Friday evening, 7:50 p.m. My phone rings: it's Jean Caron, president of Antrev & Associates. A space has just become available on the 4th floor of 4200 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, and he wants to market it quickly, with a 3D model that his brokers can share as early as the following week. Monday morning, the door to suite 445 was unlocked, my Matterport Pro3 camera was on its tripod, and a few hours later the Matterport 3D virtual tour was online.
This kind of call sums up my relationship with Antrev quite well: I became their supplier of 3D scans for property management, a component of my service real estate virtual tour. In this article, I tell you about this capture, I show you the result and I explain why commercial building managers in Montreal have every interest in digitizing their vacant spaces.
Explore suite 445 of 4200 Saint-Laurent in 3D
Before any explanation, here's the result. Walk around the room, change the view level with the 3D model ("dollhouse") and use the measurement tool to validate your own dimensions:
Open the 3D tour of suite 445 in full screen
Antrev & Associates: a Montreal-based property management company that's betting on 3D
Antrev & Associates is a property management firm established for over 25 years, with its head office located at 4200 Saint-Laurent Boulevard. According to their website, the company manages more than a dozen commercial, office and retail properties in Montreal, Laval and the Laurentians, and has leased over one million square feet.
Their challenge is the same as that of all commercial property managers: every month a space remains vacant is costly. They work with commercial brokers who have to show the spaces to potential tenants, often in a hurry, sometimes located out of town. This is where 3D scanning becomes a leasing tool rather than just a marketing gimmick.
Over the course of these projects, I digitized several premises for them at 4200 Saint-Laurent, as well as entire floors at 800 Chomedey Boulevard. in Laval, with floor plans delivered in PDF format. From one mandate to the next, we have built a fast and predictable way of working, and this is what allows us to respond to a call on Friday evening with an online visit on Monday.
4200 Saint-Laurent Boulevard: Loft offices in the heart of the Plateau
The building of 4200 Saint-Laurent, Located on the corner of Rachel Street, this 13-story building, originally constructed in 1972 and continuously modernized since 2021, is LEED Gold certified and offers 24/7 security, indoor parking for bicycles and cars, a loading dock, and a fitness center. Its location is unbeatable: a Walk Score and Bike Score of 100 out of 100, Mont-Royal metro station within walking distance, and the cafes and restaurants of The Main right at its doorstep.
The available spaces range from approximately 1,270 to over 10,000 square feet, with large windows, plenty of natural light, and panoramic views. It's exactly the kind of space that a typical photograph fails to capture: the light, the spaciousness, and the loft-style ceiling are much better appreciated when you can actually walk through it.
In suite 445, it is particularly striking: the large windows look directly onto Mount Royal, and the 3D tour allows the future tenant to see this view from every workstation.
How did the Matterport capture of suite 445 go?
1. The preparation (Friday evening)
Jean sent me the floor plan to locate the room, on the west side of the building. John, from the building management team, notified the staff on site so the door would be unlocked upon my arrival. Since I already knew the building and its team, no prior visit was necessary. If you are preparing a room for a recording, my Tips for preparing well before a virtual visit also apply to vacant offices.
2. The 3D scan (Monday morning)
Inasmuch as Matterport 3D photographer, I use the Matterport Pro3 camera: I position the tripod at regular intervals throughout the room. Each position combines a 360° HDR photo with a LiDAR laser scan that measures the room's geometry. For an empty office space like this, the capture takes less than an hour, without disturbing the other tenants on the floor.
3. Processing and online publication (on the same day)
The scans are processed in the Matterport cloud, which assembles the digital twin: an immersive tour, a 3D model, and a floor plan. I then name the model, verify the starting points, and share the link. If you want to understand the technology in more detail, I explain everything in [link/document/etc.]. How does a Matterport 3D virtual tour work?.
Why 3D scanning has become a property management tool
For a property manager like Antrev, a Matterport model isn't just for "looking pretty" in an advertisement. It becomes a digital asset reused at every stage of the property's lifecycle.
Market vacant spaces more quickly
The broker sends a link, and the potential tenant visits the space that same evening, from their office or phone. They show the space to their partner, designer, or CFO. By the time they come for an in-person visit, they're already qualified. Matterport claims its commercial real estate clients see up to a 50% reduction in lease time; that's a manufacturer figure, but on the ground, the trend is clear: fewer unnecessary visits, faster decisions.
On the residential side, a Texas Tech University study of over 140,000 listings found that properties with 3D tours sold up to 31% faster. I discuss this in my article on the ROI of virtual tours for selling a house.
Reliable measures for planning
The prospective tenant can measure a wall, a window, or ceiling height directly during the visit. Interior designers and contractors can plan the renovation work without multiple trips. And from the same scan, I produce... 2D floor plans ratings, very useful for rental offers.
Documenting the current situation
A scan carried out before a tenant's arrival, and then again upon their departure, constitutes dated visual proof of the property's condition. In the event of a dispute regarding damage or unauthorized work, this is invaluable to both the landlord and the tenant.
Facilitating work and construction
Construction teams and professionals (architects, engineers) can remotely access the space before submitting a bid. For more complex projects, the model can even be exported as a point cloud for BIM modeling. See my page on the 3D virtual tour for the construction.
Presenting furnished… or empty premises
Matterport also allows you to virtually "empty" a furnished space using AI. I discuss this in my article on Matterport Defurnish, a function that is part of the series of Matterport's new AI features for property management.
Lesson learned: a 3D link must remain active
One detail that managers often underestimate: a Matterport tour is hosted in the cloud. If the model hosting is no longer active, brokers who have kept old links will find themselves facing a blank page at the worst possible moment, in the middle of a client presentation. At Panosphere 360, I advise my management clients to maintain an up-to-date inventory of active models (a simple local spreadsheet/3D link will do) and to budget for annual hosting. More details in how to host a virtual tour.
How much does a 3D scan of a commercial space cost?
For commercial buildings, I generally charge based on the area surveyed, with a minimum charge per visit. An office space of a few thousand square feet remains a modest investment compared to a single month's lost rent. For a complete portfolio, we can group several spaces into a single building visit and reduce the cost per unit. See my page virtual tour price or my guide How much does a 360 virtual tour cost in Quebec in 2026?.
Matterport or Google Street View for an office building?
For renting a specific space, Matterport is the right choice: measurements, 3D model, floor plans. For building visibility on Google Maps (entrance hall, facade, ground-floor shops), a google virtual tour is complementary. I compare the two in Matterport vs. Google Street View: Which to choose in 2026.
Frequently asked questions from property managers
How long does it take to scan an office space?
For an empty space of 2,000 to 5,000 sq ft, allow 30 to 90 minutes on site. The viewing is usually available online within 24 to 48 hours, sometimes the same day.
Do I need to be present during the recording?
No. As with suite 445, the door simply needs to be accessible and the building staff notified. I'll send you the link once the model is ready.
Can we share the visit with brokers and include it in an advertisement?
Yes. The link can be shared via email, embedded on your website, in a property listing, or on commercial advertising platforms that accept Matterport links.
Does 3D scanning replace architectural plans?
It does not replace a certified architect's plan, but it provides very reliable measurements for rental and planning, and dimensioned floor plans are sufficient in the vast majority of rental offers.
Do you manage commercial buildings in Montreal?
Since 2015, Panosphere 360 has completed over 1,000 virtual tours in Quebec for property managers, brokers, and institutions such as Hydro-Québec, Loto-Québec, and HEC Montréal. I am a Google Certified Photographer and Matterport Service Partner, based on the South Shore and active everywhere in Quebec.
Whether it's for a vacant unit, an entire floor, or a whole portfolio, I can help you rent it out faster with a Matterport 3D scan in Montreal. Discover also my services of real estate virtual tour, of industrial virtual tour and of Real estate photography in Montreal, or browse my 360 portfolio, including the 3D tour of Bombardier's offices for RE/MAX Commercial.
Book a 15-minute call Or write to me to obtain a quote.
Thank you to the team at’Antrev & Associates for their continued trust. Are you looking for office space at 4200 Saint-Laurent? Check out the spaces available on the Antrev website.
