[
Engineering Studies
]

Hotel Tower Building

Façade cladding visual inspection
Client
Hotel owner: Management and Maintenance department
Service
Façades cladding visual inspection
Year
2024

The hotel’s management and maintenance team engaged our company to perform a comprehensive façade inspection of a 31-storey building. The objective was to assess the condition of the external cladding panels and their associated steel support structures, and to identify any defects that could impact safety, aesthetics, or long-term performance.

Scope of Work

Our task involved deploying advanced drone technology to capture high-resolution imagery and video of all building elevations, including hard-to-reach areas typically inaccessible through conventional inspection methods. The scope covered:

  • Detailed visual inspection of façade cladding panels across all elevations
  • Assessment of exposed steel brackets, anchors, and supporting frameworks
  • Identification of visible defects such as cracks, deformation, corrosion, water intrusion, and missing or loose panels
  • Mapping and tagging all observations onto a structured façade condition report
  • Delivering geo-referenced datasets suitable for maintenance planning and engineering review

We utilized a combination of high-accuracy drones equipped with optical and zoom sensors to ensure complete coverage of vertical surfaces. Flight paths were carefully planned to maintain optimal proximity for defect detection while ensuring operational safety.

Data collection included:

  • Close-range imaging with up to 30× optical zoom
  • Static hover inspections for detailed observation
  • Oblique angle shots to assess depth, panel alignment, and fixings
  • Digital annotation of defects and integration into a structured report

All operations were conducted in accordance with local aviation regulations and safety protocols, ensuring zero disturbance to hotel guests or public activities.

Key Findings & Deliverables

Our inspection identified multiple façade conditions requiring attention, including isolated areas of panel displacement, early-stage corrosion on steel brackets, and minor sealant deterioration.

Deliverables provided to the client included:

  • Complete façade condition report with photographic evidence
  • Annotated defect maps for each elevation
  • High-resolution image library and classified video documentation
  • Recommendations for maintenance, repair priorities, and monitoring intervals

Outcome

The drone-based inspection provided the hotel management team with a safe, efficient, and non-intrusive method to understand the real-time condition of their façade. The results enabled informed decision-making, timely maintenance planning, and improved asset management for the high-rise structure.

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