The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was accepted into law in 1990. In the decades since, commercial properties have been subject to evolving regulations that help make spaces more accessible by those with disabilities. Not only is compliance useful to both future employees and clients, but it's also a legal requirement in many cases.

With that said, implementing ADA pathways and accommodations into your engineering project goes beyond scanning the law books. It's important that ADA designs are functional, cost-effective, and easy to maintain. To achieve these goals, developers, architects, and contractors should incorporate these best practices into their municipal and institutional engineering projects.

1. Ensure Close Coordination Between the Owner and Design Team
Achieving ADA compliance without going over budget or overshadowing other design goals is difficult, but it's made easier when the owner and the design team work closely together.
Open lines of communication offer countless benefits for design projects, but they're especially important when dealing with ADA regulations, which may require changes in layout, among other accommodations, to make room for pathways and necessary clearance.

In the case of ADA compliance, accessibility is best achieved by an owner who knows the legal requirements that need to be met and a design team that knows the engineering specifications necessary to get there. The project owner should set out clear expectations for the level of accessibility, and the design team should offer feedback on how to best achieve it within the scope of the project.

2. Clearly Delineate Planned ADA-Compliant Pathways
Delivering clearly marked plans upfront is critical to achieving ADA compliance without going over budget or delaying the project. Ideally, accessibility will be addressed from day one in the planning phase — and not worked in as an afterthought. The latter is an all-too-common mistake that is sure to lead to sacrifices and/or added costs in the final stages.

Incorporating ADA compliance into project planning from the beginning means clearly delineating all areas, objects, and pathways that need to meet accessibility requirements and communicating these with the contractor. Additional clarification over the level of accessibility needed in each marked area should also be provided sooner rather than later so no assumptions are made.

3. Consider All Options to Reduce Costs and Maintenance
One of the major benefits of prioritizing open communication early on in the project is the freedom to discuss design options that achieve accessibility in different ways. This is when a well-informed project owner will prove valuable, as knowing the level of accessibility required in each area is paramount to making the best design choices.

For example, if you tell your contractor that disabled individuals need to be able to safely make it from the first floor to the second floor, this could mean the simple addition of a handrail on the stairs, a more space-consuming addition of a tiered ramp, or even the costly addition of an elevator.

Aside from identifying accessibility accommodations that fit into your project's budget, you also need to consider future maintenance.

A handrail does not impact maintenance at all, indoors or out. However, an exterior ramp leading to the front entrance will require additional maintenance, especially during periods of rain and snow when it needs to be kept clear of ice and obstructions. If you're looking at an elevator, that requires a great deal of licensure and maintenance just to keep it operating.

4. Recognize Where Accessibility Isn't Necessary
Often, project owners get overwhelmed with ADA compliance requirements because they interpret them as a mandate to make every single area, object, and pathway completely accessible. In reality, you don't need to make every element of the entire building compliant; you just need to make accommodations where needed to ensure that those with disabilities can safely navigate the premises like anyone else.

In other words, if you have five staircases, you probably don't need every single one to have an accessible ramp. Likewise, if you have multiple entrances to your building, you may only need to make accommodations at one or two of them.

Depending on regulations, and the level of accommodation you find necessary beyond those regulations, you might have a single dedicated ADA entrance or pathway between floors and signage at all non-compliant staircases to direct those with disabilities to the nearest accessible pathway.

5. Design Built-In Tolerances to Avoid Rework
When accommodating those with disabilities, it's about more than how people with a wheelchair will get to the second floor or how those with vision impairment will navigate the premises. One of the aspects that makes achieving accessibility so difficult is the sheer diversity of the disabled community.

As regulations try to keep up with this diversity, you'll also find that they continue to evolve and the requirements change from year to year. All of this means that the best way to future-proof your projects and avoid rework is to design for tolerances for the future. This is best achieved by aiming not for the maximum or minimum specifications in an ADA-established range, but for the middle to allow for the inevitable variances that occur in construction as well as the possibility of future adjustments in tolerance allowances.

6. Collect Certifications for Areas That Must Be Compliant
The last step in achieving ADA compliance is collecting certifications for each area that is required to be compliant. Depending on the project and your locale, you may need to require this certification from the construction team or you may have to submit for certification directly by providing post-construction verification.

In any case, once you have achieved ADA compliance, displaying proper signage and maintaining these pathways is an ongoing process, but one that will prove well worth it as you open the doors to the larger community.

Do you need further assistance in ensuring that your next project is ADA compliant, without going over budget or overshadowing your other design goals? Consult Engineering Surveys & Services for more information.


Image Credits: Pixabay @Creative Commons

Rainfall, snowmelt, and torrential weather all lead to an abundance of water. In natural areas, this water would be absorbed into the ground and gradually dispersed over foliage, but in communities where roadways, sidewalks, homes, and other structures exist, this water has to go somewhere else. Here's how civil engineers, planners, and project managers are re-thinking stormwater management to reduce costs and improve outcomes.


The Best Stormwater Management Practices

Traditionally, stormwater is directed to a drainage system under roadways, but these systems are far from flawless. It just takes one clogged drain for roads to begin flooding, causing hazardous driving conditions and potentially millions of dollars in property damage. Even without a clogged drain, it's possible for systems to become overwhelmed and backed up when the rate of runoff exceeds the system's capacity.

Instead of building bigger drainage systems, communities are shifting away from impervious areas that contribute to stormwater management complications and instead are adopting low-impact designs that enable stormwater to almost manage itself. As the EPA explains, low-impact development (LID) is a concept that combines systems and techniques designed to mimic natural water filtration and evaporation. LID helps protect the quality of water sources and local aquatic habitats. 

The movement towards low-impact design won't only help prevent flooding and related issues, but it can also keep waterways cleaner and cut maintenance costs. Here's a closer look at all the advantages LID offers.


Reducing Impervious Areas in Design Reduces Stormwater

One of the biggest contributors to community flooding is impervious surfaces, which include roads, buildings, developments, and parking lots. These surfaces cannot absorb water like the natural landscape that they replaced, meaning standing water becomes the norm in rainy conditions.

To manage that standing water, civil engineers install drainage systems to carry water off of impervious surfaces and into designated areas like rivers, ponds, and lakes. The issue is that, with so much water being re-directed into drainage systems in times of heavy rainfall, they often reach capacity and flood. Along the way, the drainage system itself can become blocked or clogged, leading to flooding in the exact areas the system was trying to keep dry, like neighborhood streets.

Through the decades, explosive growth — especially in urban areas like Atlanta and Los Angeles — has demonstrated how the replacement of natural landscape with impervious areas leads to more flooding events. However, it's becoming clear that the answer is not a more robust drainage system, like the L.A. "river," but rather a shift in engineering and design methodology that helps maintain landscapes that drain naturally.

The equation is simple: By reducing the impervious areas in a community, and thereby maintaining more landscape that can drain itself, communities will have less stormwater to manage overall. Beyond simplicity, this results in reduced costs, less flooding, and even cleaner waterways. After all, when the landscape is able to absorb rainfall at the source, rather than directing it through drains where water becomes polluted with debris, community water remains cleaner.


Disconnected Impervious Areas Reduce Management Costs

In today's world, it's hard to imagine a community with no impervious areas. After all, the mere presence of buildings leads to the creation of impervious areas, and safe roadways take priority over reducing stormwater. Still, it is possible to reduce management costs by not only trying to reduce impervious surface area overall but by being mindful of their placement through distributed infrastructure.

For example, rather than a sprawling cityscape of uninterrupted parking lots, the combination of distributed infrastructure and low-impact design encourages disconnected impervious areas that maintain the landscape in between to enable some natural drainage. The implementation of planned landscaping, especially in and around housing developments, can serve a similar purpose.
Once city leaders, managers, and planners connect, civil engineers can get them thinking about how the preservation of natural landscape can support drainage systems (and vice versa), and low-impact design becomes much more achievable.


Low-Impact Design Improves Ecosystems

Low-impact design has benefits that go far beyond stormwater management. The preservation of green space provides air purification, species habitat, and gathering places for citizens. LID also creates a cycle of savings, freeing up more capital to be invested in other areas of the city.
With simpler drainage systems and fewer adverse events (i.e., floods), the money a town saves in maintenance can be re-directed to meaningful projects like parks and recreation improvements, outreach programs, and new infrastructure for schools and businesses.


Achieving Low-Impact Design in Communities

With all the benefits of low-impact design in mind, it's clear that this is the direction the EPA and other agencies are encouraging developers and civil engineers to take. However, that doesn't mean change will come easily.

In reality, implementing low-impact design practices is easiest in new developments and, while this can begin at the neighborhood scale, the small towns across the United States that are experiencing explosive growth are the most likely to implement them. For these communities, proactively leveraging low-impact design as their towns grow into suburbs and cities is the smartest path forward.

For existing urban areas, change will be harder. Retrofitting neighborhoods to incorporate low-impact design isn't easy, but it is possible. As communities continue to grow and develop, low-impact design principles are expected to make their way into standard practices, but it's going to take a collaboration of civil engineers, planners, and local directors for to achieve the most effective results.

As the EPA suggests, now is the time for stormwater agencies to get in touch with their local parks agencies and work together to find a way forward in implementing low-impact design, especially in areas where so much development is set to take place. With best practices laid out, low-impact design has the potential to build better, safer, and cleaner communities.

Engineering Surveys & Services has helped countless communities on their quest to implement low-impact design throughout emerging developments, old neighborhoods, and bustling business districts. If you would like more information on implementing low-impact design, we can help. Reach out to us today and take the first step toward being a LID community!


Short Title: Reducing Stormwater Management Costs

Teaser: Learn how low-impact design can reduce stormwater management costs.
Summary: Rainfall, snowmelt, and torrential weather all lead to an abundance of water. In natural areas, this water would be absorbed into the ground and gradually dispersed over foliage, but in communities where roadways, sidewalks, homes, and other structures persist, this water has to go somewhere else. As a result, developers are re-thinking stormwater management to reduce costs and improve outcomes.


Image Credits: Unsplash @ Creative Commons

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we live, work, and play, and even as vaccines become standard and life begins to return to normal, some changes are permanent. In many ways, the pandemic ushered in changes that were already coming — like the influx of remote work and the convenience of curbside pickup. As we look ahead, understanding how these changes will impact infrastructure needs will help build better communities for the future. While it's unlikely that widespread changes in infrastructure design will be mandated, developers are likely to want to make them — with the following being some key examples of how communities may look different.


New infrastructure will be built to accommodate the sustained popularity of curbside pickup

Long before the days of the pandemic, consumers were enthusiastically embracing the convenience of low-touch processes, like doorstep deliveries and curbside order pickup. The arrival of the pandemic helped rapidly accelerate the adoption of these services — and they're here to stay. Right now, curbside pickup is very much in its infancy. So, to accommodate the growing implementation and use of curbside pickup, stores will need to build new infrastructure. Beyond reserved parking spaces with a sign saying "call us," stores will realize a need for branded kiosks, self-service locker systems, and other developments that will make the customer experience more enjoyable.


With more working from home, parking lots will be smaller

While we might need to make room for curbside pickup at restaurants and stores, parking lots at office buildings will likely get smaller thanks to the increased number of people working remotely. It's been predicted that 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least part of the time, representing a "hybrid" work schedule, and some will remain completely remote. The technological implications of moving to hybrid and remote work are still being debated, but the infrastructure accommodations are much clearer: With fewer people heading to the office each day, commercial lots won't need to dedicate as much room to parking spaces.


At the office, a reversal of communal trends may take place

Prior to the pandemic, many offices were moving towards the modern trend of minimalism and communal property. Countless businesses ditched cubicles and assigned desks to make room for comfortable seating around shared tables and collaborative work areas. However, beyond the potential need for continued social distancing and limiting high-touch surfaces, a hybrid workforce means changes are coming. Post-COVID, office infrastructure is likely to implement more physical barriers, such as glass screens, between customers and workers. We may also see collaborative work spaces take a step back towards dedicated desk areas. More than likely, though, the focus on collaboration will move away from face-to-face meetings. Instead, rooms that allow remote and on-site workers to interact in new ways, such as with the use of virtual and augmented reality, will likely take center-stage.


Store and restaurant designs will seek to limit dwell time

Gone are the days when stores used to try to keep customers inside for as long as possible through strategic product placement and layout. Aside from the consumer focus on speed and convenience, which has helped make online and curbside ordering so popular, the post-COVID lifestyle will likely call for innovations in store and restaurant design. Before the pandemic, some fast-food chains like Chile's and Applebee's were already using kiosks to allow diners to order without going to the counter or while sitting down at their table. Beyond the implementation of self-service systems, which limit interaction and can reduce staffing needs, restaurants are also likely to re-think layouts. The expansion to patios and outdoor areas is here to stay, and the addition of walkup windows is likely to limit the need for entry. Inside stores, a similar trend can be expected, but it will involve more than boosting the number of self-service checkouts. Amazon's revolutionary "cashier less" store design may become the new normal as other brands begin implementing their own versions of the technology, even in bits and pieces.


Innovations in healthcare facilities will accommodate quick and easy booster shots

With the likelihood that booster shots will become standard, already strained healthcare facilities will need to be upgraded and expanded. Pharmacy chains and other outlets that are offering vaccines will also have the need for new infrastructure to accommodate demand. Vaccine distribution infrastructure will likely come in the form of drive-thru and drive-up facilities, which enable a quick in-and-out process that reduces interaction time and touch points. A check-in kiosk, for example, can identify the patient in the system to direct the appropriate type of booster shot, and the same facilities can be used for administering other vaccines, too. Healthcare facilities, in general, are expected to require new infrastructure in light of concerns and shortcomings revealed throughout the pandemic. For instance, hospitals are likely to invest in designs that allow for quick resource deployment or expansion to accommodate for surges in demand, while being more robust than the pop-up tents many had to turn to during the height of the pandemic. Are you interested in learning more about post-COVID developments and innovations in construction and civil engineering? Consult Engineering Surveys & Services for more information. 


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Image Credits: QRSMagazine @Creative Commons

​Sustainability is no longer a buzzword, but a serious consideration across a broad spectrum of industries — including construction and civil engineering. Sustainable site planning and sustainable design of projects is a major concern for many civil engineers, with a good number of them leading the charge when it comes to breaking ties with the traditional.

Current challenges include the conservation of local wildlife or protected species of plants, making buildings or communities healthier, and rendering towns and cities viable for all citizens — not just those who drive cars. So, how exactly are our forward-thinking civil engineering teams embracing sustainable design as we move into the future? Let’s explore five trends in sustainable site planning that will only continue to grow.

1. Sustainable Site Selection
Sustainable site planning starts with a site selection process that’s kind to the environment, the local community, and everyone who is going to work on the site. Ensure that construction won’t encroach on protected areas. Check for large bodies of water and decide if it will be safe and sustainable to provide buffers for these, or if the potential environmental impact of dealing with these will be too high. Avoid building across green fields, which may be hot spots for biodiversity. Also, consider the transport links. While people are working on-site, how easy will it be for them to get there, and are there green options for transport available? Sustainably-minded civil engineers start by choosing a site that’s going to ensure their project has a low carbon footprint while providing the necessary benefits to the local community.

2. Alternate Mobility Community Planning
Streets are no longer just for cars. They’re for whole communities, and modern civil engineering teams are taking that into account when community planning or creating utilities for towns and cities. Planning concepts like Complete Streets encourage the thought process that pedestrians, joggers, cyclists, and people with a range of physical abilities all have the same right to enjoy their living space as those with cars.

This way of thinking has led to a focus on safety, including the introduction of safer, narrower roads with better crossing facilities. Accessibility is also increasing, with lower curbs often installed as standard, plus additions like tactile paving slabs to indicate crossing areas. Civil engineers are also including more footpaths to access green spaces such as parks and gardens. Encouraging people to leave the car at home is healthy not only on an individual level but for the local and wider community, too.

3. Focus on Green Spaces
Civil engineers might work with conservationists and landscapers from an early stage in projects, in order to either create or preserve green spaces around buildings and communities. Not only are green spaces attractive and great for the mental health of residents and workers, but they improve air quality and can even improve water quality by preventing the excessive runoff of chemicals into local water supplies. In some states, walking or cycling trails purposefully combine rural and city areas in an attempt to highlight and maximize the use of local green space.

4. Low-Waste Projects
One way that developers and design teams are leading the charge in sustainable design is by planning carefully to ensure the effective use of resources. This doesn’t just mean the construction materials, although that is a serious consideration. For example, ensuring wood comes from managed forests is a way to make sure the project has a lower carbon footprint. But other considerations include the use of water and power, how workers will travel to the construction site, and the logistics of transporting materials. Civil engineers may also consider construction methods and the vehicles or equipment the construction teams will use throughout. Mindful planning of the whole project can keep waste to a minimum and create less potential pollution.

5. Designing “Healthy” Buildings
Research in neuroscience shows that everyone is affected by the buildings they live and work in. Mass urbanization has led to a scarcity of variance in modern construction and design, which may lead to declining mental health when residents or employees don’t have rural areas to spend time in. Mental health is a serious concern that’s starting to be taken more seriously, even in the world of design professionals. It’s possible to start thinking about buildings that are not only ideally suited to their purpose, but to the people who live and work in them. Techniques to improve mental health may involve the right acoustic insulation in busy or noisy areas, plenty of natural light through the effective placement of windows and skylights, and variation in aesthetics both inside and outside buildings to keep minds stimulated.

As the world continues to change, sustainability in civil engineering will become even more evident and innovative. Design in construction and infrastructure is an industry with a huge environmental impact, so civil engineers who work toward making it more sustainable are potentially changing the world — for the better. Contact Engineering Surveys and Services for more information or a consultation.


Image Credits: Unsplash @Creative Commons

As civil engineers and community planners see an increasing shift away from siloed suburbs towards livable, walkable communities with a strong sense of cohesion and identity, they are presented with the challenge -- and opportunity -- to embrace new strategies in community planning and zoning. In this article, we'll explore seven strategies for combating urban sprawl and creating modern communities that work for businesses and residents alike. 

1. Interconnected Shared-Use Trails
Multi-use trails are a critical part of smart growth infrastructure to connect community spaces within and around the suburbs. Without an extensive trail system, residents must choose between walking or cycling on the road and driving.

Trail systems encourage walking, bicycling, and other environmentally friendly modes of transportation. They foster safe travel experiences by expanding the space between cars and other traffic.

In addition to a connected trail system, livable suburbs can implement one or more of these strategies to promote walkability:

• ​Improve sidewalks
• Plant trees near streets
• Add crosswalks and signals
• Reduce speed limits in suburban areas

2. ​Mixed-Use Development and Zoning
Urban sprawl can increase the distance between homes and commercial properties, making neighborhoods less walkable. Civil engineers can enhance the livability of communities by developing land for mixed use. Mixed-use development can take many forms, including:

• Live/work: Structures that combine residential spaces with commercial or manufacturing spaces.
• Main street commercial: A revitalized downtown with retail, residential, food and beverage, and civic areas in a walkable format.
• Historic urban: Converted or retrofitted buildings that offer ground-floor commercial and upper-floor residential opportunities.
• Lifestyle center: Commercial shopping centers that house services and food and beverage locations near residential areas.
• Vertical: New structures that include upper-floor housing and ground-floor commercial locations.
• Horizontal: Interconnected structures that incorporate both commercial stores and housing.
• Complete neighborhood: A compact, planned neighborhood that positions many or all daily needs within walking distance of homes.
  
  

The specific features vary, but all of these mixed-use strategies seek to combine commercial and residential properties. Easy access to community centers, shopping opportunities, and other spaces create a more convenient walking experience.

Unfortunately, zoning issues often limit the ability of civil engineers to implement these strategies. Federal policies, local regulations, and other restrictions may need to be discussed and worked around before you can plan a mixed-use development. Partner with consulting engineers, like our team at Engineering Surveys & Services, to navigate these regulations.

3. Distinctive Community Features
Every community needs an identity to give its members a sense of pride and cohesion. Modern community planning will seek to highlight and celebrate existing community features, or create a sense of shared identity and culture in new developments. 

In some instances, distinct community features are shared by every property in a suburb; in others, various properties are tied together by a single structure or other distinctive feature. For example, a particular architectural style can turn a group of buildings into an iconic neighborhood, but so can a central, iconic commercial building.

Consider restoring historic buildings or looking for unique cultural or ecological features as the cornerstone of your suburb development. Revive or create an identity for a community to encourage new residents and new companies to move into the area.

4. Sustainable Transportation Options
Pedestrian-friendly suburbs offer opportunities to enjoy local parks, restaurants, and other amenities. To create a livable suburb, however, you need to connect this microcosm with the greater community.

Public transit is an opportunity to connect suburbs with each other and the downtown area. Quality public transportation includes these features:

• Affordable fares
• Timely transportation
• Convenient stops
• Accessible designs
  
  

Cars discourage communal travel. Accessible public transportation encourages eco-friendly solutions and gives non-drivers an opportunity to travel safely and efficiently.
Underground subway routes may not be a practical public transportation option for your specific suburb, but consider a bus or tram service. Hybrid and electric transportation continues to reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to operate a public transit route.

5. Predictable and Equitable Development
Development needs to be predictable and equitable to reach all community members. Look for ways to avoid excluding members of your planned suburb or suburb development project, particularly those who are at-risk or already affected by accessibility issues. For example, a historic urban structure may not have the ramps, elevators, and interior dimensions required for ADA accessibility, so you must incorporate these features into the development process.

Smart-growth community planning solutions must be carefully weighed in light of many different groups. Consider how to create an accessible neighborhood for all individuals of all abilities.

This can include features like wheelchair access to all community spaces and equitable development across income levels. It can also include affordable transportation options for residents who don’t drive. Some developments are inequitable due to unequal amounts of air pollution, so part of the development strategy should be to reduce air pollution in disproportionately affected areas.

6. Participation in Planning
Even a perfectly designed community project won’t succeed unless it’s accepted by those living in the suburb. Don’t move forward with a civil engineering project until you’ve allowed residents to weigh in and participate in planning the development.

Invest heavily in participation from local community members. A beautiful park, stunning apartment complex, or mixed commercial street needs to be designed with a specific community’s goals and vision in mind. Otherwise, it may not be used or may not be the best development opportunity.

7. Incorporate Land Features
Identify unique ecological features early on in your development process. Land features can help promote a community identity on their own or alongside historic structures.

In the past, swampland, woodland, fields, and other land features were quickly removed to make additional space. The result of removing these features was often urban sprawl and limited walkability.

Instead, consider incorporating more biodiversity and natural habitat in your suburb. This includes green spaces, but also rivers, streams, and other water features.


Learn More About Livable Suburbs
A livable and walkable suburb is a nuanced yet worthwhile community planning goal. Contact Engineering Surveys & Services to discuss your goals in providing local residents and stakeholders with livable, walkable solutions for their existing neighborhood or planned development.


Image Credits: UnSplash @Creative Commons
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​Light Detection And Ranging, or LiDAR, is a technology for measuring distances by using a laser to reflect off of objects. LiDAR is increasingly finding application in civil engineering projects, as the technology is far more accurate and faster in determining distances between objects than human surveying teams walking across a project site.

How does LiDAR work?

Though not exactly new, as it made it to the surveying and engineering worlds in the mid to late 1990’s, you may not be entirely familiar with this versatile mapping technology which can be utilized while moving or from a stationary position. It uses drones or unmanned aerial vehicles, or remote sensing instruments mounted on ground-based platforms, to perform photogrammetry – collecting millions of elevation points in minutes. The data collected from the reflections of lasers compiles into several 3D environments such as images and point clouds, thus providing an accurate representation of objects in the area of concern and, if visible, areas within range of the detection device.

Civil engineers find numerous advantages from the use of LiDAR. The gathering of precise orthophotos and 3D representations by drones and remote sensing instruments mounted on the ground makes it possible for the critical spatial data for engineering projects to be ready in a matter of hours and not weeks! The gathering of stationary and terrestrial data is done by individual positions. These are tied together to get 100% of the area of concern to achieve an accuracy and precision of 1/16th to 1/8Th of an inch.

Here are some additional ways in which LiDAR is improving efficiency and accuracy in civil engineering projects:
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Delivers accurate surveys

As a civil engineer with a focus on project effectiveness, you know that it is crucial to take a thorough and precise survey at the beginning of every construction project. LiDAR inspections can help you survey the terrain and any existing manmade features that will remain or be removed as you set up the project and determine if the land will need any leveling or alteration. The accuracy of plans for the project depends on the accuracy of this inspection.

LiDAR provides more precise representations of the terrain than traditional photogrammetric technology. That technology works by taking scans of multiple photographs and/or laser reflections, which it then stitches together using various algorithms that suit the accuracy and precision needed. This output, unlike traditional methods of data collection, will ensure all data is collected since LiDAR picks up everything. This eliminates the need for return trips to gain additional data or forgotten data.
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When this technology is used in projects during the construction process, money can be saved. Cost savings are accomplished when the amount of rework is reduced as installations of floors, beams, HVAC and MEP can be tracked. Shown below are actual savings on past projects illustrated by data captured during construction.

 
​Enhances safety at civil engineering projects

The safety of everyone working at the project site is paramount. You do not want any problems to arise during the project that could potentially harm people on or near the construction site. LiDAR can help you to spot potential safety issues such as ingress/egress, aerial lines, etc. When combined with drone technology, LiDAR can provide various types of 3D options along with precise measurements of all areas within or visibly surrounding the site in a short time so that you can analyze, detect, and most importantly eliminate potential hazards at the site.

The project site may be too big for humans to walk around, checking for faults, or the place may be too dangerous. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, more than 4,095 dams across the U.S. are of questionable safety and structural integrity, requiring the use of LiDAR technology to inspect them.

Helps in project simulation and analysis

Collecting LiDAR data enables you to create a realistic 3D projection of the terrain surrounding your construction project. The 3D representation is so accurate and real that you can use it to make a precise simulation of the construction project, fully integrated into the existing territory.
You can then test the project for such factors as how the sunlight will be shining down on it so you can determine window sizes, shape, and position. Consequently, LiDAR reduces the chances of rework in the project, which always is quite expensive. We have helped clients go from the traditional 8-10% rework costs of a project reduced to 1-2%!

Faster than human surveyors

LiDAR is faster than human surveyors. Having humans move from one end of the project to another can be quite time-consuming, especially if on massive engineering project such as dams, bridges, airports, or huge buildings for housing factories or large offices.

In just a few hours, the lasers would have done their part, presenting representations of the terrain
and the project in 3D. Humans would likely have taken weeks and sometimes months to complete a thorough inspection of the site. It also means that you can complete the project within the given timeline since the onsite survey time is reduced significantly when using LiDAR.

Helps in maintenance and repair of equipment on the project

LiDAR technology has also helped improve civil engineering projects' accuracy and efficiency by enhancing maintenance and repair activities at the construction site. LiDAR scans can come in handy when it is important to locate potential areas or systems that require repair. This includes high-risk areas, such as under a bridge or on high rooftops, where drones can safely capture footage for analysis.

You can also use LiDAR scans to gauge the progress of the project. Use the 3D images and simulations of the project's current state to compare them with the projected job progress to see if the project is still on track. They can also help you to identify any potential issues that may arise as the project progresses.

Since LiDAR is so much faster than other technologies, it is possible to employ this technology regularly or at every stage of the project. LiDAR technology helps civil engineers and other personnel at project and construction sites enhance the efficiency and accuracy of civil engineering projects. It is faster, more accurate, and helps improve safety, since you can send a laser beam where a man used to go!

​If you need more information about LiDAR or would like to explore how it might apply to your project, please contact us.

Engineering Surveys & Services (ES&S) has provided consistent, high-quality service to the design and construction communities of central Missouri for over 65 years. We are excited to announce the expansion of our services into eastern Missouri bringing our unique brand of commitment to clients and providing quality service to new markets.

The newest ES&S location is currently situated in the City of Wildwood, in west St. Louis County.  Strategically located to expand services eastward from our Jefferson City location, this also offers an opportunity to enhance existing relationships with other firms and expand our client base in the St. Louis metro.

Dan lives in Wildwood with his wife Katie and their two sons, Jack and Will. He serves several civic organizations: as a board member of the Meramec River Recreation Association, vice-president of the Pacific Partnership - a downtown Pacific revitalization organization and is involved professionally with the Missouri Floodplain and Stormwater Managers Association.  

He enjoys coaching baseball and soccer, spending time with his family at Table Rock Lake, and has a passion for cooking.

Join us in welcoming Dan (back) to the ES&S team!

If you’re a developer, owner, municipality, or a design firm looking to team on a project in the St. Louis area, contact Dan and Engineering Surveys & Services – Wildwood at 314-254-4498 x1001 or by email.

​All of us at Engineering Surveys & Services (ES&S), congratulate Dave Bennett on his well earned retirement!

Succeeding Dave Bennett as President of ES&S will be Ross Kasmann.  Ross joined ES&S in 2005 after receiving a bachelor of science in Civil Engineering from the Missouri University of Science & Technology. After serving in the Columbia Office for several years, Kasmann was tasked with management of the firm’s Jefferson City Office in 2011, over which time it experienced continued growth in service offerings and profitability.  Originally from Jefferson City, Ross and his wife (Michelle) now live in Columbia with their two children.  He is a licensed professional engineer in Missouri and a Certified Floodplain Manager.  After many years involvement at the state level, Ross was recently named as National Vice-Chair of NSPE’s Professional Engineers in Private Practice industry interest group.  He moved back to the Columbia Office in early 2017 in preparation for his new role.

"We thank Dave for his years of service and leadership and wish him the best in retirement and adventures yet to come. I and the rest of the leadership team and staff at ES&S remain committed to delivering the same quality and responsive service that our clients have grown to trust."
​- Ross Kasmann