Drones: making your site safer and scope stronger
“I used to be the abseiler – the remedial engineer hanging off the sides of buildings assessing the conditions of the façade. Now drones can do that, and I help bring those insights to our clients.”
For Tom Salkild, things are a little less ‘Mission Impossible’ these days, and a whole lot safer, cheaper, and faster. Tom works with Lily Li, Tanvi Patel, John Cordingley and the TSA Riley team who are providing Project Management, Asset Management and ESG services to the University of Sydney as they assess and plan the remediation works for over 100 buildings on their Camperdown campus.
TSA Riley’s Project Consultants are known for bringing ideas from over the horizon, and when we started working with The University of Sydney in 2022, we did just this – figuratively and literally!
"Our clients need to quickly determine how to prioritise the management and potential remediation of large portfolios of built assets, spread horizontally over large areas."
“You wonder: where do I start? Drone technology is the obvious answer. It goes back to being able to quickly, cost effectively, and safely, survey multiple assets.”—Tom Salkild
“Once the 3D photogrammetry model is prepared, the engineer can carry out a remote desktop assessment, marking up areas for further investigation and remediation. After that, the software becomes more of an asset management tool than just a condition surveying platform. We develop scopes of work, produce drawings, provide 3D modelling to contractors for tendering purposes and ultimately, have a quality point-in-time assessment for future comparison.”
Drone assessments work particularly well with older assets such as brutalist, heritage, and steel structures, as reflective glass surfaces can sometimes distort the imagery. And often these older assets require more attention due to the use of concrete, sandstone, masonry, and timber. “For some of our clients, the original drawings are in feet and inches, which gives you an idea of how old they are. Today, we work in millimetres (with an accuracy of 2-3mm), degrees Celsius using thermal imagery, surface deflection, and with precise geolocations too. We can show where rooftop pooling may be occurring, or insulation is ineffective. We can show you where targeted remediation may be required, before a single cherry picker or scaffold is on site.”
With fewer people on site and less equipment, a drone approach reduces risks and is markedly safer too. As regulations increasingly allow appropriately managed drone traffic, it’s safer to put a drone in the air than a person operating at height. “It doesn't eliminate the need for people on site, but it reduces it significantly, and that means an improvement to safety,” says Tom.
For our clients with a large portfolio of assets, a drone technology approach is usually significantly more cost-effective too, with some modelling suggesting traditional methods could cost almost double – factoring in equipment, permits, and specialist engineers on site.
TSA Riley are proudly supporting clients across education, commercial, retail, and healthcare, and drone technology opportunities are expanding into industrial and aviation too.
Tom and the team love talking all things drone technology – please reach out if you’d like to find out more.
