Oleksandr Kolosov heads the surveying department at a contractor working with the Agency for Restoration.
He chose surveying as a profession while still a student and has remained committed to it for nearly two decades. A surveyor is involved throughout a project’s entire life cycle — and even beyond. Before design work begins, surveyors carry out engineering and topographic surveys of the site, providing the data needed to develop the design and estimate construction costs. During construction, they monitor compliance with the design, and once the work is completed, they document whether the completed structure conforms to the design or identify any deviations.
Oleksandr entered the profession in 2007, when a construction company invited him, then still a student, to complete an internship on a high-rise residential construction project in Odesa. After graduation, the university rector invited him to teach at the Department of Land Management, Geodesy and Cadastre. For eight years, Oleksandr combined teaching and research, working as a senior lecturer and Deputy Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Economics and Construction Management.
“A surveyor’s working day is extremely busy. You are constantly traveling between sites at different stages of construction. At some sites, work is just beginning, and you need to carry out the initial setting-out so that the construction team knows exactly where everything should be located. At others, a particular element has already been completed and a survey is needed to check the quality of the work or verify the volume of material used. A surveyor is an engineer who arrives on site and immediately has to deal with a wide range of issues,” Oleksandr explains.
Today, Oleksandr not only works directly on construction sites but also heads the surveying department at one of the Agency for Restoration’s contractors. He supervises and coordinates the work of surveyors, trains them and liaises with designers and the client.
Surveying is about much more than taking measurements. It involves working closely with site supervisors and construction managers, preparing and reviewing projects before construction begins, and coordinating with designers to prevent errors, as even a small inaccuracy can have serious consequences. It is a team effort involving surveyors, construction teams and designers, all working to ensure compliance with the design, the client’s requirements and agreed deadlines.
Over nearly two decades, not only the projects but also the tools of the surveying profession have changed. Technological advances continue to transform surveying equipment: the rising cost of land and construction materials places ever greater demands on technology and measurement accuracy. While instruments such as levels and theodolites were once sufficient, surveyors at Oleksandr’s company now use high-precision electronic total stations, GPS receivers and 3D machine-control systems for construction equipment. These technologies make it possible to work faster, reduce material waste and minimize errors.
“Probably the most interesting project was the construction of the runway at Odesa Airport. You do not often get the opportunity to work on a project like that. We had to change our usual approach and work together as a team — and that made it genuinely interesting,” Oleksandr recalls.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, many of the projects and tasks have changed — and most of them cannot be discussed publicly. The team now works on projects that support Ukraine’s defense, often in dangerous conditions.
“A surveyor is the first to see a project. We transfer the design onto the ground and help construction teams implement it correctly. So you could say that a surveyor sees the future project before construction even begins,” Oleksandr explains.
Oleksandr says he has two families: his colleagues and his family at home. He has worked at the company since 2021, although it feels as though he has been there much longer.
“I’m very busy, so whenever I’m not working, I spend all my free time with my family,” he adds.