Concrete scanning in Montreal before commercial coring or sawing

Montreal commercial buildings, slabs that are rarely documented

An office building or a commercial unit often changes occupants. Each fit-out adds penetrations for plumbing, electrical or telecom, and the original drawings no longer reflect what is actually in the concrete. In towers and multi-level parking garages, the slab may also contain post-tension cables, and accidentally cutting one puts the structure at risk.

Downtown and commercial areas also come with practical constraints: evening or weekend work, restricted access, occupied premises. The scan is done without noise or dust, so it can be fitted into the building manager's schedule.

What the scan finds in the slab

• Rebar and wire mesh, with their spacing
• Electrical and telecom conduits embedded in the concrete
• Post-tension cables, distinguished from ordinary rebar
• The approximate slab thickness and some voids

How the work is carried out in an occupied unit

1. You tell us each planned coring point or sawing line.
2. The technician scans a grid around each point with the StructureScan.
3. Targets are marked on the floor and safe zones are indicated for the driller.
4. The PDF report documents each point, useful for the engineer and the building manager.

Frequently asked questions

Can you scan in the evening or on weekends? State your scheduling constraints in your request. We plan the work according to the access allowed by the building and your project timeline.

Does the scan replace an engineer's opinion? No. It provides a map of the inside of the concrete. For a large opening or a post-tensioned slab, the final decision rests with the structural engineer.