How Construction Firm P. Agnes is Pushing the Boundaries of Site Documentation

Photo Credit: P. Agnes

Adapting Construction to a Socially-Distanced World

Shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, construction shut down throughout Pennsylvania, leaving project managers working on the backend while many subcontractors were unable to work due to site restrictions. These shutdowns impacted construction for the Anderson Hall renovation project, and P. Agnes needed to find a way to stay on track. In a time when on-site personnel were restricted, drone technology served as a safe “eye in the sky” for stakeholders from P. Agnes and Temple University. Tracking progress safely through repeated drone flights proved to be a successful communication solution in a socially distanced era – so much so that P. Agnes expects to continue this process post-pandemic.

Photo Credit: P. Agnes

Use Cases for Drones in Construction

DroneDeploy’s utilization for site documentation and progress tracking found a host of use cases for P. Agnes’ project at Temple University. Recording when work was completed, discovering site issues, and overlaying markup plans all found their applications here. In one instance, workers feared that two drains were covered by planting beds without their caps on. As a green roof, this would’ve clogged the drainage system entirely with soil, leading to significant leaking above the lecture halls. Workers could identify these drains on their drawings, but not in the field – which is where DroneDeploy came in handy.

Using a DroneDeploy map, workers quickly found where the drains were located before laying soil. They even measured the exact spot in which to dig. Within minutes, they found the drain and added the cap, saving a few thousand dollars and multiple days in the process. Without DroneDeploy, they would have had to dig up the entire bed.

Photo Credit: P. Agnes

DroneDeploy’s integration with Procore was a pivotal deciding factor for bringing drone technology to widespread use within P. Agnes. Combining DroneDeploy’s inspection workflow with Procore’s map overlays gives managers the full size and scope of a project. “Before using this integration, we would manually walk the site to take pictures,” said Matt DeBasio, Project Estimator, “DroneDeploy takes this process to the next level.”

Drone Data as a Risk Management Tool

Themes of accountability and risk management were paramount in our discussion with P. Agnes, as they explained how situations like these exemplified the power of drone insights. “This is an accountability tool for subcontractors, project managers, and stakeholders, and it communicates transparency to the client,” Matt stated. "If you can document exactly what you’re doing on a regular basis, and have clear, objective, visual proof of what’s exactly going on – it’s like an insurance policy. It’s a tool to manage risk.” Anthony Williams, Assistant Project Manager, added, “It just keeps people honest.”

By having this accountability tool in their arsenal, P. Agnes has been able to enhance safety on their construction sites. For every project, they assign a safety manager and have a set of safety protocols, however, drone data enables them to have visual proof of what goes on. Drone capabilities also allow their team to plan ahead with regard to safety. For a precast façade installation for one of their healthcare projects, they plan to use the vertical flight tool to inspect the panels after they have been installed. This would prevent the need for someone to go up to inspect the panels via a high reach or with another piece of equipment. “Any time we can use the drone to do these types of things it will be much safer and lessen the risk exposure of having an individual put themselves in a potentially hazardous situation,” explained Anthony.