Burton Factory

Structural survey using drone technology

We undertook a structural condition survey on the existing front and rear façades of the Burton Menswear Factory in Burmantofts, Leeds.  In 1925, this was the biggest clothing factory in the world, employing over 10,000 employees.  At its peak, the employees were making 30,000 suits in a week.

The black and white name panel visible in the photos and video below were added to the building in 1933, constructed from black and white terracotta.  In the same year, the northern façade had a new frontage designed, influenced by Art Deco architecture.

Rather than using expensive scaffolding equipment to view the façade at height, we used our in-house drone to capture footage of the building.  The video file was converted to a point cloud file, which in turn could be used to produce elevation drawings of the structure.   The drone footage can be seen further down this page.