Architects use drone images to pitch developer clients

A drone camera and the view from HFZ Capital's 505 West 19th Street
A drone camera and the view from HFZ Capital's 505 West 19th Street

Developers such as Extell Development and HFZ Capital Group have used drones in recent years to capture views from as-yet unbuilt towers, but aerial photography company SkyPan says some of its chief clients are architects.

For architects looking to pitch project ideas to investors, a drone-cam view can make all the difference when it comes to convincing them to tackle challenges like air rights, zoning and pricing involved in adding a few more feet, Architizer reported.

“In New York City’s upper midtown area, one or two additional floors can make a huge difference for the view,” Mark Segal, founder of SkyPan, told Architizer.

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The current real estate boom continues to grow SkyPan’s business, Segal told Architizer, though it floundered for a year or two after the 2008 recession.

“The banks are so stuffed with cash after the recession that they have to spend it on something, and real estate is such a secure goody in lovely New York,” he told Architizer. [Architizer]Julie Strickland