Background

The Cooper Arms in Long Beach was built 100 years ago and is on the Historical Registry of Long Beach. However, the property needs some extensive renovation and repair. Environ Architectural contacted RadFlight to discuss how we might inspect the entire building, which is twelve stories high and has six facades.

Challenge

The inspection aimed to get detailed, high-resolution pictures that would allow Environ to discover areas that needed attention, such as exposed pipes, peeling paint, damaged rain gutters, and rotting or weathered wood. For RadFlight to deliver the results that the job required, they used the original “As Built” architectural drawings and created an overlay grid, breaking up each façade into lettered and numbered segments.

They then launched their drone equipped with a 3-axis gimbal, high-resolution camera shooting at 22 megapixels and utilizing its sensitive one-inch sensor. With this state-of-the-art equipment, RadFlight could take comprehensive photos of the highest quality. This allowed Environ to identify problem areas and zoom in on specific images to examine each in greater detail.

Each shot was slated on an iPad with letters and numbers to match RadFlight’s grid. This allowed Environ to detect trouble spots and have a quick reference guide for each image due to this method.

Result

A total of 356 photos were taken and were arranged systematically for Environ’s scrutiny and use. Within three days RadFlight delivered the finished product to Environ, who utilized it extensively in their project report to the Cooper Arms management. Environ is a delighted customer and has lauded RadFlight for their professionalism, safety, tenant interaction, and delivering an outstanding finished product.