Welcome to Craig McInnes

What a difference an earthquake makes.  While the seismic events over the last 14 months have caused lots of visible damage to buildings, roads and the surface of the earth, they can also cause shifts in peoples’ futures.  This was the case for me, particularly after the devastating February 2011 earthquake, as I pondered what sort of environment I wanted to be working in 5 years from now.  After numerous talks and coffees and lists of pro’s and con’s, I accepted an opportunity here at Fox and Associates for me to take the next step in my career.  I am excited about becoming part of a team of like-minded professionals with a strong sense of where they are going.

Sculpture on the Peninsula 2011

Fox & Associates has been proudly involved with ‘Sculpture on the Peninsula’ for the last 10 years.  This bi-annual event which is held to raise funds for the Cholmondeley Children’s Home and School was once again held at Loudon Farm on 4^th – 6^th November 2011 and despite the mixed weather was a well-supported event over all three days. 

There were 182 sculptures on display (and for sale) and by the end of the event many were sporting the red sticker meaning ‘sold’ not the more familiar ‘demolition’ status.

Word has it that a number of our clients and friends helped with the red stickering so thanks to all of those who supported the event and see you there again in another two years.

Goodbye PWC

The demise of a wonderful Christchurch high-rise building and the dawn of a new future, whatever that may be.

Like many companies based in the CBD in February 2011 we had to leave our beloved premises (The Price Waterhouse Coopers Building ‘PWC’).  As mentioned in our last newsletter we have been lucky to find offices in the Bishopdale Mall – office surrounded by mixed activities that give a greater sense of humanity than found purely industrial or commercial complexes, oh, and we have parking spaces!!

At the end of October 2011 we learned of the fate of the PWC and its imminent demolition.  It is sad to see such a fantastic office building lost to the earthquakes, as one person expressed ‘Thanks to the building for saving our lives’ but unfortunately nothing lasts forever or can withstand such forces indefinitely.

Lessons learned from the earthquakes

2011 has certainly been a year of learning.  Here in Christchurch we have certainly learnt a lot about earthquakes, the terminology and some of the science behind them.

At Fox & Associates we have had the opportunity to be involved with a huge variety of earthquake related work and this has required us to think outside the square about the method of collection but also delivery of the data.

Michael has talked about visualisation of data and how we have had to adapt our process but we have also learnt a thing or two about the collection of data.  We have some very clever people here who would describe themselves as measurement specialists but as always there is usually a project that is so different from any other that we need to adapt our solutions.

Keeping it on the level

One of my lingering childhood memories is helping my Dad set out profile boards for a major house renovation we did  (only the floor and part of a wall remained in the house, and we lived in it while it happened!).  Dad was a builder by trade, and we used a simple clear hose-pipe with some water in it to transfer the levels around the profile boards. 

My task was to try and maintain the water level against the datum mark while he took the other end of the hose around the house and marked level at his end.  The difficulty was waiting for the water to stop oscillating in the hose.

Visualisation

As surveyors one of our primary tasks is producing, handling and manipulating data.  As we carry out a cadastral (boundary) survey we extract data from old survey information, we observe new measurements on site to confirm that everything is where it should be, and then we calculate new boundary positions.  It’s all about manipulating data.

But data is only part of the story, as without good presentation the facts get lost.  So we use various tools to visualise and present the data.  In the case of cadastral surveys the format for the visualisation (plans) is dictated by government regulations.  Other plans we produce are based on accepted practice or standards.

Sculpture on the Peninsula

‘Sculpture on the Peninsula’ is on again this year and begins on Friday 4^th November running through to 5pm Sunday 6^th November at Loudon Farm, Teddington.

Fox and Associates have for a number of years been a principal sponsor of this extraordinary biennial event that caters as an outlet for the artistic expression of our sculptors and also as a fundraising event for the Cholmondeley Children’s Home.  It is a pleasure to support both of these causes.

Sculpture on the Peninsula is the South Island’s largest sculpture exhibition and features work from New Zealand’s established and emerging artists with all proceeds from the Charity Auction going to the Cholmondeley Children’s Home and School.

Grand Opening night on Friday gives you the opportunity to meet the sculptors who have created the works on sale, enjoy live music, innovative catering from Crater Rim Cuisine, fine Canterbury wines and boutique beers, all while being entertained by The Loons Circus Theatre Company and followed by the ‘Saws Auction’.

Then open to the public from 9.00am to 5pm on both Saturday and Sunday we encourage you to go along and enjoy some good coffee, some simple cafe style food onsite or take a picnic to share with family and friends.

Tickets can be purchased directly from their website http://www.sculpturenz.co.nz or alternatively you can phone 03 328-7402 or 021 0227-1557.

Carl’s reflections on the Earthquakes

My reflections about how the earthquakes have changed our business since September 2010.

Just to put things into context we at Fox & Associates are very lucky.  There was no loss of life and any physical damage we have individually suffered has been relatively minor.  However in saying this everything we knew about Christchurch has changed as a result of the earthquakes – we now have a ‘new normal’!

Christchurch our lovely City – by David Fox

This is a copy of an article by David that was published in the Chamber of Commerce “Update – rebuild” document on 10th June.

The site for the city of Christchurch was selected by Captain Thomas in the late 1840’s with the design and layout completed shortly thereafter – a seriously challenging task for Canterbury’s first Chief Surveyor – a model of design in its day.

Over the last 160 years the citizens of Christchurch have developed a city with charm, a city centre with a graceful meandering river, beautiful mature trees and the atmosphere of an old English town – a city loved and admired by its citizens and by many international visitors.

Scanner

Recently we’ve been using a 3D scanner to assist in our measurements.  3D scanning is not particularly new to New Zealand but it’s not widely used because of the high capital cost of the equipment and the relatively expensive processing software that is required.

the scanner in action

The scanner we have been using is a Trimble GX which was made available at no cost for a period of time after the February earthquake (thanks Trimble).  Mike spent a week on a training course to learn about operating the scanner in the field and then processing the data.  Trimble have a software package called Realworks which we are using to process the data.

The Trimble GX is able to measure 5,000 points per second with an accuracy of 12mm at 100mm.  This creates a huge amount of data called a point cloud (basically a list of x, y, z positions and a colour for each point).  The processing software can model objects (planes, spheres etc.) from the point cloud which increase the accuracies because it is basically “averaging” the shape to the point cloud.

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We’ve been using the software to measure faces of high rise structures and then modelling each face to a plane to measure the tilt.  We have also been able to compare each individual point to the average plane which exposes any bumps in a building facade.

The results of the scanning always look stunning – there is so much data that it’s like being at the location.  In fact it changes the way you carry out a survey.  Normally we capture discrete points such as the top of a kerb or a tree trunk.  The scanner is able to capture the whole scene (including the individual leaves of the tree).

Finally, because you can capture so much data, it’s a fantastic way of taking an accurate snapshot of an item.  Amongst the data at the training course we came across a scan of the front face of the Cathedral. 

Click here to view a video of the point cloud.

As you can see the detail is incredible. 

Scanning is ideal for capturing a lot of data very quickly and measuring remote objects.  Call us if you have any questions about scanning.