Demolition Surveys

The demolition trade has a particular character for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thinking; however this impression is far from correct. There is a substantial amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry that is firmly grounded in the academic arena. Furthermore, this unseen work is vital to the success of the more visible procedures.

One branch 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. This article explores the ins and outs of this work.

Topographical Surveys

A topographical survey is a report of the actual features of a given piece of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to map the naturally occurring and man-made traits of a particular landscape to a high degree of accuracy.

Topographical surveys can be carried out on a very broad range of landscapes, from open countryside to urban developments and across a variety of elevations and land surfaces. Surveys can be designed to take into account a great many factors, such as ground variables or vegetation, and as such can be used for a multitude of tasks. A few of the more common uses are outlined below.

Common Applications for Topographical Surveys

Probably the most extensively 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, reliefs and ground surface, all of which will have been obtained via a topographical survey.

Topographical surveys also have a major role to play in the construction industry. When people or organisations are looking to build any kind of structure they will need to undertake extensive surveys as part of the design stage of the project.

Surveys also 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 prepare their projects, but also to ensure that they can ensure the safety of their staff on site.

The newly understood health dangers of asbestos make asbestos demolition surveys vital in jobs in which older structures are being destroyed.

Types of Survey

The arena of topography addresses a large number of physical features so it is beneficial to determine what form of topographical survey is suitable for a particular scenario.

“Lie of the land” Surveys

These types of topographical surveys are designed to create a summary of the physical characteristics of any given plot of land. Although the information collected by the survey will be very accurate, and might be very extensive, the objective of these surveys is to provide a site summary. They will often be the first type of topographical survey that is undertaken on a project.

These surveys will generally include 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 numerous gradients that exist.

Building Surveys

Building surveys are more typically concerned with man-made constructions on a site, including the surveying of special equipment and even infrastructure characteristics. This type of survey is more regularly associated with the demolition sector because it can give a detailed plan of the building to be demolished. It may be used for other projects as well.

A building survey will almost certainly include a measured survey, which involves creating a precise 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” 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 necessary so that the demolition company can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and secure.

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 aspect because any unmonitored damage to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity could be very dangerous.

Another aspect of the site study will often be an inventory of resources on the site. This type of survey 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 used as hardcore or even wood. By getting an accurate audit of site materials the construction company can more accurately 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 as well as post-demolition.

Modern construction and demolition companies supply details on their company website so customers may see case studies or references for past work.

Importance of Site Surveys

Maybe the most significant reason to perform a topographical site survey is to ensure the safety of the people who will be doing work on the site. The industrial sectors that most commonly call for site surveys are dangerous 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 eliminate safety risks of this nature.

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 region. Certain things may not be evident on the surface of the site and will only be discovered once digging or demolition has begun.

The inventory of site materials, as previously stated, can be of great value to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves expensive, but importing 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 money. Only by taking an exact audit of these supplies 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 specific vehicles or equipment then a new access route or alternative machinery will need to be found. Equally, a suitable 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 stages of a construction 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 obviously a problem when it comes to the demolition stage of a project since the machinery is both costly and sensitive.

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 original 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 anyone who requires the topographical survey information. Most surveying firms will oversee this redeployment.

The types of companies that need plant demolition will have sometimes worked alongside demolition firms on projects in the past.

Who can Perform Site Surveys?

Because topographical site surveys can play such a crucial role in the success or failure of a building or demolition venture it is vital 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. Getting surveyors with these specific qualifications 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 reviews of their previous work and try to obtain feedback about their overall performance on past projects.

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, though 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 prepare the construction phase.

Demolition Experts

Demolition organisations will want to know about the interior and external characteristics of any building or structures that they are set 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.

Site Engineers

Construction engineers on-site will be particularly interested in the survey data about the relief and topography of the terrain. It is normally the case that they will need to assemble on a flat surface, so they will use details about the natural lay of the land to determine what work will be required to create a steady footing for any building. They will want this information prior to and in the course of the construction stage of a project.

Forex

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