The demolition trade has a certain character for being a tough atmosphere in which brute force takes priority 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 sector that is firmly grounded in the academic arena. Furthermore, this unseen work is essential to the success of the more visible procedures.

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 good balance of specific technical know-how 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 study of the actual features of a particular piece of land. The aim of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made traits 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 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 number of factors, such as ground variables 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 generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. where can i buy reductil Modern day maps include a great amount of detail about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, reliefs and ground surface, all of which will have been collected via a topographical survey.

Topographical surveys also have a major role to play in the construction industry. When individuals 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.

Surveys also play a key safety part in primary industries such as mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Companies in these industries will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to ensure that they can guarantee the safety of their staff on site. As a result, topographical surveys are often a legal requirement for these types of projects.

Under modern regulatory control, the specialists who perform demolition surveys must always be properly certified to guarantee the trustworthiness of the survey results.

Types of Survey

The world of topography addresses 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 fashioned to create an overview of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Although the data collected by the survey will be very accurate, and can be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to provide a site summary.

These surveys will generally include 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 measure 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 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 involves creating a detailed plan of the exterior and internal proportions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey could 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 mentioned above. This information will be required so the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both adequate and safe. Often these surveys will also be legally required.

Surveys will often include information about the utility services that are present on a site before any demolition or construction work takes place. This is an essential safety aspect because any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous.

Another aspect of the site study 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 found 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 gauge the need to import building materials, or they can re-use the materials on a different job.

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Importance of Site Surveys

Maybe the most significant reason to undertake 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 risky enough as it is without having to be concerned about the condition of the ground on which they are working. Taking a detailed topographical survey can help to mitigate safety risks of this nature.

Another critical reason to get a suitable survey done is to highlight any potential problems 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 discovered once digging or demolition has begun. 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 benefit to a demolition or construction organisation working on a project. Not only are construction materials themselves expensive, but transporting them to the site may be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be recycled on site provides 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 requirements.

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 certain vehicles or equipment 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 stored on-site. This is clearly a problem when it comes to the demolition phase of a project since the machinery is both expensive and sensitive. It is therefore sensible to move this equipment off-site during demolition.

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 initial position on site. This will allow for effective data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and keeps a single point of contact for anybody who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying firms 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 building or demolition project it is critical that they are undertaken carefully by the right people. There are different divisions of site surveying and each one will have unique qualifications 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 reviews of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their overall performance on previous projects.

Who will use the Survey Information?

Once an adequate level of details has been accumulated by a site survey it must 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 less need for materials information midway through construction for example.

Project Planners

Project planners will generally need access to all of the information collected 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 inventory before they can plan the construction phase. The more data that can be made available to project planners will aid the smooth running of the venture.

Demolition Experts

Demolition organisations will want to know about the internal and external characteristics of any building or structures that they are arranged to take down. Whilst every project will have individual requirements, demolition experts will generally need to know about the fundamental framework 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 mainly interested in the survey data about the relief and topography of the terrain. It is usually 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.







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