Surveying the twenty-first century

Citation

(2001), "Surveying the twenty-first century", Property Management, Vol. 19 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/pm.2001.11319bab.029

Surveying the twenty-first century

Surveying the twenty-first century

Keywords: Technology, Surveys

Malcolm Hollis' Surveying Buildings has been the definitive surveying reference for nearly a quarter century. Professor Hollis has kept practitioners and students informed of the latest changes in technology and market conditions while emphasising the traditional skills of building inspection and forensic diagnosis handed down from surveyor to surveyor over the centuries.

This new, fourth edition is the first for almost a decade. It has been completely rewritten and updated by Professor Hollis in order to explain the new challenges facing surveying professionals at the dawn of the twenty-first century.

The fourth edition of Surveying Buildings offers over 70 per cent more text than the previous edition – and thus reflects the increasing complexity of surveying practice today. Professor Hollis discusses the unprecedented range of opportunities and responsibilities facing today's practitioners – in particular those offered by digital technology, new software and the Internet – and he analyses the effect on the property and construction industries of radical shifts in underlying economic conditions. Judge Charles Gibson, a leading expert on property and construction law, analyses the impact of current legislation from both the UK and Europe. He points out ways in which older property falls short of modern legislation and suggests alterations that must be carried out to meet those requirements. He also offers practical advice concerning both liability and breach of duty.

This new edition also offers 65 per cent more illustrations than the previous edition. Most of the photographs have been taken personally by Malcolm Hollis in order to illuminate specific technical insights, facts and figures. Surveying Buildings offers numerous other practical aids, including detailed checklists and tables.

Above all, Professor Hollis reminds students and practitioners that the most important tools possessed by a surveyor are his or her senses and analytical skills. Drawing on his own experience of thousands of real-life surveys, from the UK to the Middle East, he provides detailed and practical guidelines for conducting thorough surveys and reducing the risk of errors. He helps surveyors prepare for building inspection, know what to look for, interpret correctly what they see, and write an accurate report that meets the needs of the client.

Surveying Buildings will continue to be indispensable to surveying professionals well into the twenty-first century – as practitioners continue to seek to balance the opportunities presented by the latest technology with traditional skills and standards established over hundreds of years.

The impact of technology on surveying

In the new edition of his definitive surveying reference, Surveying Buildings, Professor Malcolm Hollis examines the impact of technology on surveying while reminding surveyors that their own minds and bodies remain the most sophisticated technology of all.

The use of video equipment and cameras (both film and digital) for photographing a property is increasing. The advantage of external elevations being photographed at the time of the survey is that one has a record of the evidence that was available at the time of the survey. This is often a useful weapon in defending a surveyor when a claim is made.

The digital camera has improved the surveyor's ability to see around corners. By pushing the camera into the gaps. or outside windows, pictures can be taken of dormer roofs, flashings and slate finishes where previously they were concealed. The rear view panel on the camera enables a check to be made during the inspection, as well as a record of the image to be included within the report.

Other, more complex equipment, available includes infra-red thermography, to locate deficiencies in cavity-wall insulation, and impulse radar to locate fissures within walls three metres thick.

It is only through the use and interpretation of the information provided by one's senses that one can decide which piece of equipment to get out and point at the property, to either verify or discount one's theories or what further tests should be carried out before a commitment to purchase the building is made. The value of surveyors is their ability to understand the information that the equipment produces and their ability to interpret the data and advise upon its relevance. The machines available at the moment only deal with specific areas of the property and individual components. lt is hoped that the future will see a balanced partnership between the brain and the machine.

Surveying Buildings is published by RICS Books.