The demolition industry has a particular reputation for being a harsh environment in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thought; however this impression is far from correct. There is a substantial amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry that is firmly rooted in the academic arena. Moreover, 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 good balance of specific technical knowledge 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 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 can refer to the surface of virtually any object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the Earth.
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 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 outlined below.
Common Applications for Topographical Surveys
Probably the most extensively used, and most commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern day maps include a great deal of information about the landscape they relate to, including waterways, elevations and ground surface, all of which will have been obtained 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 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 indispensable part of any application for planning permission too.
Surveys also play a key safety role in primary industries like mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these industries will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to make sure 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 structures to get removed, building demolition surveys will aid strategists throughout the demolition phase of the project.
Types of Survey
The arena of topography covers a large number of physical features so it is beneficial to determine what form of topographical survey is suitable for a particular scenario. A few of the more typical types of survey required for construction sites are reviewed below.
“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 information gathered by the survey will be extremely accurate, and might be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to provide a site summary.
These surveys will generally incorporate a boundary survey that sets out to define the extent of the site and spotlight any particular 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.
Building Surveys
Building surveys are more generally concerned with man-made structures on a site, including the surveying of special machines and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of survey is more commonly associated with the demolition sector since it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished. It can be used on other projects as well.
A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which entails creating a precise plan of the external and internal dimensions of a building. 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 details gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys described above. This information will be required so that the demolition company can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and secure. More often than not these surveys will also be legally requested.
Surveys will often include information about the energy services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an essential safety factor 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 audit of resources on the site. This type of survey will be a quantity survey of the various kinds of materials that can be located on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be utilised as hardcore or even timber. By getting an accurate audit of site materials the construction company can more accurately determine the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different project. These surveys can be made pre-demolition and post-demolition.
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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 doing work on the site. The industries that most frequently call for site surveys are dangerous 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 proper survey done is to highlight any potential difficulties that may arise because of the physical properties 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 mentioned, can be of great benefit to a demolition or construction enterprise working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves costly, but transporting them to the site could 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.
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 specific vehicles or equipment then a new entry route or alternative machinery will have to be found.
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 data will often be kept on-site. This is obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition period of a project since the machinery is both costly 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 personnel to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its initial position on site. This will allow for efficient data gathering to take place for a post-demolition study, and retains a single point of contact for anybody who needs the topographical survey information.
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Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Because 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 correct people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have unique certificates associated with it.
When selecting 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 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 gathered by a site survey it needs to be passed out to the appropriate personnel on-site. Who gets what 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 usually need 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 record before they can prepare the construction phase.
Demolition Experts
Demolition businesses will want to know about the interior and exterior characteristics of any building or structures that they are arranged to take down. Whilst every job will have different requirements, demolition experts will typically 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 data about the relief and topography of the terrain. It is usually the case that they will want to build 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.
