Published: 12 Feb 2025
The purpose of a measured building survey is to provide an accurate representation of an existing building and/or its surrounding area. Measured building surveys provide positional accuracy down to just a few millimetres. They are a useful resource throughout the entire life cycle of a construction project, from project design, through to planning, strip out and construction completion and beyond.
It is costly to find out halfway through a building project that there were inaccuracies in the original survey. It is no exaggeration to say that the accuracy of measured building surveys are absolutely vital to the overall success of a development project.
Measured building surveys – greater accuracy, and time saving too
The advanced tools geospatial experts now have at their disposal not only enhance the precision of the data but also significantly save time on projects. This enables surveyors to provide their clients with efficient and reliable survey results. If an architect or developer is in possession of a full dimensional record, it speeds up every stage.
Of course, huge strides in technology have massively contributed to the quality and level of accuracy that can be achieved when it comes measured building surveying.
TSA President Claire Fenwick, founder and managing director of Spatial Dimensions, says,
“When I started working as a surveyor, to carry out a measured building survey, we mainly used total stations, distos and a tape, measuring one single laser point at a time. It was slow and methodical; we were limited in the amount of survey points we could collect in one day. The technological advances in data capture have completely transformed this aspect of surveying. You can now capture two million points of accurate measured data per second and create a complete 3D environment for our clients. The levels of accuracy and speed of data capture we can now achieve are quite extraordinary.”
Why choose a career in geospatial?
Claire continues,
“Young surveyors coming through are so at ease with this kind of state-of-the-art technology. They have grown up with tech and are also used to a very rapid rate of change. Access to this kind of technology is one of the leading factors that attract young talent towards a career in the geospatial profession.
“Other aspects to the job really haven’t changed much and are the same things that drew me to surveying as a career in the first place. These include a huge variety in the day-to-day. Whether you are going out to a variety of different sites, meeting a whole range of different contractors, interpreting technical data or technical models, no two days in a week will be the same. And nothing beats that feeling of satisfaction when you drive past a big building project and think to yourself that you played a fundamental part in turning it into reality.”
To find out more about the value of geospatial and the range of surveying specialisms provided by TSA members, visit www.tsa-uk.org.uk.
