Site Survey
CSI Division 02, Existing Conditions
A precise measurement of a property's existing conditions, such as boundaries, elevations, existing structures, and utility locations, performed before design and construction to establish the accurate baseline everything else gets built from.
Why it matters
Design and construction decisions depend entirely on accurate survey data. A site survey with even small errors can cascade into a building placed too close to a property line, or a foundation designed for elevations that don't match reality.
On a real project
Before design begins on a new warehouse, a licensed surveyor establishes the property boundaries, existing grade elevations, and the location of underground utilities, giving the design team an accurate base map to design against.
Who this matters most to
A Surveyor performs and certifies the survey data every other discipline relies on. A BIM/VDC Specialist often incorporates survey data directly into the 3D model used for coordination, so an error in the survey propagates into every discipline's model built on top of it.
Where this goes wrong
A project proceeds using an outdated survey from several years earlier, not realizing a neighboring property's recent grading changed the drainage pattern along the shared property line. Construction disturbs that altered drainage, sending water onto the neighboring property mid-project.