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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Surveying and Setting Out

Level

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/ˈlevəl/nounCore term

In civil engineering & construction, level means: The height of a point above a fixed reference, such as a site benchmark or sea level. It is also the name of the instrument surveyors use to measure heights.

In Turkish: kot, seviye, nivo

How it is used

Drawings give levels in metres, such as FFL +12.450 (finished floor level). Engineers take, check and transfer levels. 'Level' is also an adjective meaning flat and horizontal, and a floor of a building (level 3).

Example sentences

  1. Check the top-of-slab level before the concrete gang starts finishing.

  2. The existing ground level is 1.2 m below the finished road level.

Common collocations

  • finished floor level
  • ground level
  • take levels
  • reduced level
  • spot level
  • benchmarkA fixed point on or near the site whose height is accurately known and which is used as the reference for measuring all other levels.
  • datumA reference level or surface from which heights or positions are measured, such as mean sea level or a chosen site datum of 100.000 m.
  • surveyThe work of measuring and recording the position, height and shape of land, buildings or other features, or the report and drawings that result from it.
  • set outTo mark the exact positions and levels of a building, road or other work on the ground with survey instruments, so that construction starts in the right place.
  • total stationAn electronic surveying instrument that measures horizontal and vertical angles and distances, then calculates the coordinates of points.

More terms: Surveying and Setting Out

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