LiDAR Scanning & BOMA As-Builts in Downtown Montréal
The city's densest office core scanned between 6 PM Friday and 6 AM Monday — no tenant disruption.
Downtown Montréal is 8 km² of steel-frame towers, retail podiums and 33 km of underground tunnels — most of which were last drawn in AutoCAD 14. Every leasing turnover, every capex plan and every tenant fit-out starts with the same question: what does the space actually look like today?
DCMS runs terrestrial LiDAR crews through Downtown towers on nights and weekends. We check in with security at the loading dock, ride the freight, and scan a full 20,000 sq ft floor plate in one shift without a single tenant seeing a tripod. By Monday morning the floor is back in service and the point cloud is uploading.
For REIT owners we also handle BOMA 2017 area re-certifications, tenant fit-out surveys, and floor-by-floor Revit modelling — the operational backbone of a modern Downtown Montréal asset.
Why Downtown owners are moving to LiDAR-based BOMA
Traditional tape-and-paper BOMA measurements systematically undercount rentable area in older Downtown towers by 2–4%. On a 400,000 sq ft asset at $38/sq ft base rent, that's $300k–$600k of unrecovered rent per year.
Point-cloud-derived BOMA certifications close that gap. We measure to the interior face of the dominant portion, calculate common area load factors from the actual as-built geometry, and hand the numbers to your BOMA-certified professional for stamping.
- BOMA 2017 Office Standard measurement from point cloud
- Rentable/usable area reconciliation across full stack
- Tenant floor plans re-issued in AutoCAD with correct dimensions
- Digital twin of the base building for future re-measurement without re-mobilizing
Working in Class A towers without hitting the tenants
Every Downtown asset we scan has the same non-negotiables: no tenant disturbance, no visible equipment during business hours, and a full loading-dock security protocol. Our standard workflow is Friday 6 PM to Monday 6 AM, freight-only, escorted by building security.
Crews sign an on-site NDA at the desk, badge in like any contractor, and clear the floor before opening on Monday. We've delivered scans this way inside towers on René-Lévesque, Sherbrooke, De Maisonneuve and University without a single incident report.
Services we run most often Downtown
- BOMA 2017 area re-certification across full portfolios
- Tenant fit-out as-built for leasing coordinators
- Base-building digital twin for capital planning
- MEP as-built for chiller, cooling tower and generator retrofits
- Retail podium and food court as-built
- RÉSO tunnel connection and clearance documentation
What Downtown Montréal clients tell us matters
Weekend-only mobilizations
Our default is Friday 18:00 to Monday 06:00. Zero business-hours tenant contact.
Portfolio pricing
REIT and asset-manager clients get per-floor rate cards, so a 40-floor tower doesn't need 40 quotes.
BOMA + LEED literate
We deliver in the format your area certifier and LEED reviewer already expect.
PE-stamped when required
Deflection analysis, structural verification and MEP diagnostics are stamped by an OIQ member on staff.
Working around the neighbourhood
- Place Ville Marie
- 1000 De La Gauchetière
- Complexe Desjardins
- McGill University
- RÉSO underground city
- Bell Centre
Getting to site
- From Place Ville Marie: 10 min via Autoroute Ville-Marie (720) west to Saint-Henri.
- From McGill campus: 12 min via Sherbrooke and Atwater.
- STM: Bonaventure or McGill métro → Lionel-Groulx (Orange/Green) → 4 min walk to our office.
- Loading dock: our crews arrive in unmarked vans and bring their own compliance PPE.
Explore related services and areas
Local questions from Downtown Montréal
Can you scan an occupied office tower without tenant disruption?+
Yes. Standard workflow is Friday evening through Monday morning, freight-only, escorted by building security. Tenants never see a tripod.
How fast can you re-certify BOMA on a 400,000 sq ft asset?+
Typical: 3 weekend mobilizations for scanning, 4 weeks to modelled BOMA-format area statements, then BOMA-certified sign-off through our partner. About 5–6 weeks end to end.
Do you deliver Revit models or just AutoCAD?+
Both. Base-building Revit at LOD 300 for capital planning, AutoCAD floor plans for tenant coordination and leasing marketing kits.
Can you scan RÉSO tunnel connections between buildings?+
Yes. We coordinate scans across ownership boundaries using shared control points and deliver a single unified point cloud spanning multiple assets.
Do you carry OHS documentation for Downtown loading docks?+
Yes. All crew hold CNESST-compliant training, and we submit safety and insurance certificates through building portals in advance.
How do you handle confidentiality for tenant floors?+
Standard NDA before mobilization, point clouds hosted on segregated project spaces, and access limited to named client contacts.
Can you help with LEED existing-building recertification?+
Yes. Our scans feed directly into space-use and daylighting analyses required for LEED O+M, and we co-deliver with LEED APs on request.
Do you scan mechanical penthouses and rooftop equipment?+
Yes — this is one of our most common scopes for chiller and cooling-tower replacement projects.
What we deliver in Downtown Montréal
Every capability below is available on Downtown Montréal projects — the same in-house engineering team handles LiDAR and drone surveying, turns it into as-built drawings or a full digital twin, and can layer on structural inspections when the scope needs them. Combine any two or three in a single mobilization.
LiDAR, Photogrammetry & Drone Surveying
High-precision 3D laser scanning, aerial drone surveys and photogrammetry for comprehensive site documentation.
SVC // 02As-Built Documentation & Reality Capture
Fast, accurate as-built surveys delivering AutoCAD plans and Revit BIM models with industry-leading turnaround times.
SVC // 03Digital Twins & BIM Models
Cloud-hosted digital twins and BIM coordination models (LOD 200–300) for long-term asset management.
SVC // 04Building & Structural Inspections
Comprehensive envelope inspections, deflection analysis and structural assessments using advanced LiDAR.
SVC // 05Engineering Consulting & Technical Analysis
Expert engineering analysis, technical diagnostics and MEP system documentation for retrofit and renovation.
SVC // 06Forensics, Condition Assessment & Remedial Planning
Technical investigations, heritage documentation and condition reports for remedial engineering.
Browse the rest of Greater Montréal
Vieux-Montréal
Heritage-grade LiDAR and as-built drafting for the stone façades, warehouses and hotels of Old Montreal.
Laval
As-built scanning and BIM for the retail parks, industrial buildings and healthcare campuses of Laval.
Longueuil & South Shore
LiDAR, drone and BIM services across Longueuil, Brossard, Boucherville and the Rive-Sud industrial belt.
West Island
LiDAR and BIM services for corporate campuses, pharmaceutical facilities and warehouses across Pointe-Claire, DDO, Kirkland and Baie-d'Urfé.
Planning a scan program for a Downtown Montréal asset?
Send the address and floor count — we'll draft a weekend mobilization schedule and a fixed-fee quote within one business day.