Firms and engineers face lots of challenges when undertaking construction projects in dense building neighborhoods.
To ensure the safety of the surrounding structures and their occupants, it’s important for firms to document and monitor the existing conditions of the neighboring buildings before and during construction.
Saltus makes this possible through our array of documentation and construction monitoring services.
Not only does these services help notify the construction teams of any immediate issues with the safety of the surrounding structures, they also safeguard the team from liability if the issues existed before the construction project began.
Below, we’ll provide a brief description of each service and highlight some of their key benefits for the construction industry.
Existing Conditions Documentation Services
Excavating, underpinning and other construction-related activities can generate significant vibrations and tremors that could potentially damage nearby buildings.
However, these buildings may already have significant damage already in existence. Since that’s the case, it’s important for firms to document any sign of existing damage in these structures.
To do so, a team of third-party documentation experts arrive onsite to assess the current condition of the building surrounding the construction zone.
Before the construction project begins, the specialists visit each respective building to document and photograph any existing damage, especially cracks in the walls and foundation, and various signs of damage such as cracked or shattered windows.
Their inspection and documentation efforts are not solely focused on the buildings. The team also inspects other areas of the property,including parking garages and lots, for the same signs of existing damage.
Once they’ve finished their inspection, the experts create a report. In the report, the experts offer written details supported by photographic evidence of all the existing conditions. In the report, the specialist will identify areas of concern that will need to be monitored by additional equipment, including crack gauges.
At the conclusion of the construction project, the specialists pay return visits to each neighboring building to perform a follow-up inspection of the previously identified damage. During this follow-up inspection, the team documents the conditions with written notes and photographs.
They’ll then issue a final report that compares and contrasts the status of existing conditions before and after the construction to determine if any changes are present.
By conducting these pre- and post-construction inspections and documenting all existing conditions, firms can enjoy multiple benefits.
First, they protect themselves from liability if the property owners try to claim that the project created damage that was already present before construction began.
Second, this service helps identify any pressing safety concerns associated with the surrounding structure before construction starts. If the inspectors identify existing damage in a neighboring property that could be severely impacted by construction-related activities, the firm can formulate a plan to minimize risks.
Finally, this service helps reduce expenses associated with project delays. Without evidence of existing conditions, the construction activities could cause additional damage to a nearby property. If this occurs, all work stops until the issue is resolved.
Crack Gauge Monitoring Services
One of the most common issues experts identify during their existing conditions inspection is building cracks.
If the documentation process during the pre-construction phase uncovers significant building and foundation cracks in the neighboring structures, they will need to be monitored.
Why?
Because the various construction activities vibrations that could cause the cracks to expand and impact the structural integrity of the respective building.
To ensure that the construction-related vibrations do not contribute to the expansion of these cracks, construction monitoring specialists need to install stationary or wireless crack gauges at each area of concern identified in the existing conditions report.
Both types of crack gauges are installed in the identified areas of concern to measure the progress of each corresponding crack.
However, a stationary crack gauge requires a trained technician to manually read, record and collect data, while the wireless crack gauge does these things automatically and sends real-time alerts to an electronic monitoring system when there is cause for concern.
By relying on crack gauge monitoring services, firms have access to accurate information related to crack progress, can take necessary corrective action in the event of significant changes in the crack’s progress, and offer relevant data to ensure that the project was completed in full compliance with all applicable codes and laws, including NYC’s Technical Policy and Procedure Notice #10/88 (TPPN 10/88).
Wireless Tiltmeter Monitoring Services
Another way construction activities can impact the safety of neighboring buildings is by causing structural movements.
Using wireless sensors called tiltmeters, trained technicians are able to monitor any rotations and inclinations in the properties and structures that surround the construction site.
All of the information collected by these sensors is used to measure, document, analyze and conform any significant events that could potentially affect the integrity of the buildings, jeopardize the safety of the occupants, and/or disrupt construction progress.
By continuously monitoring the nearby properties and structures for signs of tilting, slanting or leaning, wireless tiltmeters help construction teams reduce expenses related to project delays and legal fees associated with personal injuries or property damage.
Optical Structural Surveying Services
Another service construction teams rely on to prevent structural movements caused by underpinning, demolition and other similar activities is optical structural surveying.
After identifying the nearby buildings at risk, monitoring specialists measure the distance, angle and slope to a series of reflecting prisms.
As soon as the specialists locate the prisms on the respective neighboring structure, they install sophisticated pieces of equipment called automated motorized total stations (AMTS) to monitor and record any movement during construction.
If the AMTS units detect that any of the prisms have shifted, they record the movement. The construction team can review the collected data and take corrective action to reduce any potential risks related to the shift.
Optical structural surveying services that employ AMTS units are more beneficial to construction teams and projects.
Unlike the more traditional methods, AMTS units continuously monitor the identified buildings for any movements and collect highly detailed and accurate information so teams can make informed decisions when planning their project’s progress.
Most importantly, these units immediately alert the construction team in the event of an occurrence. By doing so, they’re able to react in real time to help reduce the risk of irreversible damage to a neighboring structure.
Wireless Vibration Monitoring Services
As we’ve previously mentioned, construction activities have the potential to produce vibrations that exceed the threshold for acceptable vertical and horizontal movement. Once these vibrations exceed those levels, they may cause movements and cracks that threaten the structural integrity of nearby buildings.
By installing wireless automated seismographic equipment in the at-risk structures, teams are able to accurately monitor all increase in vibration levels. More importantly, this equipment records all vibration-related activity and automatically sends alerts to the construction team if the established thresholds are exceeded.
In addition to protecting the integrity of nearby properties, wireless vibration monitoring services also protect construction firms from potential ligation from property owners who claim the vibrations damaged their building.
Plus, these services also ensure that all construction activity was performed in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations and in full compliance with NYC’s TPPN 10/88.
Rely On Saltus For All Your Construction Monitoring Services
As you can see, pre- and post-construction monitoring services offer a wealth of benefits for engineers, developers, architects, and property owners.
Whether you need one or all of the above services, Saltus provides the specific solutions you need to protect your firm and ensure your project runs smoothly.
If you’re interested in any or all of our available services, contact us today to speak with a Saltus representative.