose a company with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see examples of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their overall performance on previous projects. It may also be worth thinking about how a company can deliver their 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 information has been accumulated by a site survey it must be passed out to the appropriate personnel on-site. Who gets which pieces of information will largely 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 need access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, though 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 organisations will want to know about the interior and exterior characteristics 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 framework of a building and the materials it is made out of. They will need this information before demolition can take place.
Site Engineers
Construction engineers on-site will be mainly interested in the survey statistics about the relief and topography of the terrain. 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 calculate what work will be required to create a stable foundation for any structure.
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