Surveying Applications in the Demolition Industry
The demolition trade has a particular reputation for being a tough atmosphere in which brute force takes precedence 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 industry which is firmly grounded in the academic world. Furthermore, this unseen work is critical to the success of the more visible operations.
One branch of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more specifically pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This kind of work demands a great 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 piece of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made features of a particular landscape to a high degree of precision. Whilst topography itself can refer to the surface of virtually any object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the planet.
Topographical surveys can be carried out on a very wide range of environments, from open countryside to urban areas and across a variety of reliefs and land surfaces. Surveys can be developed to take into account a great number of factors, such as ground conditions or vegetation, and as such can be used for a multitude of tasks. A few of the more common uses are discussed 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 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 gathered 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 carry out extensive surveys as part of the design phase of the project.
Surveys also play a key safety role in primary industries such as mining, or in other industries that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Organisations in these industries will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to be sure that they can ensure the safety of their workforce on site. As such, topographical surveys are often a legal requirement for these types of projects.
Under modern regulatory control, the specialists who conduct demolition surveys ought to be properly certified to ensure the trustworthiness of the survey findings.
Types of Survey
The arena of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to determine what form 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 an overview of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Whilst the data gathered by the survey will be very accurate, and may be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to give a site summary. They will usually be the first type of topographical survey that is undertaken on a project.
These surveys will usually 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 may also include a level survey that will measure the elevation of the land and the numerous gradients that exist.
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 industry since 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 detailed plan of the exterior and interior dimensions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey might provide basic building “footprint” measurements, or might produce a highly detailed plan of the structure.
Content of a Topographical Site Survey
A survey of a demolition site will almost always include the information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys described above. This information will be required so the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and secure. More often than not these surveys will also be legally required.
Surveys will often contain 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 aspect since any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous. The information can also be used to plan new structures, based upon the existing availability of these ammenities.
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 sorts of materials that can be located on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be utilised as hardcore or even timber. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction company can more accurately gauge the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different project.
It is an evident truth that before construction demolition has to be done in sites containing existing houses and other buildings.
Importance of Site Surveys
Possibly the most important reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the health and safety of the individuals who will be doing work on the site. The industrial sectors that most frequently call for site surveys are dangerous enough as it is without having to worry about the integrity of the ground on which they are working.
Another important reason to get a proper survey done is to identify 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 started.
The inventory of site supplies, as previously mentioned, can be of great value to a demolition or construction organisation working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves expensive, but transporting 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 funds. Only by taking an accurate audit of these materials can a company correctly 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 certain vehicles or machinery then a new entry route or alternative machinery will need to be found. Equally, a suitable 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 stages of a construction 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 clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the equipment is both expensive and sensitive.
Once the demolition has taken place 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 collecting to take place for a post-demolition study, and keeps a single point of contact for anybody who needs the topographical survey information. Most surveying companies will oversee this redeployment.
Las Vegas is the setting to much commercial demolition since older resorts need flattening so that new ones may be built in their place.
Who can Perform Site Surveys?
Since topographical site surveys can play such a critical role in the success or failure of a building or demolition project it is critical 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 advantageous.
When choosing 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 overall performance on previous 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 staff.
Who will use the Survey Information?
Once 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 largely 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 require access to all of the information collected by a topographical survey, although they will particularly need to use information regarding 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 companies 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 workers will typically need to know about the fundamental structure of a building and the materials it is made out of. They will need this knowledge 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 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 needed to create a steady footing for any building. They will want this information prior to and during the construction stage of a job.
