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The demolition trade has a certain character for being a harsh environment in which brute force takes precedence over calculated thinking; however this image is far from appropriate. There is a substantial amount of work that happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction sector which is firmly rooted in the academic world. Moreover, this unseen work is vital 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 type of work calls for a great balance of specific technical know-how as well as experience of the industry and a genuine intuition for the complexities of the job.

Topographical Surveys

A topographical survey is a study 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 traits of a particular landscape to a high degree of precision. Whilst topography itself may refer to the surface of virtually any object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the planet.

Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very wide range of environments, 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 commonly recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern maps include a great amount of information about the terrain they relate to, including waterways, elevations and ground surface, all of which will have been gathered via a topographical survey.

Topographical surveys also have a key role to play in the construction industry. When individuals or companies 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 essential part of any application for planning permission too.

Surveys also play a key safety part in primary industries such as mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the terrain, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses in these industries will use surveys to plan their projects, but also to make sure 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.

The newly appreciated health risks of asbestos help make asbestos demolition surveys critical to projects where older buildings are being demolished.

Types of Survey

The arena of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to identify what type 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 fashioned to create a summary of the physical properties of any given plot of land. Whilst the data gathered by the survey will be very accurate, and can be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to provide 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 define the extent of the site and highlight 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 land and the numerous gradients that exist.

Building Surveys

Building surveys are more typically concerned with man-made constructions on a site, including the surveying of special machines and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of study is more regularly associated with the demolition sector since 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 comprehensive plan of the exterior and internal proportions of a building. Depending on the requirements of the job, a measured survey might provide basic building “footprint” measurements, or might produce a highly detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to create internal floor plans and even roof plans.

Content of a Topographical Site Survey

A survey of a demolition site will almost definitely include the information gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys mentioned above. This information will be required so that the demolition firm can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and secure.

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

Another aspect of the site survey will often be an audit of resources on the site. This type of study will be a quantity survey of the various sorts of materials that can be found on site, for example, tiles and masonry, concrete that can be utilised as hardcore or even wood. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction firm can more precisely 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 and post-demolition.

Although it is a needed short-term cost, a pre demolition survey could provide economic gains in the long-term by identifying potential complications.

Importance of Site Surveys

Perhaps the most significant reason to perform a topographical site survey is to ensure the safety of the individuals who will be working on the site. The industries that most commonly 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 suitable survey done is to identify any potential difficulties 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 materials, as previously stated, can be of great benefit to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves costly, but importing them to the site may be a very expensive task in itself. Any time that material can be recycled on site offers an opportunity to save development time and money. Only by taking an exact audit of these materials can a company correctly plan its imported material requirements.

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 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 construction 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 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 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 efficient data gathering to take place for a post-demolition study, and keeps a single point of contact for anybody who requires the topographical survey information.

Las Vegas is the setting to a good deal of commercial demolition since old resorts require flattening so that newer ones can be built in their place.

Who can Perform Site Surveys?

Since topographical site surveys can play such a vital 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 branches of site surveying and each one will have unique certificates associated with it. Finding surveyors with these specific skills will certainly be advantageous.

When choosing a company to undertake the surveying work necessary for your project it will be wise to choose a business 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 past projects.

Who will use the Survey Information?

When an adequate level of information has been accumulated by a site survey it needs to be passed out to the appropriate personnel on-site. Who gets what pieces of information will largely depend on the job roles being performed, but can also rely on the stage that a project is at.

Project Planners

Project planners will generally need access to all of the information gathered by a topographical survey, though 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 plan the construction phase.

Demolition Experts

Demolition companies will want to know about the interior and external characteristics of any building or structures that they are arranged to take down. Whilst every job will have individual 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 information about the relief and topography of the terrain. It is normally the case that they will want to assemble on a flat surface, so they will use details about the natural lay of the land to calculate what work will be needed to create a steady foundation for any building. They will want this information prior to and in the course of the construction stage of a job.

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