3D Laser Scanning & As-Built Documentation for Architects in Montréal
Start design work from measured reality instead of assumed geometry: Revit base models, floor plans, sections and elevations of the building as it stands today.
Get a Quote for Your Project
Send us the building location, approximate square footage and required deliverables. We'll review the scope and get back to you.
Architectural projects rarely fail on the new design. They fail on the assumptions carried into it. A renovation set drawn from a 1970s permit drawing looks correct until demolition exposes a slab that is 90 mm lower than drawn, a shaft that moved during a past retrofit, or a façade that is out of plumb across three storeys. By then the design is priced, the consultant coordination is done, and the change is expensive.
Measured existing-condition documentation removes that class of risk. A laser scan captures the building as it physically is, and that survey becomes the base model your design sits on: a Revit file with real levels, real wall faces and real structural positions, plus the plans, sections and elevations you actually draw over.
This page describes how DCMS fits into an architectural workflow specifically: what we hand over, at what stage, in what format, and what we need from you to scope it correctly.
What usually goes wrong for architects
Legacy drawings that no longer describe the building
Permit sets, tenant fit-out drawings and prior renovation records usually conflict with each other and with the site. Reconciling them by hand consumes design fee and still leaves unknowns. A survey replaces the reconciliation exercise with a single measured record.
Repeat site visits to answer geometry questions
Every unanswered dimension becomes a trip across the city with a tape measure or a laser distance meter. A point cloud lets the design team measure any dimension from the desktop, months after the crew has left the site.
Coordination with structure and MEP on existing fabric
Clash issues in renovation work are almost always existing-condition issues, not new-design issues. Giving the whole consultant team one measured base model means everyone coordinates against the same geometry.
Heritage and irregular geometry
Montréal's older stock is full of masonry that is not straight, floors that are not level and openings that are not square. Scanning records that irregularity instead of idealising it, which matters when new elements have to physically fit.
How a project runs
- 01Scoping conversation: which design decisions the survey must support, and therefore how much detail is worth modelling.
- 02Site capture, coordinated around tenant access, occupied hours and building management requirements.
- 03Registration and quality control of the captured data against a control setup.
- 04Modelling to the agreed level of development, element category by element category, in Revit.
- 05Handover of the model, drawings and point cloud, with the point cloud available for later verification.
What you receive
- Revit model of existing conditions, scoped by element category
- Floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, sections and elevations in DWG and PDF
- Registered point cloud in a format your team can open (including RCP/RCS for Revit linking)
- Coordination notes recording where geometry is irregular or obscured
Services most relevant to this workflow
Guides worth reading first
Written by the DCMS team to answer the questions that usually come up before a scope is agreed.
Frequently asked questions
Can you deliver a Revit model instead of drawings?+
Yes. Most architectural clients ask for a Revit model of existing conditions plus a set of derived plans and sections. The model is scoped by element category so you are not paying to model detail that does not affect the design.
At what project stage should we scan?+
As early as the existing building is accessible. Scanning before schematic design means the design is built on measured geometry from the start, which is where the survey saves the most fee and rework.
Do you need the building to be empty?+
No, but occupancy affects what can be seen. Furniture, stock and stored material create occlusions. We plan capture positions around access windows and note anywhere the geometry had to be inferred rather than measured.
Can we keep using the point cloud after the model is delivered?+
Yes. The registered point cloud is part of the handover, so your team can verify any dimension later without a return visit.
Get a Quote for Your Project
Send us the building location, approximate square footage and required deliverables. We'll review the scope and get back to you. Architects