Utilizing Light Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for the Inspection of Curtain Walls: A Case Study

In commercial construction, inspection of as-built conditions can often be a difficult task that is expensive, time consuming, and that can place inspectors in adverse conditions. The subject of this case study is a large healthcare facility located in the southeastern United States that was abandoned during construction after the building was dried-in. Over a decade after leaving the site, a general contractor began work to bring the building to an operational condition under a new contract. In order to turn over a quality product to the owner, inspection of the existing state of the curtain wall needed to take place. In an effort to reduce cost, minimize time, and mitigate risk of adverse safety conditions, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to inspect a portion of the curtain wall to validate efficacy. This paper analyzes the process in which images and 3D point clouds were captured for use by a variety of stakeholders, as well as other ways the UAV captured images could be utilized for construction and owner entities through a pilot photogrammetry study.