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.
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