Site appraisal for construction
Very early appraisals of potential sites for a development may be carried out by a surveyor, before the appointment of the consultant team, during the business justification stage. Appraisal of alternative sites may also be an important part of an environmental impact assessment.
Subsequent site appraisals by the consultant team will obtain details that might not have been available in the site Information provided by the client. They are also an opportunity for the consultant team to familiarise themselves with the site and assess the detailed surveys that might be necessary.
Specific appraisals that might be made by individual consultants include:
- Desktop study of site history.
- Study of site context including access, boundaries, levels, landscape (including possible ecological issues such as the presence of japanese knotweed), transport and traffic and an assessment of neighbouring properties and views.
- Appraisal of possible hazardous substances such as asbestos and other deleterious materials.
- Photographic studies.
- Assessment of the local planning authority's local development plan.
- Climatic conditions.
- Abnormal features that might impact on cost.
- Desktop study of geological issues or contaminated land.
- Cursory study of neighbouring or existing structures that might require demolition or might otherwise be impacted by development.
- Desktop study of foundation solutions adopted by adjacent developments.
- Location and nature of underground site services.
- Cursory investigation to establish 'cut off' for diversions of existing services.
- Statutory utility drawings for the site.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Brownfield land.
- Building on fill.
- Building survey.
- Condition survey.
- Contaminated land.
- Demolition.
- Desk study.
- Development appraisal.
- Easements
- Environmental Impact Assessment.
- Feasibility studies.
- Ground conditions.
- Improving visibility and resilience of buried services.
- Insitu testing of soils.
- Japanese knotweed.
- Laser scanning.
- Lighting of construction sites.
- Minerals surveyor.
- Pre construction information.
- Radon.
- Site information.
- Site investigation.
- Site office.
- Site plan.
- Site selection and acquisition.
- Site storage.
- Site surveys.
- Soil survey.
- Surveyor.
- Technical due diligence.
- Vendor survey.
Featured articles and news
Shortlist for the industry's most coveted award announced.
Government responds to Mark Farmer's review of industry, rejecting the call for a levy on clients.
Peter Hansford to examine what wider lessons can be learned from the fire.
Every project is subject to uncertainty. How can construction better understand uncertainty for performance improvement?
MAD Architects reveal their designs for a futuristic campus for electric car manufacturer.
Homebuyers could borrow more with better forecasting of energy bills, according to industry consortium's new report.
Read our introductory article on carbon capture and storage.
Have a look at Frank Gehry's Binoculars Building in Los Angeles.
BRE publish new Loss Prevention Standard seeking to minimise fire risk from ducting.
Beneficial infrastructure projects
How do we tell which infrastructure projects will work?
CIAT announce the establishment of a Working Group in light of Grenfell and call for contributions.
In 1900, 15% of global population lived in cities. Now it’s over 50%. Which is why we need ‘hydroinformatics’ to consume smarter.
Have a look at these competition-winning designs for a new residential development in Eindhoven.
£6.6bn worth of contracts to build the first phase announced by the government.
Grenfell Tower articles updated daily