Then the façade is inspected from the vertical access equipment in compliance with the local city ordinance.
More complicated façade inspections involve coordinating a traffic plan for the temporary street closure, coordinating the mobilization, setup, and teardown of the swingstage or articulating manlift, scheduling the police detail, pulling the street closure permits, etc. So once the proposal for the façade inspection has been approved by the building owner, then what? It could be as simple as performing a site visit, interviewing the building engineer and property manager to discuss the building’s repair history and any issues with the building, and inspecting the façade from the ground via binoculars and from the roof. What kind of project documentation is there? Are there existing drawings to review? Is there a prior façade inspection report detailing past façade repairs?Įach of these items affect the difficulty of completing the façade inspection.What type of façade is the building clad in? A terra cotta or brick masonry façade is going to need a more detailed inspection in comparison to a modern curtain wall system.Other buildings are along busy thoroughfares requiring partial street closure permits, weekend work, traffic planning and signage, police details, etc. What kind of access is there around the site? Some facilities have several tall buildings around them, allowing a viewpoint for the upper floors from those buildings if access can be arranged.If the building is taller than five stories with no way to inspect the upper floors from a close viewpoint, then an articulating manlift or swingstage is needed. How tall is the building? If there is no physical contact requirement, and either the building is five stories or less or has balconies throughout the façade to view the exterior from, then the inspection may be completed with just the use binoculars.Other cities require only the façade ornaments and other building elements extending into the public space to be inspected with the means and methods of the inspection to be determined by the licensed professional. This requirement typically necessitates vertical access via a boatswain’s chair, a swingstage, or an articulating manlift. What are the particular city’s façade inspection requirements? New York City, for example, requires an architect or engineer to physically be able to touch approximately 25 percent of the building’s façade.The requirements for a façade inspection depend upon the following items: What is involved with a façade inspection? The short answer is that it depends.