The demolition industry has a certain reputation for being a tough environment in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thought; however this image is far from correct. There is a huge amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector which is firmly rooted in the academic world.
One branch of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This kind of work calls for a good balance of specific technical know-how as well as experience of the industry and a natural intuition for the intricacies of the job.
Topographical Surveys
A topographical survey is a report of the physical features of a particular plot of land. The aim of a topographical survey is to map the naturally occurring and man-made features of a particular landscape to a high degree of precision. Whilst topography itself may refer to the surface of 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 environments, from open countryside to urban areas 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
Probably the most extensively used, and most generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great deal of detail about the landscape they relate to, including waterways, reliefs and ground surface, all of which will have been collected via a topographical survey. This information is also being provided online.
Topographical surveys also have a key role to play in the construction industry. When people or companies are looking to construct any kind of structure they will need to undertake 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 definitely play a key safety part in primary industries such as mining, or in other industries that interact with the terrain, such as demolition and infrastructure. Organisations in these industries will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to make sure that they can guarantee the safety of their workforce on site.
On sites where there are structures to get removed, building demolition surveys generally assist strategists throughout the demolition stage of the job.
Types of Survey
The arena of topography addresses a large number of physical features so it is important to identify what type of topographical survey is suitable for a particular scenario.
“Lie of the land” Surveys
These types of topographical surveys are fashioned to create an overview of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Although the data 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 often be the first type of topographical survey that is undertaken on a job.
These surveys will generally include 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 can also include a level survey that will measure 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 typically concerned with man-made structures on a site, including the surveying of special apparatus and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of survey is more regularly associated with the demolition sector because it can give a detailed plan of the structure to be demolished.
A building survey will probably include a measured survey, which entails creating a detailed plan of the exterior and interior proportions of a building. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey could provide simple building “footprint” measurements, or might produce a very detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to produce internal floor plans and even roof plans.
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 necessary 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 factor since any unmonitored destruction 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 materials 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 used as hardcore or even wood. 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 job. These surveys can be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.
One firm with numerous years experience of the demolition industry is East Midlands Demolition who bring knowledge and expertise to demolition projects.
Importance of Site Surveys
Perhaps the most significant reason to perform a topographical site survey is to ensure the safety of the people who will be working 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 problems that may arise because of the physical characteristics of the area. Particular things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be discovered once digging or demolition has begun.
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 building materials themselves costly, but importing them to the site could be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be reused on site offers an opportunity to save development time and money. Only by taking an accurate audit of these materials can a company correctly 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 specific vehicles or equipment then a new entry route or alternative machinery will have to be found. Equally, an appropriate site will need to be found for the base of control operations for the project. Good site surveying can help out in these less tangible ways.
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 information 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 personnel to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its initial position on site. This will allow for effective data gathering to take place for a post-demolition study, and maintains a single point of contact for anyone who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying companies will oversee this redeployment.
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Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Since topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition project it is vital that they are undertaken thoroughly by the correct people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have specific qualifications associated with it.
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 get feedback about their performance on previous projects. It may also be worth thinking about how a company can deliver the survey information, 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 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 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 usually need access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, though they will particularly need to use information regarding the physical relief of a site before the design phase, and a site materials record before they can plan the construction phase. The more data that can be made available to project planners will assist the smooth running of the venture.
Demolition Experts
Demolition companies 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 different requirements, demolition workers will generally 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 particularly interested in the survey statistics about the relief and topography of the site. It is normally 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 required to create a steady footing for any building.