New York City has issued new rules that allow for some uses of UAVs (drones) in the five boroughs, including for building inspections. We applaud NYC for this decision and look forward to deploying drones on facade inspections, building on the success we’ve had using them outside the city.

This development is great news for our clients. As Mayor Eric Adams put it, “drones are going to allow us to make facade inspections faster and safer.” In our experience, they provide an array of high-definition, inspectable images of the building facade, and, in some cases, eliminated the necessity for erecting expensive scaffolding to inspect hard-to-access locations (e.g., towers and turrets).

Drones are not a panacea for FISP requirements or a replacement for Qualified Exterior Wall Inspectors (QEWIs). But, like any tool that aids a QEWI’s work, they’re a welcome addition to our inspection arsenal.

With the advent of artificial intelligence, reality capture, and other tech tools, SUPERSTRUCTURES is at the forefront of applying technology to restoration and this drone news will accelerate that progress.