We are very pleased to announce that BCL has recently merged with MPC Planning. This is great news for our clients many of whom already utilise the services of both firms.
We are excited about our new combined team and feedback from our clients has been really positive.
We invite you to call our team to discuss your next project and can promise that you will be impressed with the crisp clear thinking and succinct solutions that we offer. Now our services include:
Strategic development advice.
Landuse consent applications.
Expert evidence.
For the crisp clear thinking, call YOUR team, the BCL team.
Robby is back! But fear not, he is here to help build a better world not to destroy it. Our brand new Leica Robotic Total Station has arrived. His name is Robby, he has a laser but he is very well behaved.
Robby is purpose built for high precision surface scanning, deformation monitoring, setout and surveying. Fantastic for scanning cliff faces, tree limbs, domed ceilings and other unusual objects. He is also extremely good at detecting mm movement in structures when in deformation mode.
If you want Robby on your project call the BCL team (no flame throwers please!!).
BCL takes centre stage…and the stalls, circle, balcony, lighting bridges…no we haven’t formed our own thespian touring party rather we are surveying the ASB Theatre to help the design team with the upcoming fit-out. It has taken a huge effort by our surveyors over the Christmas break however this has yielded a highly accurate 3D model of the theatre.
So take a bow Michael and Andrew you guys have done a fantastic job.
We have just received a briefing from the Auckland Council Spatial Plan team regarding progress of the Spatial Plan. Their mantra of 'fast and simple' is encouraging and it appears they are meeting implementation deadlines thus far.
Basically the Auckland Plan or Spatial Plan is the overall 30 year guideline document that will steer growth and development in Auckland to create the world's most liveable city. Well that's the plan!
The Unitary Plan is basically a new District Plan that will help implement the Spatial Plan; again they are keeping it simple and working towards a concise outcomes based document rather that the verbose doorstops we have currently.
This is all very exciting but can they deliver? Can they transform Auckland into the world's most liveable city? Can the leopard change its spots? We shall see.
Our emergency involvement in the last hours of the Palace Hotel late last year (click to see our rant article) tested our deformation team to the limit. Our team’s ability to provide the required information in what can only be described as extraordinarily difficult circumstances gives us a great sense of achievement.
Deformation Monitoring is a very technical aspect of surveying, only the right combination of equipment, method and knowledge will yield an appropriate result. Our team are experts in deformation monitoring.
If you want to know if it is moving call the BCL team.
Shadow analysis has never been easier with a plethora of software out there that will calculate and plot the position of a shadow quickly and easily. Is this ‘black box’ software getting it right and what does it actually mean on the ground? These are questions that Council has been asking on a recent project.
BCL Surveyors were able to certify (via first principal astronomical and spherical trigonometric calculations) the accuracy of the calculations. We also marked out the actual predicted shadow on the ground for Council Officers to inspect. Our team raised awareness of the fact that the sun is a disk and not a point light source and thus the effects of Umbra and Penumbra should always be considered in any analysis.
Council recognise BCL Surveyors as experts in this field. If you need shadow expertise contact our team.
For Shady Surveys call BCL FOR SURVEY on 09 630 9512.
Natural Ground Level is another one of these ambiguous levels that requires professional judgement in order to determine. No one knows what the ‘natural’ level is or for that matter what it was in 1975!! It is up to the surveyor to determine based on the current ground levels and any historic information.
In most cases the natural level will be the existing ground level shown on the topographical survey however we recommend involving our team early to ensure its right. We are doing an increasing number of compliance certifications prior to applying for building consent; this is both cost effective for our clients and removes a huge amount of risk from all involved.
The cost of height to boundary problems is significant, the solution at the end of a building project can mean an application to Council for infringements or cutting back the eaves (the chainsaw solution)!
Avoid the chainsaw; call our team early for a pre application spatial compliance check.
Councils often refer to MHWS in their rules as the basis for yard setbacks etc. We are often required to show this ‘line’ on our plans, unfortunately for us (and in the words of the Baldrick) the sea is a big blue wobbly thing! Furthermore, it’s rising!!
Professional knowledge and judgment is required to ascertain this theoretical level and thus produce a ‘line’ on a plan. There are many techniques and methods that can be utilised and our team work hard to ensure that the ‘line’ we show is correct and will stand the scrutiny of expert review and the courts.
If MHWS is important to your project let us know early and we will ensure its right.
Our congratulations goes out to Mike Hartley and Nick Sayes of Daniel Marshall Architects on there being awarded the AAA Cavalier Bremworth Awards 2010. Their project "A path to Dwell On" won over the judges and provoked much thoughtful discussion.
When cracks appeared in the Historic Palace Hotel yesterday afternoon BCL immediately mobilised our deformation monitoring team to the site. Amid real fears for the immediate and catastrophic collapse of the building our team quickly assessed the requirements of engineers and implemented a remote deformation array on the building facade. Within ten minutes we where able to begin streaming information back to the contractor, engineers, Council, politicians, historic places, media and the demolition crew.
This stream of extremely accurate and consistent information continued throughout the evening with the hope that we would see some slowing in the collapse of the building. Finally the Auckland Council CEO Mr Doug McKay made the very difficult and very sad decision to demolish the hotel. Our team completed their work and watched with sadness as the demolition progressed through the night.
