FOCUS MAINTENANCE
AERIAL ADVANTAGE
Dave Peacock, Technical Director of TÜV SÜD Building Advisory
Service on modernising building façade inspection with the use of
drones and artifi cial intelligence (AI)
32 MAY 2022
Following key proposals made by
Dame Judith Hackitt a er the Grenfell
Tower disaster, the UK’s Building Safety
Bill is expected to come into force in
2023. This will ensure accountability for
those involved in the lifecycle of high-rise
residential buildings that are 18 metres
high or have at least seven stories,
and that have at least two residential
units. These regulatory changes are
likely to have major financial and
practical consequences for the facilities
management sector, especially as it is
anticipated that the type of buildings
included within the bill will broaden over
the coming years.
Under UK law, building owners and
occupiers have a legal duty to ensure their
building is safe, to mitigate injury or damage
being caused to people or property. Since
1994 all new and refurbished buildings are
also required to have a maintenance manual,
which must be kept up to date and any
necessary maintenance work carried out.
Insurance will also require building owners
to show that the relevant maintenance needs
have been met. Failure to maintain a building
façade properly may result in increased
insurance premiums, di iculty in obtaining
insurance renewals, or the termination of
insurance cover. It is therefore vital that those
responsible for a building’s maintenance
and upkeep can demonstrate to insurers
that all reasonable steps have been taken by
implementing appropriate risk management
procedures. This should include periodic
façade inspection.
FAÇADE INSPECTION
The degree of façade inspection and
maintenance that is required will depend on
the materials used and its intended life. In the
UK, the necessary frequency of inspection is
divided into three categories:
Routine – continuous regular
observations that should be undertaken
by the user as part of the occupancy of
the building.
General – visual inspections of main
elements.
Detailed – a full inspection of the façade
by a suitably qualified person.
Periodic façade inspection will help to
detect potential issues and underlying
problems with a façade early on, such
as cracks, corrosion and flaking. It will
also help to identify the level of defect
deterioration and minimise the risk of any
compromised facades exposing safety risks.
Façade inspection is therefore vital to
support facilities managers and owners
of large high-rise buildings. As an integral