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Click for larger image

Surveyor Michael Burdett (left) receives the award from Warren Entsch MP and the Federal President of the Institute of Surveyors,Australia Malcolm McCoy (right).

Winner of the "Excellence in Surveying Award" from the Institution of Surveyors, Australia, South Australia Division 2000.

In July 1997 the British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair announced the construction of the Millennium Dome on the Greenwich Peninsula , London . The aim of the project was to showcase British enterprise in the next millennium . One of the key exhibits , The Body Zone , was to take the form of a 28 metre high , 80 metre long impression of a human male and female embraced in a reclined position . The inside was to house two levels of exhibits relating to the structure of the human body and the advancements made by Man in the various fields of medicine.

During the first quarter of 1999 , Alexander Symonds' Directors James Curnow and Michael Burdett worked closely with the South Australian construction and manufacturing company Glenn Industries to develop a new spatial measurement system to allow the construction of the Body Zone at the Millennium Dome.

The system consisted of three major components:-

• A sophisticated database to control the measured and stored data along with all of its primary attributes. It had to be able to cope with the complex geometry of the structure as well as the multiple coordinate systems on site.
• A CAD package to deal with the complex nature of the model surface.
• A high accuracy electronic theodolite , portable computer and ancillary equipment , along with communication software linking each component.

Working closely with the South Australian Centre for Manufacturing a computer model of the original hand made sculpture was formatted into a data set suitable for the project. The measurement system allowed real time comparison of any point in space to the design model , as well as being able to quickly produce as constructed design comparison reports. The speed and flexibility of this system proved to be a vital component in keeping the project to its critical time constraints.

With this technology our surveyor Mike Burdett was able to accurately set out and control the five month construction of the Body Zone skin . This work involved many facets outside of traditional surveying including working closely with the four project artists in both the skin construction and tiling phases.

Sydney Casino

Winner of the "Excellence in Surveying Award" from the Institution of Surveyors, Australia, South Australia Division 1999.

Alexander Symonds carried out a three dimensional survey of a 1:16 scale model of one of the theme areas within the Sydney Casino. Conventional surveying, high order control and adjustments, and digital terrestrial photogrammetry were combined to carry out this benchmark project.

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