Concrete Scanning in London
We provide GPR concrete scanning across London, locating reinforcement, post-tension cables, conduits and embedded services inside a slab or wall before anyone cores, cuts or drills. From occupied City towers to basement projects in the boroughs, we scan on site, interpret the data and mark clear zones directly onto the surface, so your coring or cutting crew knows exactly where it is safe to work.
Scan Surveys carries out concrete scanning across central London and the surrounding boroughs for main contractors, M&E installers, structural engineers, fit-out teams and demolition contractors. We use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electromagnetic detection to build a picture of what is inside the concrete, then mark reinforcement, services and safe penetration points on the surface, with annotated drawings where you need a lasting record.
London’s building stock runs from Victorian masonry and mid-century reinforced-concrete frames to modern post-tensioned towers, and each presents a different scanning problem. That is why interpretation by an experienced operator on site matters more than any single piece of equipment, and why we scan and mark up rather than simply handing over raw data.
Concrete scanning in London: what is different
A large share of London’s recent commercial and residential building uses post-tensioned slabs to achieve long spans and slim floors, particularly the towers around the City, Canary Wharf and the river. Cutting or drilling into a tensioned tendon is one of the most serious things that can happen on a coring job, so locating post-tension cables before any penetration is routine on these structures rather than an optional extra.
Basement extensions and lower-ground remodelling are common across the boroughs, and they frequently mean coring or cutting into transfer slabs and heavily reinforced elements where the original drawings are old, incomplete or missing. Scanning confirms what is actually in the slab before the drill goes in, rather than trusting a record that may never have matched what was built.
Much of our London work happens in occupied buildings, offices, hotels, hospitals and retail that cannot simply close. GPR is non-ionising and needs access to only one face of the slab, so we can scan alongside tenants and the public without the exclusion zones that older X-ray methods demand. Where the work is noisy or disruptive, we scan at night or over a weekend to fit around building operations and tenant hours.
- Post-tension tendon location in modern London towers before coring or drilling
- Rebar position, cover and slab build-up in older reinforced-concrete frames
- Embedded conduits and services before a London fit-out or alteration
- Transfer slabs and heavily reinforced elements on basement projects
- Scanning around live tenants, with night and weekend working where required
What we deliver
At minimum we mark our findings directly on the concrete, showing reinforcement and detected services and identifying clear zones where you can core or cut. This on-site markup is what most coring and cutting work in London needs to proceed safely, and it lets your crew get on without waiting for a written report.
Where a permanent record is required we supply annotated scan drawings showing detected features, estimated depths and safe penetration points. For larger London fit-outs or multi-floor programmes we can set up a consistent recording format across a floor plate, so the information is easy to share between the contractor, the designer and the trades that follow.
A survey you can plan around.
A clear, repeatable method on every job, so you know what is happening on site and what lands on your desk afterwards.
Scope
We confirm the London site, the element to be scanned, whether the slab is or may be post-tensioned, access and hours, and whether you need surface markup, drawings or both.
Scan on site
We run GPR and, where useful, electromagnetic detection across each area, working around tenants and building operations where the site is occupied.
Interpret and mark up
We interpret the data, distinguish reinforcement from services and tendons, and mark clear zones directly on the surface with your team present.
Report
Where required, we issue annotated drawings recording detected features, depths and safe penetration points for the record.
Questions we are asked about working in London.
Do you only work in London?
No. London is a core area for us and we attend sites right across the capital and its boroughs, but we also carry out concrete scanning UK-wide. Tell us the location and we will confirm attendance for your site.
Can you scan in an occupied London building?
Yes. GPR is non-ionising and emits very low power, so there is no radiation risk to workers, tenants or the public and no need to clear the surrounding area. It only needs access to one face of the slab, which makes it well suited to occupied London offices, hotels and retail.
Do you scan post-tension slabs in London towers?
Yes, and it is one of our most common London jobs. Many modern London buildings use post-tensioned floors, so before any core, cut or drilled fixing we locate and mark the tendons along with the reinforcement and services, and identify the clear zones where you can safely penetrate.
Can you work at night or at weekends around building tenants?
Yes. A lot of London scanning is arranged out of hours so it does not disturb occupiers or trading. Where the work needs to happen at night or over a weekend to fit around building operations, we plan attendance around your access windows.
Where to go next.
Concrete scanning
The full service: how GPR scanning locates rebar, cables and services in a slab or wall before you break in.
Read more LondonUtility surveys in London
Detect and map the buried services under a London site before you break ground, to PAS 128.
Read more GuideWhat is a GPR survey?
How ground penetrating radar works and what it can and cannot find in concrete and the ground.
Read moreSend us the brief. We will scope it.
Tell us the site, the deadline and what you need to know. We will confirm the right survey or test, the standard it meets and exactly what you will receive.
- 1Send the brief or call.
- 2We confirm scope, method and price, free and with no obligation.
- 3Booked, surveyed, reported.