What a difference a drone makes – a bird’s eye view of the Dental School Building

We have recently published a post providing an update on progress with the construction of the new Dental School / Integrated Teaching Facility on the Blantyre Campus of Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS). However, shortly after that post was published, Peter Lee, the Head of the Edinburgh Studio of John McAslan + Partners, our lead architects, contacted me to ask whether it would be possible to capture some drone footage of the building.

After making some local enquiries, my good friend Nelson Nyoloka, Lecturer in Pharmacy at KUHeS, arranged for us to meet on site with Alick Chimzere, who provides a drone filming service and works with a number of organisations locally, including the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust.

Alick wandered around the building before selecting the best spot from which to operate the drone. He undertook final preparations …

… then sent his drone skywards …

Those of us with little experience of drones in operation watched with fascination as Alick deftly manoeuvred the small craft, which at times was no more than a tiny black speck high in the sky. There was also significant interest in the drone from the local crows, who were clearly unsettled by this strange whirring object invading their airspace.

The following day, Alick sent me a collection of aerial photographs together with an edited video, which we are sharing in this post.

This first photograph shows the construction site in relation to the rest of the campus. The student hostels and main library building are clearly visible in the background:

The ground currently enclosed by the blue perimeter fence surrounding the construction site will be landscaped once the building work is completed:

This view of the west-facing elevation shows clearly how the building blends with the surrounding topography as the ground drops from north to south. The large number of men at work on the existing upper level is evidence of the push to add the final storey to the building before the rains become too heavy.

This view shows both the west and south facing elevations …

… and this view shows the east and south facing elevations …

Finally, here’s a short video taken from the drone footage shot by Alick:

We hope you have enjoyed this novel perspective on progress of the construction project.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Many thanks to Nelson Nyoloka for making the necessary arrangements and to Alick Chimzere for his expertise in providing the drone footage.