At a time when social distancing, health, and safety are top of mind, the DPR WeWork project team continued to push their project forward while adhering to all mandated safety restrictions. When it came time for the building inspection of the 60,000-sq.-ft. co-workspace located in Nashville’s popular neighborhood, The Gulch, the team faced a new challenge. “The fire marshal called us and told us our inspection that week would be canceled as the fire department was suspending all in-person activities indefinitely,” said DPR’s Kyle Wortendyke.

The team moved quickly to develop a viable alternative solution. “This was an issue, as we only had two weeks to hit substantial completion and move the owner in on time,” said Wortendyke. The potential roadblock didn’t slow the project team’s momentum. The team was utilizing a 360-degree camera throughout the building process to enhance the owner’s progress photo experience in lieu of traditional progress photos to review the space and decided to lean in on innovation and use the same camera to conduct a virtual inspection.

To provide a realistic walk-through of the space, the project team shot sample videos using the camera, which ultimately allowed the viewer to spin the video 360 degrees and rotate views up and down. Once the sample videos were provided to the fire marshal, DPR was given the go-ahead to conduct the full site inspection virtually. The team immediately got to work shooting video of the full ring out and emergency lighting systems.

Thanks to the project team’s fast thinking and innovative approach, the building was successfully inspected and turned over to the client on time and ready for use.