The demolition trade has a certain character for being a harsh atmosphere in which brute force takes priority over calculated thought; however this image is far from correct. There is a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes of the demolition and construction industry which is firmly rooted in the academic world.

One part of this unnoticed work is site surveying, or more precisely pre-demolition and post-demolition topographical surveying. This sort of work demands a great balance of specific technical understanding 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 physical features of a particular plot of land. The purpose of a topographical survey is to chart the naturally occurring and man-made features of a specific landscape to a high degree of accuracy.

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 multitude of tasks. A few of the more common uses are outlined below.

Common Applications for Topographical Surveys

Probably the most widely used, and most generally recognised application for topographical surveys is cartography, or map making. Modern day maps include a great deal of detail about the terrain 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 companies 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 definitely play a key safety part in primary industries like mining, or in other industrial sectors that interact with the land, such as demolition and infrastructure. Companies in these fields will use surveys to prepare their projects, but also to be sure that they can guarantee the safety of their staff on site.

Whilst it is not always the perfect option, any demolition survey may always be carried out while preparation work is occurring on-site.

Types of Survey

The world of topography covers a large number of physical characteristics so it is important to determine what type of topographical survey is appropriate for a particular scenario. A few of the more typical types of survey required for construction sites are reviewed below.

“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. Whilst the data gathered by the survey will be very accurate, and can be very extensive, the purpose of these surveys is to give a site summary.

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 can also include a level survey that will plot the elevation of the land and the numerous gradients that exist. Any survey can be customised to specification though.

Building Surveys

Building surveys are more generally concerned with man-made structures 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 because 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 job, a measured survey could provide simple building “footprint” dimensions, 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 details gathered by the types of boundary and building surveys mentioned above. This information will be needed so that the demolition company can plan a demolition that is both satisfactory and safe. More often than not these surveys will also be legally requested.

Surveys will often contain information about the energy services that are present on a site prior to any demolition or construction work happens. This is an important safety aspect because any unmonitored destruction to pipes and cables carrying water, gas and electricity might be very dangerous.

Another aspect of the site survey will often be an audit of materials 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 used as hardcore or even wood. By taking an accurate audit of site materials the construction firm can more precisely gauge the need to import building resources, or they can re-use the materials on a different project. These surveys can be made pre-demolition as well as post-demolition.

One company with numerous years experience in the demolition trade is East Midlands Demolition who deliver experience and expertise to demolition projects.

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 industrial sectors 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 comprehensive topographical survey can help to eliminate safety risks of this nature.

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 region. Particular things will 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 expensive problems to solve.

The inventory of site materials, as previously mentioned, can be of great value to a demolition or construction company working on a project. Not only are building materials themselves costly, 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 funds. Only by taking an exact audit of these supplies can a company properly 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 particular vehicles or machinery then a new entry route or alternative equipment will need 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 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 phase of a project since the machinery 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 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.

One of the more specialist areas of industrial demolition concerns the removal of hazardous materials that may be harmful to the environment.

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 undertaken thoroughly by the right people. There are different divisions of site surveying and each one will have specific certificates associated with it. Finding surveyors with these specific qualifications will certainly be advantageous.

When selecting 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 obtain feedback about their overall performance on previous projects. It may also be worth considering how a company can deliver their 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 needs to be handed out to the appropriate people 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 collected by a topographical survey, though they will particularly need to use information concerning 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 businesses will want to know about the internal and external properties 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. They will need this knowledge before demolition can take place.

Site Engineers

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

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