New York City officials are pushing to legalize the use of drones for facade inspection after an architect was killed by falling construction debris, according to a Dezeen report. While it is illegal to fly a drone in most of the city, the technology would speed up inspection and improve worker safety, the article reports.
Under the proposed legislation, an inspection would be “completed by an unmanned aerial vehicle within 48 hours of a 311 complaint—the mechanism by which the public are able to report a building or construction as unsafe online or via telephone, the article reports—or a violation of the Department of Buildings code,” the article reports.
“The death of Erica Tishman tells us that we must move our technology and embrace technology to find a safer way to inspect buildings,” Brooklyn Borough president Eric Adams said. “Using drones would take us to a new height in carrying out that inspection.”
According to The Architect's Newspaper, architect Erica Tishman was killed after a piece of terra cotta fell from an aging facade near Times Square.
Source: Dezeen & The Architect’s Newspaper
