Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) produced a new video documenting how drone technology can be used for building facade inspections.
Currently, nine major U.S. cities have adopted facade ordinances that require inspection of thousands of buildings every few years.
“We believe that drone usage will enable building owners to assess problems quicker and with less risk to the general public and workers,” WJE Principal Michael Petermann said. “This will become an essential tool in engineers’ and architects’ tool box.”
WJE partnered with First Flight Photography (FFP), an FAA-Section 330 vendor to produce the video that highlights how drones could be used to assess building exteriors safely and expediently. The companies worked together on the two structures highlighted in the video and have proposed on several other upcoming projects.
Having multi-angled video or still images enables engineers to see potential distressed conditions that could otherwise be missed from ground analysis. Petermann said that he hopes local governments permit the use of drones for building assessment.
WJE anticipates an increase in demand to perform visual inspections utilizing high quality imagery from drones and is in the process of partnering with select vendors.
Related Stories
| Apr 15, 2013
Using software and the power of the cloud to connect your back office to your field operations [webinar]
This webinar will focus on a new software subscription service that will help construction companies, general and specialty contractors connect their back office infrastructure with all of their field operations. The service will help capture, manage and report on the progress of existing construction jobs and help in the planning of new ones.
| Apr 6, 2013
Bentley’s inaugural Chief Donald J. Burns Memorial Research Grant awarded to University of Texas Group
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, today announced that the Chief Donald J. Burns Research Grant for 2012 has been awarded on its behalf to Dr. Ofodike Ezekoye and Austin Anderson, of the University of Texas Fire Research Group (UTFRG), by the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Scientific and Educational Foundation.
| Mar 27, 2013
Small but mighty: Berkeley public library’s net-zero gem
The Building Team for Berkeley, Calif.’s new 9,500-sf West Branch library aims to achieve net-zero—and possibly net-positive—energy performance with the help of clever passive design techniques.
| Mar 26, 2013
Will Google Glass revolutionize the construction process?
An Australian architect is exploring the benefits of augmented reality in the design and construction process.
| Mar 6, 2013
Hospital project pioneers BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery
The Marlborough (Mass.) Hospital Cancer Pavilion is one of the first healthcare projects to use BIM/VDC-based integrated project delivery.
| Feb 25, 2013
AISC seeks proposals for development of BIM best practices guide
The American Institute of Steel Construction seeks assistance from BIM users in identifying and documenting best practices to facilitate the long-term standardization of BIM in structural steel construction.
| Feb 8, 2013
AAMA and WDMA release updated industry review, trends forecast
Windows and doors report predicts slow growth in commercial construction; analyzes historic data from 2006-11 and forecast data through 2015.
| Jan 31, 2013
Newforma releases next generation Project Analyzer software
Newforma, a project information management software company, announced that a new version of its design project management software, Newforma Project Analyzer, has been validated by leading architecture and engineering firms and is now commercially available.
