AI SOFTWARE, INSPECTION, ANALYSIS COMPANY T2D2 TAPPED BY NYC TO HELP REVOLUTIONIZE THE CITY’S FAÇADE INSPECTION PROGRAM
* * *
Drone and AI Tech Recommendations Will Help Cut Down Sidewalk Sheds, Lead to More Accurate Repairs, and Deliver Major Cost-Savings
New York, NY – T2D2, Inc., a leading AI software company, with drone inspection capabilities , specializing in building façade analysis, announced the completion of a year-long engagement with the New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) to identify how state-of-the-art drone and AI technologies can streamline and strengthen the City’s Façade Inspection and Safety Program (FISP), formerly known as Local Law 11.
T2D2’s recommendations, which incorporate automated image analysis and drone inspection, are aimed at increasing the accuracy and efficiency of façade inspection while reducing the number of sidewalk sheds (and the time people spend under them), lowering costs for building owners, and expediting repairs.
“We’re proud to have contributed to the forward-thinking recommendations in this report that will help the City redesign FISP for greater efficiencies, safety, savings and, both importantly and visibly, a reduction in the number and duration of sidewalk sheds on our streets,” said Jonathan Ehrlich, CEO of T2D2.
The report, developed in collaboration with a leading engineering and architectural services firm, incorporated input from qualified exterior wall inspectors, property owners, building managers, data-analysis of past FISP filings and performance-based review of façade materials and systems.
Drone integration represents a significant technological advance for FISP. Compared to traditional inspections, drones can rapidly capture enhanced visual data across multiple buildings, reducing the need for inspectors to operate at dangerous heights or erect costly scaffolding and lifts for preliminary assessments. Together, drone technology and AI analysis can produce dramatic cost savings for building owners by lowering equipment and labor costs, duration and insurance costs, change orders and cost overruns, and delays and rework in regulation.
“Sidewalk sheds can cost owners hundreds of thousands of dollars over time in lost income, tenant complaints, and insurance premiums,” Ehrlich said. “Drones and improved visual data may help avoid premature or unnecessary ‘Unsafe’ classifications, clarifying condition severity early to address minor issues – all without having to erect a sidewalk shed.”
The biggest change recommended in the report is to extend the cycle for full hands-on “critical examinations” when expensive and obtrusive sidewalk sheds are required for pedestrian safety, from six to 12 years, provided full visual inspections are conducted every three years in the interim. For buildings over 10 stories, the recommendation is the inspections would use lower cost drone technology along with highly efficient AI-driven image analysis software.
The report also recommends that the City develops and launches a pilot program to explore the use of drones to qualify buildings for further exemptions from FISP, including evaluating their potential to replace certain hands-on inspections. Other technological advances suggested include borescopes for internal cavity inspections and non-destructive testing for material analysis.
T2D2’s AI-powered visual inspection platform has been helping engineers, architects, and building owners since 2020. Built by engineers, T2D2 combines drone imagery, computer vision, and cloud-based reporting to make façade inspections faster, safer, and more accurate.
“We have long supported FISP compliance and are very excited to be part of the team helping to make the program safer and more efficient for all New Yorkers,” Ehrlich said.