The Xinjiang 750-kilovolt substation project is in the Bortala Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang, China. New energy in this region has developed rapidly. The installed capacity of domestic wind power is 445.5 megawatts, and the installed capacity of photovoltaic power generation is 530 megawatts. Accelerating the delivery of photovoltaic power and wind power in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture will require strong grid support and high-voltage, large capacity outbound channels. The completion of the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture 750-kilovolt transmission and transformation project will add a new way of delivering energy sources that not only increases the safety and reliability of power supply in the region, but also significantly improves the living standards of local people.
Using a variety of Bentley applications, including OpenBuildings Designer, LumenRT, MicroStation, STAAD, and Bentley Substation, the Northeast Electric Power Design Institute was tasked with delivering a new 750-kilovolt substation. The organization established a connected data environment based on Bentley’s ProjectWise for seamless collaboration among project participants. This CNY 500 million project was only possible by adopting a true design and analytical modeling approach, fully leveraging the power of digital twins to optimize the design work, improve collaboration between design partners, and realize substation savings for the total cost of the project. Leveraging a fully digital design philosophy resulted in reductions in occupied area within the fence region by 30 percent, earth volume by 70 percent, and reduced building footprint by 60 percent, resulting in significant savings in design time, total design costs (30 percent), and schedule (completed three days early).
Yuhang Zu, the lead for 3D designs for new construction, stated, “More applications of 3D designs in transformer substation projects can help us complete more designs better and more efficiently. In real 3D designs, we can express, analyze, and exchange designs and deliver our design in a 2D or 3D manner. 3D collaborative design gets much closer to the nature of design: design from scratch. During this process, a real ‘3D space’ is available for fulfilling our designs, that is, representing and extending ‘3D imagination’ in the minds of the designers. Additionally, 3D collaborative designs place more emphasis on the efficiency of the team than on the efficiency of certain individuals or disciplines.”
Olak Lempit is located within the district of Banting, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Most of the population of Olak Lempit is of Javanese origin who migrated from Indonesia. Olak Lempit is located near the Lempit River, from which the town’s name derives. With its strategic location 30 minutes from Malaysia’s largest international airport, KLIA, and 45 minutes from the country’s busiest shipping port of Klang, the village rapidly developed into an industrial zone with various plants and manufacturing factories, commercial offices, shops, residential houses, and international schools. This growth has resulted in the need to expand the power supply in the region. The Olak Lempit substation will be expanded from a 275/132-kilovolt substation to a 500-kilovolt substation. The owner, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), expects the work to be done using the latest substation technology.
TNB awarded Pestech International Berhad an RM 79.5 million contract to build this next-generation substation in Olak Lempit. Facing a tight 15-month schedule and knowing the significant benefit that this project will have on the region for generating additional power, Pestech undertook a digital approach to deliver a very challenging project. Complicating this project are a number of topological, environmental, and economic considerations. The existing and planned sites are surrounded by palm oil plantations and villages. Multiple contractors will be working on the site to deliver both the new transmission lines as well as other expansions to the substation facility. Utilizing existing infrastructure where possible, while minimizing raw material and equipment costs, places an additional economic and logistical challenge on the project. Lastly, the existing design must be future-proof for future expansion, including the addition of a new power generation plant that is expected to enter the grid in 2023.
To meet the challenges of this complicated project and its environment, Pestech needed a very robust, collaborative, efficient, and digital approach. Using iModels and a host of Bentley applications, including OpenBuildings Designer, ContextCapture, MicroStation, ProjectWise, and Bentley Substation, Pestech created a digital twin of the existing site and leveraged the power of the solutions’ integration to create a new substation design. From creating 3D models of the existing region to checking for obstructions, obstacles, and clashes, to using intelligent modeling to optimize the substation design, this digital approach enabled Pestech to realize a more complete and cost-effective design. Enabling seamless collaboration between previously disconnected disciplines, while also implementing a connected data environment that maintained engineering information accurately, allowed virtual models of the design to be realized.
Because of Pestech’s digital workflows, numerous benefits to the project have been realized. These include a 50 percent reduction in drawing creation time, a 60 percent reduction in revisions due to clashes and interferences, a reduction of cable schedule reviews from days to hours, and a 10 to 20 percent reduction in cable and electrical component waste. These savings have helped Pestech realize an RM 200,000 savings compared to similar projects. Pestech’s digital advancement has realized savings not only for this project, but also contributed to realizing the continued future growth of Olak Lempit.
Sean Lee, an assistant manager with Pestech, said, “[We] implemented Bentley Substation throughout the project [on the] primary and secondary design: Bentley Raceway and Cable Management for cable routing design; Navigator for walk-throughs and clash detections; ProjectWise for document management; and MicroStation for 3D modeling. Using symbol libraries and report templates developed in 2D and 3D are easily produced with reports automatically generated. This had reduced the design time by an average of 50 percent out of the different functions implemented.”
The INR 11.98 billion Chenab Rail Bridge, which is under construction, is located between Bakkal and Kauri in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), India. At 359 meters above the river bed, the rail-arch bridge will be the highest in the world and, with an arch span of 467 meters and 1,315 meters in length, the longest span-exclusive, broad-gauge rail line and seventh longest single span bridge. The bridge is a part of the Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (JUSBRL) project being undertaken by the Indian Ministry of Railways, which consists of many tunnels and bridges in highly rugged and mountainous terrain with difficult Himalayan geology. The bridge will reduce the current 12 hours of travel time to six hours to help stimulate the local economy and provide weather connectivity between the summer and winter capitals of Jammu and Kashmir.
The alignment crosses the deep gorges of the Chenab River near Salal Hydro Power Dam, which necessitates the construction of a high, long-span bridge. A steel arch configuration was chosen for the aesthetics, economy, and availability of local expertise and construction materials. The bridge site selection was based on important technical and geological parameters, such as the narrow valley at the site, competent rock mass at each bank, favorable orientation of joint sets, straight reach, and river flow without cross-currents.
The project faced several challenges, such as slope stabilization, high-wind, extreme weather, seismic activity, and possible terrorist attacks, which required the bridge to be built to withstand 260-kilometers-per-hour wind forces, blast impact loads, and temperatures below -20 degrees Celsius. Sophisticated train control and bridge monitoring are also required to ensure train regulation for wind speeds, earthquake activity, and strain gauging of critical steel components. Construction must be done with cable cars, using the world’s longest span cable crane.
The organization used OpenRail Designer to meet the rigorous rail alignment demands, OpenBridge for bridge planning and analysis, and STAAD for structural behavior analysis of the massive bridge. ContextCapture was used for construction planning, monitoring, inspection, and surveying. The application was critical in managing the construction site progress and conducting inspection during construction to accelerate the project and ensure quality, repeatable documentation of the bridge inspection. ContextCapture helped save 225 days in surveying, equating to USD 40,000 in savings, and reduced construction inspection time by 80 percent, resulting in savings of more than USD 100,000.
B.P. Awasthi, executive director – Track at Indian Railways, noted, “Bentley’s ContextCapture solution empowered our project teams to efficiently and effectively carry out construction monitoring, ensuring immersive visibility, safety, and adherence to delivery schedules.”
As one of the first rail railway bridge projects in India to adopt the latest technology to traditional survey and construction work, the success of this iconic project will change traditional workflows and will trigger the use of modern tools in similar projects worldwide.
The Hannam Bridge was commission in 1976 and, at the time, it was considered the foundation of the infrastructure system in South Korea. After more than 40 years of operation, the bridge, as well as hundreds of other same-generation bridges, are aged and deteriorating and reaching the end of their design life. As a result, there is an urgent demand for bridge maintenance or rehabilitation across the country’s infrastructure while also ensuring that construction does not impede the flow of transportation. To ensure that there is a strict monitoring and inspection system and efficient rehabilitation, the Korean government developed a new bridge maintenance system (BMS). Â
The ongoing deterioration of bridges is a serious concern for transportation agencies and emphasizes the need for a cost-effective, proactive strategy to provide preventive maintenance. Therefore, the establishment of a new generation BMS provides a more reliable decision-making process for bridge maintenance. Object-oriented 3D models were utilized to provide the level of detail, analysis, evaluation, and collaborative workflows needed during the design process and support BIM methodologies required for the new BMS system.
The bridge maintenance team created a digital twin to be paired with a physical entity and then represent its existence to help with monitoring and data analysis. First, a 3D geometry model was generated using the as-built document of the existing bridge using OpenBridge Modeler. Next, a “reversed” 3D surface model was created using ContextCapture and a 3D scanning procedure. Noteworthy in this 3D model is the combination of photo scanning using drones for the lateral and top surface model, and laser scanning cloud data for the bottom surface model. At the end of this task, the 3D models are overlapped based on predefined marks, which are included within the digital twin and attached to the real bridge before 3D scanning procedure. The overlapped model can be considered as the performance digital twin of the physical bridge, including damage records, and represents the as-is model at the beginning of the maintenance project.
Lastly, RM Bridge was used to derive an analysis model from the digital twin for assessing the future behavior of the bridge. Using the digital twin, inspection work can be implemented automatically with a camera and the aid of a damage detection framework, which uses image processing and image tracing methodology. Once the damage is detected, cracks, material degradation, corrosion of steel elements, or other issues are assessed to determine reduction of structural parameters. A chain of analysis cases is conducted according to different combined load cases. The results are then compared and discussed, and the future behavior of the bridge is analyzed. Using digital twins helps the bridge management team determine required repair/strengthening measures in the new bridge maintenance system to better manage the monitoring and inspection system for all Korean bridges.
The CNY 10.5 billion Yaoshan-Luanchuan section of the Zhengzhou-Xixia Expressway is 78.8-kilometers long and is a bi-directional and four-lane expressway, which includes 88 bridges, four interchanges, two interoperability hubs, and two super-long tunnels. The bridge and tunnel ratio is 59.8 percent of the project. The project is critical for developing an efficient transportation network to support the region’s economic development strategy and promote social economic development.
Henan Provincial Communications Planning Survey & Design Institute Co. Ltd. is a one-stop engineering technical service and provides construction, surveying, design, and technical consultancy on highway engineering on projects in China, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The company employs BIM methodologies to improve design quality and efficiency, cultivate BIM expertise, innovate employing BIM data in the highway industry, and reduce the time and capital cost in the design, construction, and operation lifecycle.
The expressway project team faced a variety of challenges to ensure the accurate design of the model and used Bentley’s civil applications to include subgrade roads, bridges, tunnels, and culverts within one model and ensure collaboration across all disciplines in highway design. OpenRoads was used to build a 3D model defining the cross sections of roads and importing data related to horizontal and vertical sections. The project team also used the model for bidding. OpenBridge Modeler was used to build parametric models for bridges with higher efficiency than past work processes. ProStructures was used for models for steel bars in bridges and to detect collisions and errors in design, decreasing the number of errors in construction drawings by 1,350. OpenRoads and MicroStation were used to streamline section drawings of tunnels, set up stations for different tunnel sections, and automatically generate tunnel models. The team developed plug-ins for automatic coding of components, increasing coding efficiency by 90 percent compared to traditional methods. LumenRT was used to produce 3D animation and videos for visualization deliverables. The model was also used to integrate PDF documents and design drawings; and iModels were imported into Navigator to communicate information to construction sites.
The team also addressed how to combine a GIS-based, BIM project management platform with construction management and meet the owner’s requirements for BIM model accuracy, model separation, and member information coding. Using these innovative applications, the project team reduced design errors and changes, provided design feedback, and improved quality optimization of the drawings by 97 percent. In addition, BIM methodologies helped to improve efficiencies in the lifecycle of the project and provide reference for future projects. Reducing the usual design and construction errors resulted in lower construction costs and increased economic efficiency.
Guiting Zhang, director of research and development center for engineering BIM-applied technology, said, “Bentley’s infrastructure products helped us take important steps toward realizing BIM practices for this highway project. In terms of roads, bridges, and tunnels, we improved the drawing quality, reduced construction drawing errors by over 1,350 items and human costs by CNY 200,000, raised modeling efficiency by 50 percent, and created substantial benefits for the owner organization through multiple deliverables. The BIM project management platform combines codes with components, carries multistage data, and controls and manages project construction quality. At the same time, this platform offers a complete database for the later-period operation and management and will bring positive economic benefits to this region.”
The estimated CNY 26.5 billion and 152-kilometer Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway in China’s Guangdong province is a large-scale, fast-paced project that spans design and build and leverages Bentley technology throughout the entire workflow. The main line starts from the Hengmen Island in the east of Zhongshan, connects with the proposed Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, and ends at Enping, Jiangmen. The project includes 21 towns, 13 main roads, two rail transits, and 12 navigable waterways along the line. The construction operation area is widely distributed, requires complex technology, has sensitive environmental concerns, and includes nearly 40 organizations involved in project construction for project supervision, inspection, and testing.
To ensure success with such a significant project, POWERCHINA utilized BIM processes and Bentley’s 3D design and construction software to ensure the efficient management of the entire project. Leveraging digital data throughout the workflow and coordinating across multiple disciplines and teams were critical to the Expressway project, which faced difficult challenges, such as tight construction deadlines, complex business processes, cumbersome engineering data, and sharing of data across the number of entities involved in the project.
Using ContextCapture to create oblique aerial photography, the organization produced 80 million original photos to realize plan comparison and selection, enhance communication, and quickly determine the impact of demolition in densely populated areas. In the design and construction process, 3D models are used to design the planning of the main line and the layout of the construction sites. Temporary land for construction use will be established within the road border lines as far as possible. The sites and space backlog are reduced by 1 percent through the comparison and selection of multiple plans, and the environmental impact and interference with residents are reduced.
By using Bentley’s civil design and construction applications, the team was able to adjust the construction sequence, allocate construction progress, and optimize the construction organization design. As a result, people, materials, and machines were used efficiently, resulting in a 5 percent reduction in engineering cost compared with the original construction plan, saving almost CNY 1.3 billion. Additionally, the construction progress was shortened by 68 days. Â
Based on the cooperation and sharing of the design-construction management system, 124 design changes and 230 quality inspections were handled with no accidents. The development of the Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway BIM project has prompted the design institute and construction units to develop a design and construction-integrated management platform to support BIM processes. Using OpenRoads, OpenBridge, MicroStation, and Navigator, the design institute was able to create an accurate 3D model of the project and ensure accurate and error-free design. The design team optimized the design to avoid engineering shutdowns and increase of quantities caused by design changes, and indirectly saved more than CNY 80 million in engineering costs.
To build the project efficiently, the team employed a BIM process to coordinate and share information among all project management parties. POWERCHINA independently developed a design and construction-integrated management platform to integrate
business data, such as engineering environmental models, engineering BIM models, oblique photography models, orthophotos and design changes, schedules, quality, and safety.
Tonggeng Ji, chief engineer of POWERCHINA (Guangdong) Zhongshan-Kaiping Expressway Co., Ltd., said, “Bentley’s road solution optimized the design process and reduced the increased costs due to design changes. It is no exaggeration to say that from the office, I can now clearly understand the on-site conditions, carry out technical discussions based on the model and BIM processes, and make better decisions.”
The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) initiated an estimated USD 750 million reconstruction project to replace structurally deficient and functionally obsolete interstate bridges through downtown Birmingham. The existing bridges are located along the only east-west interstate through the Birmingham Business District and is primarily an elevated six-lane-divided highway through this 3.5-mile section of the city. The twin bridges include 189 bridge spans, which require new girders and deck sections. The reconstruction project consisted of 23 new bridges, eight bridge widenings, five bridge replacements, and 16 retaining walls.
ALDOT understood that the construction process had to be precise and efficient with as few construction delays as possible. For these reasons, ALDOT used 3D design and construction analysis to identify potential issues and potential construction delays before the project broke ground. The visualization group of ALDOT’s design bureau was tasked with providing a complete 3D model. To support precise cost estimation and lower bids for the project, it was critical that the digital engineering model include accurate and timely data to support multiple uses, including visualizations, design checks, construction analysis, clash detection, right-of-way negotiations, lawsuits, aesthetics, and construction bidding.
The project faced many challenges, including a fast-paced schedule, information coordination, utility coordination, public involvement, and changes in the overall design. Because of public and stakeholder concerns, the visualization group used MicroStation Luxology rendering capabilities and LumenRT to create visualizations that were instrumental in winning approval for the project.Â
To meet the objectives of replacing the structurally deficient and functionally obsolete interstate bridges, ALDOT used 3D design technology to ensure efficient designs, and eliminate costly construction delays. The scheduling of the project was critical, and the design needed to be created quickly and information exchanged across teams to support the 14-month construction schedule.
A critical element in any construction project are utilities, and ALDOT invested millions into locating and relocating them, engaging the visualization group to ensure that there were no clashes in the model. The organization used MicroStation’s clash detection capability to ensure that utilities were properly located in the design to minimize errors in construction. ALDOT saved over USD 10 million by implementing the BIM review methodology supported by Bentley’s technology.
Bentley’s applications also allowed ALDOT to reduce the environmental impact by minimizing noise levels in a developed urban area and eliminating dangerous and unnecessary access points along the interstate. OpenRoads was used to create the digital terrain models, and StormCAD, CulverMaster, and FlowMaster were used to address drainage and utilities design. ALDOT used ProjectWise to allowed designers, department heads, drafters, reviewers, and consulting teams to have access and ensured that everyone was working on the right data.
Using ProjectWise on the project, which is currently under construction, helped the consulting firms save thousands of dollars on time and delivery, and ALDOT to save tens of thousands of hours creating 3D models to meet the rigorous scheduling demands. ProjectWise enabled inspectors and contractors to access design files on tablets, saving hundreds of hours in meeting time and processes used on previous workflows.
Matt Taylor, P.E., state engineer, ALDOT, said, “Using Bentley’s integrated civil design and collaboration applications allowed us to quickly produce an accurate 3D model that included grade, terrain, signage, pave, striping, signals, lighting, bridges, drainage, and utilities. It eliminated design errors, minimized construction change orders, and helped save waste in public money while building safer infrastructure.”
High Speed 2 (HS2), the new high-speed rail network that will run between London in the south and Manchester and Leeds to the north, is one of the most challenging and complex projects that the United Kingdom has undertaken. With trains eventually operating at speeds of up to 250 mph – faster than any other network in Europe – the entire scheme is priced at GBP 56 billion and is the most expensive construction project in Europe to date.
The Skanska Costain STRABAG (SCS) JV brings together the combination of tried, tested, and successful partnerships and worldwide high-speed rail experience for phase 1 between London and Birmingham. This phase includes approximately 200 kilometers of new high-speed rail and four new stations across seven main works civil contracts, three separate enabling works contracts, and six route-wide systems contracts in addition to new rolling stock.
Bentley’s OpenRail solution, comprising applications and services for the comprehensive planning, engineering, project delivery, and operations of rail and transit infrastructure, is enabling SCS to meet the timescales it has set. OpenRail’s foundation, Bentley’s Connected Data Environment (CDE), which leverages digital workflows including those outlined in the PAS 1192 suite of British Standards, is providing the project team with access to trusted information wherever and whenever it is needed. In combination with Bentley’s integrated applications that include OpenRail Designer, OpenRoads, and OpenBuildings Designer, the solution is streamlining the detailed engineering and design of portals, tunnels, ventilation shafts, retaining structures, and earthworks through the automation of previously manual processes. In this way, OpenRail is helping the digital advancement of SCS’s team and work on this complex project in many areas, a few of which include:
With OpenBuildings Designer being used as the principal modeling application due to its data group and information management properties, the team is thinking about the future operation and maintenance of the railway. By linking asset information directly to the design model, SCS is enabling discussions with operators and maintainers to happen much earlier on with a project of HS2’s size and complexity, allowing different stakeholders to comment on the design and change elements that they feel will make a tangible contribution to the safe and efficient running of the network.
“Using Bentley solutions has allowed us at SCS to realize our mission statement of creating a project that will be seen as the ‘Digital Blueprint of Future Infrastructure Projects,’” said Peter Ruff, head of BIM for SCS. “They have allowed us to create, manage, and leverage intelligent BIM models and the data housed within them on a complex project, and see a significant increase in productivity, efficiencies, and collaboration between a large team and a multi-staged contract.”
CSX Corporation, together with its subsidiaries based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of North America’s leading transportation suppliers. With a transportation network that encompasses 21,000 route miles of track in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, it operates an average of 1,300 trains per day, and transports more than 6.5 million carloads of products and raw materials a year.
Each year, its capital planning team receives more than 5,000 requests to replace worn rail in curves from its track supervisors. Prior to its utilization of OpenRail’s Operational Analytics, the team utilized data from multiple sources, including Rail Wear Measures, Sperry Car Defects, Rail History, and Tonnage to research and validate existing conditions before performing a manual review of each request to identify those that show evidence of poor condition. This onerous process was time consuming, tedious, and had the potential for human error.
In response to this challenge, CSX deployed OpenRail’s Operational Analytics to integrate data that previously existed across multiple silos into one interactive and graphical view. The simplification of this important first step, enabling timely access to trusted information wherever and whenever it is needed, provides CSX with the platform to deliver improved accuracy and efficiency from the word go.
The systems’ ability to link data visualization in OpenRail’s Operational Analytics with CSX’s legacy Patch Rail Request system allows team members to drill down into all data relating to a selected asset or work request, plus the ability to review embedded information including supporting photos and documentation. This seamless user experience provides the ability to approve of Patch Rail requests in real-time, has allowed CSX to reduce its annual patch rail planning program by more than a month, and is enabling more informed decisions at every step of the process. Building on the success of this digital advancement project, CSX is already looking at ways to replicate it for other work types, such as gauging and concrete pad repair.
CSX’s Jennifer Hollar, manager of engineering systems, explained, “OpenRail’s Operational Analytics has significantly reduced the time and effort involved in performing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of annual capital planning reviews for the CSX Patch Rail Program.”
The Beijing to Zhangjiakou High-speed Rail Project will become the world’s first high-speed railway with a design speed of 350 kilometers per hour and is being constructed at a total cost of CNY 53.5 billion in the Hebei province of Northeast China.
China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. (CRECG), established as a subsidiary to China Railway Group Limited, is responsible for design and construction consulting of the 171-kilometer project. Using Bentley’s comprehensive modeling environment, CRECG’s design team significantly improved efficiency, saving around three months of design time and CNY 3 million in labor costs. Moreover, Bentley’s software is helping the company to set new benchmarks for rail in China and around the world.
The line, which forms part of China’s preparations for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, is highly complex and includes many firsts. With 71 subsurface sections, 64 bridges, 10 tunnels, and 10 stations, the new high-speed line will be the first in China to adopt a full-lifecycle BIM approach for all disciplines involved on the project. The Badaling Tunnel at 1.2 kilometers in length is the longest tunnel on the line and includes the new Badaling Great Wall Station, which, at 470-meters long and a maximum depth of 102 meters, with passengers traveling at 62 meters below the surface, is the largest underground station in China.
Facing collaboration and coordination challenges among the many disciplines involved, the project group chose to adopt technology that would enable Bentley’s Connected Data Environment, based on ProjectWise, and integrated applications to advance the “industrialization of BIM” – establishing logical links between and within disciplines working on the project, providing ready access to trusted information wherever and whenever required, and achieving the following outcomes:
CRECG’s project team is paying close attention to BIM advancements on the project, creating a unified environment for multidiscipline design, collaboration, and coordination that enables improved quality of deliverables and “right first time” construction. Together with verification of, and improvements to, China’s Railway BIM Standards, CRECG’s approach is benefiting the entire Chinese rail industry, and the organization is taking responsibility for its part in empowering the China dream.
Zhang Zhongliang, director of CRECG’s BIM Center, said, “The Beijing-Zhangjiakou intercity railway is of great guiding significance to other BIM projects in the railway industry’s future. By using Bentley’s technology, China Railway Engineering Consulting Group Co., Ltd. is working toward realizing its vision of intelligent construction, equipment, and operation and is the start of a new era for the world’s intelligent railway.”
Infraero, Empresa Brasileira de Infraestrutura Aeroportuária is one of the three largest airport operators in the world, managing 54 airports across Brazil. It facilitates more than 100 million passengers each year, accounting for nearly 60 percent of Brazil’s air traffic. Infraero is creating a parametric 3D model and database of Londrina Airport’s underground, land, and above-land information to improve its business intelligence and operations.
Londrina Airport will be the first in Brazil to have a digital twin. The final product will include 3D modeling of 20 buildings, one take-off-and-landing runway, two aircraft yards, taxiways, and access roads—a total airport surface area of 920,354 square meters. Infraero is going digital to improve its business intelligence and decision making.
By leveraging digital DNA to manage its assets, Infraero can take a more preventative approach to maintenance, effectively use airport space, and improve airport safety. Maintenance teams will be able to utilize real-time monitoring and control of assets for improved efficiency of remote asset management. The model will serve as a large-scale information repository to improve performance and obtain data more efficiently.
The digital engineering information, or digital DNA, of the project was modeled using Bentley’s design software. MicroStation’s point-cloud import feature enabled the team to model the entire airport via point clouds and conduct point-cloud studies to verify the existing facilities. OpenBuildings Designer was used to model existing buildings, such as the passenger terminal, cargo terminal, and fire station. OpenRoads was used to create the geometric project and runway system surfaces map: a comprehensive model of take-off and landing runways, taxiways, and service roads. When complete, the comprehensive building and infrastructure model will serve as a basis for future airport expansion projects, enable effective maintenance, cut maintenance costs, and increase asset availability. The live model will also facilitate a range of studies: passenger flow, demand and capacity, layout changes, and launch studies for new commercial areas.
Infraero has already experienced savings of BRL 540,000 per year with improved information management. The company plans to expand its use of BIM methods in the operation and maintenance phase of its other assets. The Digital Airport Pilot Project at Londrina Airport will serve as a model as the other 53 airports managed by Infraero seek to effectively leverage their digital DNA.
PatrĂcia Oliveira, BIM champion, Infraero, said, “[Bentley’s software enabled] comprehensive digital modeling [to] promote integration and collaboration across different areas of the company. [This will] benefit all business sectors [and offer] consistent and up-to-date information to all stakeholders.”
Londrina Airport is the first airport in the region to effectively leverage its digital DNA to improve business intelligence, asset management, and operations; it serves as an example for other airport owner-operators in the region that seek to promote safe and high-quality airport infrastructure.
Voyants Solutions Private Limited was selected to design an iconic new Gwalior Railway Station that would complement the existing station and attract tourism. The firm used BIM models and workflows to optimize building design and incorporate existing structures. Voyants Solutions designed a structure and development plan that specifically accommodated the challenging requirement of keeping the existing station fully operational during construction.
Like the city of Gwalior, the railway station will be a combination of new and old. The station sits between the old city of Gwalior to the west and the new settlement to the east. The proposed design embraces the old heritage station, which remains a focal point, and adds a light-weight shell structure based on the arch of the existing building. These new modular three-dimensional arches will bring light and new life to the complex. The project designers faced unique constraints to their design since the station will remain fully operational with all platforms open during construction. Voyants Solutions determined that it could meet these specifications with a framed structure, where multiple components could be fabricated off-site and placed in position with the help of cranes. The construction team would cast the pile foundations in-situ, using auger boring and self-compacting concrete.
Voyants Solutions constructed a complete BIM model using Bentley software. They designed the structure in MicroStation and STAAD.Pro, then created a digital engineering model in OpenBuildings Designer. The design required parametric modeling, 3D modeling, and animation. Given the parametrically controlled model, a base component was generated and informed based on site constraints. The complete BIM model made it easy to understand design requirements and optimize project results. Sustainability was a key feature of the design. The team used building energy modeling technology to optimize natural light and minimize the heat gain of the building. By incorporating large overhangs, shading features, and natural ventilation, the firm reduced the heat gain of the building by 40 percent.
A team of five designers at Voyants Solutions prepared the plan set and 3D model for this project in one month. Voyants Solutions estimated labor-hour savings of 30 percent for this proposal and a 500 percent ROI for the project. Bentley software helped the organization industrialize its BIM workflows to quickly deliver a high-quality design with a cohesive scheme.
Upendar Rao Kollu, managing director at Voyants Solutions, said, “Innovative designs need innovative applications. Bentley applications have allowed the multidiscipline team to work on a single platform and create iconic designs.” The Voyants Solutions team succeeded in creating a visually stunning and functional design for the Gwalior Railway Station that will improve passenger-related amenities, serve as a community hub, and contribute to the economic development of the local community.
Geomag.fr est le site Internet de la revue Géomatique Expert. Géomatique Expert est une revue du groupe Cimax (mentions légales).
Cimax / GĂ©omatique Expert - 5 rue Olivier NOYER - 75014 Paris
