Building Site Surveys

The construction industry has a particular character for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thinking; however this image is far from appropriate. There is a substantial amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry that is firmly rooted in the academic world.

One part 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 understanding 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 map the naturally occurring and man-made features of a specific landscape to a high degree of accuracy.

Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very wide 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

Perhaps the most widely used, and most commonly 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, 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 people or organisations are looking to construct 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 important part of any application for planning permission too.

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. Businesses in these fields will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to be sure that they can ensure the safety of their staff on site.

Engineers and building staff employ building demolition surveys for specific measurements of interior and external constructions.

Types of Survey

The world of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to determine what type of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular scenario.

“Lie of the land” Surveys

These types of topographical surveys are designed to create a summary of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Although the information collected by the survey will be very accurate, and may be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to provide a site summary.

These surveys will generally incorporate 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 may also include a level survey that will measure the elevation of the land and the various gradients that exist.

Building Surveys

Building surveys are more generally concerned with man-made structures on a site, including the surveying of special equipment and even infrastructure features. 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 comprehensive plan of the exterior and internal proportions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the project, 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 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 mentioned above. This information will be needed so that the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both adequate 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 before any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an essential safety factor since 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 availability of these ammenities.

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 sorts of materials that can be located on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be used as hardcore or even timber. 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 project. These surveys could be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.

Practically all building projects need topographical demolition surveys since laws and safety have become essential conditions.

Importance of Site Surveys

Maybe the most significant reason to perform 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 frequently call for site surveys are risky enough as it is without having to be concerned about the integrity of the ground on which they are working.

Another important reason to get a proper survey done is to highlight any potential difficulties that may arise because of the physical properties of the area. Particular things will not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be uncovered once digging or demolition has started. By then it may be too late to deal with these problems, or at best they will be expensive problems to solve.

The inventory of site materials, as previously mentioned, can be of great value to a demolition or construction enterprise working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves expensive, but transporting them to the site could be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be recycled on site offers an opportunity to save development time and funds. Only by taking an accurate audit of these supplies can a company correctly plan its imported material needs.

Topographical surveys can also highlight other areas that will be of use to the project managers. For example, if the gradients on a site would be prohibitive to certain vehicles or machinery then a new entry route or alternative equipment 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 phases of a building project, the equipment required for the physical surveying of the site and control of the survey information will often be kept on-site. This is clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the equipment is both costly and sensitive.

Once the demolition has taken place 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 effective data gathering to take place for a post-demolition survey, and retains a single point of contact for anyone who requires the topographical survey information.

It is important to carry out surveys before and following the demolition of buildings because disruption of energy services must be supervised carefully.

Who can Perform Site Surveys?

Because topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition project it is critical that they are carried out 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 advantageous.

When selecting a company to undertake the surveying work required for your project it will be sensible to choose a business with a good reputation and a proven track record. Ask to see reviews of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their performance on past projects. It may also be worth considering 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 team.

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 people 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 much less need for materials information half way through construction for example.

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 record before they can prepare the construction phase. The more information that can be made available to project planners will assist the smooth running of the project.

Demolition Experts

Demolition companies will want to know about the interior and external properties of any building or structures that they are arranged to take down. Whilst every job will have individual 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 data about the relief and topography of the site. It is usually 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 steady foundation for any structure. They will want this information before and in the course of the construction stage of a project.

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