Developments of Surveying Technologies in Construction History

The investigation, construction and documentation of buildings and their constructive details is intrinsically tied to the development of geodetic and photogrammetric surveying methods. From ancient times to the 18th century elementary methods based on mechanical distance measurement and simple angle measurement have been used for building construction surveys. 150 years ago the German civil engineer Albrecht Meydenbauer developed photogrammetric measurement techniques as an alternative method to the traditional manual measurement. The ideas and methods Meydenbauer developed are effective to this day. More than 100 years ago, photogrammetry asserted oneself as the most effective method for building measurement. In the second half of the 20th century, electronic surveying instruments such as electro-optical tacheometers, electronic level instruments, digital cameras, global positioning systems and laser scanning revolutionized surveying technologies. The paper gives an overview of geodetic and photogrammetric measurement techniques for construction surveying. The application of several methods is presented through selected examples of historic and current construction projects.