Services
Engineering
Licensed engineering expertise for Canada’s critical infrastructure. Ensuring safety, compliance, and performance through advanced analysis and practical design.
Structural Engineering
The foundation of your network infrastructure. From new builds to lifecycle management.
Your network depends on structural integrity and your business depends on regulatory compliance. Varcon provides the technical rigour required to design, build, and keep your assets performing safely throughout their lifecycle. With 40 years experience, we specialize in comprehensive CSA-S37 inspections and apply that knowledge to new designs.
structural analysis
Varcon has analyzed thousands of structures across Canada to assess load capacity and stability.
- Comprehensive Load Evaluation: Assessing how current and future communication equipment impacts your structure under various environmental conditions.
- Detailed Modelling and Code Review: Ensuring all structures meet relevant standards, including CSA-S37.
- Actionable Reporting: Providing in-depth summaries that identify structural weaknesses and recommend specific changes.
Custom Tower Design
While pre-designed towers are available from fabricators, Varcon specializes in custom-engineered solutions that meet your unique site requirements.
- Optimized Engineering: We ensure your tower is neither inadequately engineered nor overbuilt, saving you time and long-term costs.
- Construction-Ready Drawings: Our final, detailed construction drawings include all necessary specifications for a high-quality build.
Tower & foundation mapping
If original drawings are unavailable, we perform detailed audits to document member sizes, bolting types, and foundation details to create a reliable "source of truth" for your assets.
Urban & Specialized Infrastructure
Engineering solutions for complex environments, from city rooftops to the interior of high-density buildings.
Expanding networks into urban environments requires a balance of safety, aesthetics, and signal performance. Varcon specializes in the engineering of rooftop cell sites, performing rigorous force assessments to protect the integrity of host buildings. Our expertise extends into the building envelope with specialized glazing engineering and the design of In-Building Systems (IBS), ensuring seamless coverage in complex spaces.
Rooftop Cell Site Design
Urban network expansion requires specialized engineering to ensure existing buildings can safely support antenna loads.
- Force Assessment: We evaluate wind and seismic forces to protect the structural integrity of the host building.
- Secure Mounting Systems: Our engineers design custom mounting solutions and optimize placement for both safety and signal performance.
In-Building System (IBS) Engineering
Our team plans antenna placements and wire routes to ensure seamless wireless coverage within large or complex indoor environments, from stadiums to high-rises.
glazing & external fixtures
We provide specialized engineering for external building elements, ensuring that telecommunications equipment integrated into glass or building envelopes remains secure and aesthetically integrated.
Advanced Analysis & Remediation
Solving the most difficult structural challenges through high-fidelity simulation and innovative life-extension strategies.
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) & Dynamics
For complex structural challenges, our specialized team of stress analysts performs high-fidelity simulations.
- Advanced Simulation: Using sophisticated software to evaluate stress distribution and potential failure points.
- Vibration & Vortex Shedding: We lead the industry in vibration assessments, providing effective fatigue mitigation strategies for towers and masts.
Damper Design & Tuning
Varcon designs and tunes liquid-tuned dampers to provide tailored reinforcement for overloaded or vibrating towers. This innovative approach can often resolve structural issues without the need for heavy steel reinforcement.
Reinforcing & Remediation
We provide cost-effective reinforcement solutions to extend the life of your tower assets.
- Impartial Recommendations: Our engineering-first approach ensures you only receive the reinforcements actually required for safety.
- Failure Analysis: In the event of deterioration or collapse, we identify the root cause and provide effective remediation strategies.
Case Study
Remediating a Tower Foundation in the Middle of the Ocean
A transmission tower on a tiny uninhabited island in the Bay of Fundy showed severe deterioration.
Speak to an engineer
Discover Varcon’s vertically integrated engineering, inspection, and construction management services by scheduling a time to speak with us.