Jose Cruz Jr
May 2, 2025
Drones are no longer a novelty.
In AECO, they’re becoming non-negotiable.
Drones are no longer used for flashy real estate videos or aerial photos. Drones are now about faster site capture, better inspections, and smarter planning—at scale.
Few people understand this shift better than Scott Harrigan, co-founder of Harkin Aerial, a New York-based drone capture firm working at the frontlines of large-scale developments and dense urban projects. With a background as a licensed pilot and former MEP engineer, Scott has one foot in the world of regulated aviation and the other in design and construction.
In the most recent Buildings 2.0 episode, he shared his unique perspective highlighting what's made Harkin Aerial a trusted partner to surveyors, architects, and agencies looking to digitize the built environment.
Key Themes you'll Hear:
Drones don’t replace AECO professionals—they augment them.
The best drone workflows are the ones that plug into the existing design and construction stack—tied to site plans, aligned to control, and validated with real-world coordinates.
Bonus:
We've included an incredible case study at the end of the article, so stick around:
🏗 Scanning the Sky—Inside One of NYC’s Tallest Skyscrapers
1. Drones don’t work in isolation.
They work best with architects, engineers, and surveyors.
“People used to think of drones as their own thing. But drones only work in service of another professional’s workflow.”
The old model—send a drone, deliver photos—is gone. Today, drones are deployed alongside AECO professionals. Surveyors are using them to speed up topo work. Architects are using them to inspect high facades or plan roof details. Civil engineers are leveraging them for site analysis, especially in terrain-heavy areas.
Here’s what’s shifted:
10 years ago, drone cameras were glorified GoPros.
Today, they’re high-res, geo-referenced sensors capable of generating 3D meshes and point clouds. The drone is no longer a standalone team. It’s part of the AECO crew.
📌 Takeaway:
Integrate drones early. The drone should not be an afterthought—it should be scoped in when you’re doing early survey coordination or site investigation.
2. The speed and coverage is staggering for renovations and inspections.
100 acres in an hour. 20-story facades before lunch.
It’s like flying a lawnmower in the sky—zigzagging across terrain, clocking 15–20mph.”
The rules of thumb to know:
A drone can cover 50–100 acres per hour for topographic surveys.
A full high-rise facade can be captured in a single day, including roofs and courtyards.
On average, deliverables are ready in 48 hours—point clouds, JPEGs, and 3D models.
Compare that to a ground team walking 50 acres with GPS poles and total stations. That’s 3 -5 days of labor replaced with hours of flight time.
For urban AECO projects, this isn’t just faster—it’s safer. No more rope teams rappelling down 20 stories just to inspect a crack near a window ledge.
📌 Takeaway:
Drones are compressing field time, especially for exterior scopes. For large sites, the productivity gains are non-linear.
3. Accuracy is now within inches—or better.
Photogrammetry and LiDAR have leveled up.
"We’re comfortably delivering inch-level accuracy. And for targeted assets, we’re well under a centimeter.”
Here’s how to think about accuracy in the AECO context:
Photogrammetry can reach sub-inch accuracy when aligned to control.
Drone-mounted LiDAR adds the ability to see through vegetation, capture grade, and identify site features even in rough terrain.
Proximity = precision: The closer the drone, the sharper the model. On tower inspections, Harkin gets within 10 feet of the structure to deliver crack-level detail.
But here’s the nuance:
Survey control matters. Without control points (usually set by licensed surveyors), it’s hard to validate drone data against construction documents.
📌 Takeaway:
Accuracy is no longer the limitation. Validation is. AECO teams must coordinate drone flights with surveyors to tie everything together.
4. Drones could change how we scaffold New York.
400+ miles of sidewalk sheds. What if we only deployed them when needed?
"We’re not eliminating scaffolds. We’re making them intentional.”
New York City has an estimated 400 miles of scaffolding up at any given time. A shocking number of those sheds exist for visual inspections that drones can now complete in hours, and an average of 70% less cost than rope teams or scaffold drop systems.
Here’s the kicker:
NYC law currently requires hands-on inspections every few years.
But drone scans help architects plan those drops—making inspections targeted, not blind.
Some of Harkin’s clients now pre-scan facades with drones to determine where scaffolding is actually needed.
This isn’t just about cost. It’s about restoring our streets. Scaffolding has become permanent in many neighborhoods—up for years due to planning friction, not safety.
📌 Takeaway:
The smarter the inspection, the less time we need scaffolds. Drones make building inspections surgical, not scattershot.
5. Permitting isn’t the blocker it used to be.
Drone regulations have matured—and fast-tracking is real.
"Getting drone approval used to take months. Now, it’s minutes.”
Here’s what AECO professionals need to know:
All commercial drone flights require a Part 107 FAA license.
Most urban flights need airspace authorization—especially near airports.
NYC now has a 14–30 day fast-track system via the NYPD for drone permits.
Remote ID is now live—meaning drones are digitally trackable, adding a new layer of safety and transparency to every flight.
Better yet, apps like LAANC let drone operators get instant clearance for airspace, making field coordination easier than ever. Yes, it’s still regulated—but in a good way. Safety matters. And thanks to the push from professionals like Scott, NYC permitting has finally caught up to the times.
📌 Takeaway:
If your vendor says drone work is “too hard to permit,” they’re behind. Qualified operators can get on site fast—legally and safely.
Final Word: Drones are becoming AECO’s secret weapon.
Whether you’re planning a multi-acre site, verifying an as-built conditions inside a complex mechanical room with high ceilings, or scheduling your next Local Law 11 inspection—drones are the fastest way to get accurate, validated exterior data. Drones are no longer a novelty. They’re a tool of record. They don’t replace AECO professionals. Drones free them up to focus on higher-value work—by making data capture faster, smarter, and safer.
As Scott put it,
“Drones are like any great tool. They’re only powerful when used with other professionals.”
++++++
A Case Study for AECO Professionals
🏗 Scanning the Sky—Inside One of NYC’s Tallest Skyscrapers
Capturing 1” conduit in 40’ ceilings inside a high-rise mechanical room
In early 2025, Scott Harrigan’s team at Harkin Aerial partnered with Integrated Projects (IPX) to digitize one of the most complex mechanical rooms in New York City—tucked inside one of its tallest towers under construction.
Here’s how they made the invisible, visible.
🔍 The Challenge
Scan and model all architectural + mechanical systems in a 40-foot-high space packed with layers of complexity.
Overhead conditions included 9+ overlapping systems: ductwork, piping, conduit, hangers, structure
Needed to deliver sub-1” accuracy for coordination
Access was limited, dark, and hazardous—standard scanners couldn’t safely capture everything
🚁 The Approach
Deploy drones and ground-based capture in tandem.
To cover every nook and cranny, the team deployed:
NavVis VLX for walkable, high-accuracy ground-based scanning
Hovermap ST-X (with LiDAR) for flying around overhead MEP congestion
Flyability Elios 3 for tight, dark, and confined spaces—designed for use in mines
The Elios drone, was particularly helpful, being fully enclosed in a protective cage—meaning even if it collides with an object, it won’t damage the building, mechanical systems, or itself.
The Workflow
A full scan-to-BIM pipeline, built for speed, precision, and collaboration.
1. SCANIT: Ground and aerial capture & post-processing tied to survey control
2. BIMIT conversion from point cloud to BIM (LOD 200+/LOA30)
3. Secure as-built delivery of the model to the construction manager via IPX.
From Step 1 to Step 2, the entire SCANIT workflow took less than 72 hours.
✅ The Result
Verified as-built conditions—delivered with unmatched speed and accuracy.
A complete LOD 200+ mechanical BIM of the space
Captured spaces previously unreachable by traditional scanning
Helped the construction team verify install accuracy, adjust coordination, and eliminate future rework
Without this combined drone + scan-to-BIM workflow, the GC team said they would have never been able to document this room to spec. This case isn’t the future. It’s what’s possible now—with the right tools, partnerships, and workflows.
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How to Stay Tuned
🔗 Listen to the full Buildings 2.0 episode with Scott Harrigan on Spotify and Youtube.
📥 Subscribe to this Buildings 2.0 Newsletter to stay ahead of what’s next in AECO tech.
🤝 Meet the IPX Solutions team to learn how to get as-builts for your next project, easily.
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