Facade topography in masonry failure investigation

Masonry failure investigation often requires the documentation of the surface condition of walls. The types of information required for a masonry surface condition survey are listed. Among these is surface topography to define the locations and magnitude of lateral displacement and misplacement of the facade. A method is described for determining facade topography from a distance, i.e. from the ground and without touching the facade. The method has been tested and found useful.