Site Surveying in the Demolition Industry

The demolition trade has a certain character for being a tough 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 happens behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry which is firmly rooted in the academic world. 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 great balance of specific technical knowledge as well as experience of the industry and a natural intuition for the intricacies of the job.

Topographical Surveys

A topographical survey is a study of the actual features of a given plot of land. The purpose 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 kind of object, it is more commonly associated with the surface of the Earth.

Topographical surveys could be carried out on a very broad range of landscapes, from open countryside to urban areas and across a variety of elevations and land surfaces. Surveys can be developed to take into account a great many factors, such as ground variables or vegetation, and as such can be used for a number of tasks.

Common Applications for Topographical Surveys

Probably the most widely used, and most generally 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, reliefs 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 business. 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 indispensable part of any application for planning permission too.

Surveys definitely play a key safety role in primary industries like mining, or in other industries that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Businesses 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.

Many construction and demolition companies within the United Kingdom perform demolition surveys on jobs they may be working on.

Types of Survey

The world of topography addresses a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to determine what form of topographical survey is suitable for a particular situation.

“Lie of the land” Surveys

These types of topographical surveys are designed to create an overview of the physical characteristics of any given plot of land. Although the data collected by the survey will be extremely accurate, and might 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 carried out on a project.

These surveys will usually include a boundary survey that sets out to determine the extent of the site and spotlight any particular 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 features. This type of survey is more commonly associated with the demolition sector since it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished. It may be used on other projects as well.

A building survey will probably include a measured survey, which entails creating a comprehensive plan of the external and internal dimensions of a structure. Depending on the requirements of the project, a measured survey might provide basic building “footprint” dimensions, or might produce a very detailed plan of the structure. This information can be used to create interior 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 required so that the demolition company can plan a demolition that is both adequate and safe.

Surveys will often include 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 because 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 materials on the site. This type of survey will be a quantity survey of the various kinds of materials that can be found 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 firm can more precisely determine the need to import building resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different project.

Although it is a needed immediate cost, a pre demolition survey may well produce financial gains in the long-term by identifying potential complications.

Importance of Site Surveys

Perhaps the most important reason to undertake a topographical site survey is to ensure the 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.

Another critical reason to get a suitable survey done is to identify any potential problems that may arise because of the physical properties of the region. Certain things may 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 fix these problems, or at best they will be costly issues to solve.

The inventory of site materials, as previously stated, can be of great benefit to a demolition or construction enterprise 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 recycled on site provides an opportunity to save development time and money. Only by taking an accurate audit of these supplies can a company properly 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 particular vehicles or equipment then a new entry route or alternative machinery will have 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 obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition period of a project since the equipment is both expensive and sensitive. It is therefore wise to move this equipment off-site during demolition.

Once the demolition has occurred and the site has been deemed safe for workers to return to it, the surveying equipment can be restored to its initial position on site. This will allow for efficient data collecting to take place for a post-demolition survey, and maintains a single point of contact for anyone who needs the topographical survey information. Most surveying firms will oversee this redeployment.

One of the more specialised areas of industrial demolition regards the removal of unsafe materials that may be damaging to the natural environment.

Who can Perform Site Surveys?

Since topographical site surveys can play such a critical role in the success or failure of a construction or demolition project it is critical that they are carried out thoroughly by the correct people. There are different branches of site surveying and each one will have unique qualifications associated with it. Finding 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 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 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?

When an adequate level of information has been accumulated by a site survey it must 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 require access to all of the information gathered 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 record before they can prepare the construction phase.

Demolition Experts

Demolition organisations will want to know about the internal and external characteristics of any building or structures that they are set to take down. Whilst every project 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 mainly interested in the survey data about the relief and topography of the site. It is usually 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 determine what work will be needed to create a steady footing for any structure. They will want this information prior to and during the construction stage of a job.

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