by Brianna Crandall — January 15, 2016—A newly published guide from ASTM International provides standard notation, syntax and symbols for façade inspections, while a second guide has been proposed to standardize how drones are used for façade inspections.
E3036, Guide for Notating Façade Conditions in the Field
The first standard (ASTM E3036, Guide for Notating Façade Conditions in the Field) will save time by providing engineers, architects and others with a common way to use and understand symbols, according to ASTM member Michael Petermann, a principal at Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates.
“This standard will be particularly useful to building owners who maintain a database on the conditions of their façade,” says Petermann. “As periodic inspections occur, they can perform side-by-side comparisons of databases and drawings to confirm if conditions have worsened. With the standard, they won’t waste time translating between notation systems of different firms.”
WK52572: Guide for Visual Inspection of Building Façades Using Drones
A second standard, also from ASTM’s task group on façade inspections, is currently under development: WK52572, Guide for Visual Inspection of Building Façades Using Drones. The task group hopes this guide will address the growing need for camera-equipped drones to document façade conditions through video and still photography.
“This proposed standard will improve the quality of inspections by allowing drones with high-quality cameras to provide close-up views of parts of façades that can’t otherwise be seen,” says Petermann. He notes that drones are crucial in inspecting difficult-to-access areas such as the top of windowsills and appurtenances.
The proposed standard will likely include general guidance for safety, a protocol for video-scanning façades, storage of scan results for future use, and more.
In the United States, nine cities require periodic façade inspections to uncover unsafe conditions and prevent collapse in about 18,000 buildings, notes ASTM.
