Contact: Mr. Karol Kazmierczak (Kaz) ASHRAE, CDT, LEED-AP, NCARB
Company: Façade Doctor LLC
Address: Miami, Fl
Email: [email protected]

Mr. Karol Kazmierczak (Kaz) of Facade Doctor, LLC is the very first in the world to use UAV for facade inspections. With the help of this UAV, façade inspections are now easier, faster and safer.

Inspecting building facades is a risky business. A facade inspector hangs hundreds of feet above ground on a rope thinner than a finger. This is the reason why Kaz modified a remotely controlled quadrocopter in order to adapt it to the challenges of the building enclosure trade by extending its range, battery, and adjusting the front camera, so the drone can reach the remote areas of building elevations, with the live video feed to the operator, and can take pictures of any observed defects and failures.

Kaz, who is a licensed Florida and New York State architect, working as a building enclosure consultant, wrote: “I have not heard of anyone else using unmanned aerial vehicles for forensic investigations of building enclosures, so i had to start from the scratch, by extending its range of flight, and adapting its sights.”

This effort, which started in mid-2012, resulted in the development of the workable solution.

Kaz said: “This is essentially a very cool toy which I converted in a functional tool. Passers-by are invariably attracted to it, so there is always a several spectators gathering around me when I operate the drone.”

Through the use of this UAV, engineers and architects can significantly reduce the risk, time and cost involved in façade inspections. A knowledgeable and experienced inspector operating the unmanned aerial vehicle can narrow the scope of a facade inspection by identifying those areas which will absolutely require human inspection, and consequently significantly reduce time, risk, and cost of facade inspection. All we risk is several hundred dollars of equipment as opposed to human life.

If you see a UFO hovering in front of your window, don’t worry. It may be a drone inspecting the facade of your building. And the operator watching through its cameras may be a handsome architect as opposed to a peeping pervert.

For more information regarding the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, please visit http://www.building-enclosure.com/archives/1301.