Three major construction projects from the UK, Netherlands and Australia are in the running for a major industry digital award.
A new football stadium in the UK, the major renovation of road and tram track in the Netherlands and a level crossing removal project in Australia are vying with each other in the construction category in this year’s Going Digital Awards.
All the projects have benefited from using infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems’ SYNCHRO digital solutions, which have enabled the project teams to plan and better manage people, materials and equipment more easily and affordably.
In the Netherlands, the municipality of Amsterdam is making changes to improve public spaces and traffic flows and as part of this programme, Dura Vermeer and Mobilis contractors were chosen to help renovate 2.5 kilometers of road and tram track, including nine monumental bridges. Upon completion, the Brugge En Straten Oranje Loper project will ensure a safe, accessible, and sustainable living environment.
Located in a congested area where people live and work, the construction site space was limited and posed many challenges. Site constraints were compounded by the various expertise necessary to reconstruct and refurbish the bridges. Given the project complexity, the team knew a 4D solution would be imperative to visualise and rehearse construction plans to prioritize safety and involve stakeholders in project plans.
Using SYNCHRO to visualise project progress, digitise processes and better engage all project expertise around one solution, the team were able to work in a connected digital environment streamlining communication and change management, saving 800 resource hours for a single bridge. The digital construction solution provided real-time resource data and identified 25 risks directly from the 4D schedule, accelerating execution and improving safety.
In the UK, as part of Liverpool’s City Dock Development plan, the new Everton stadium project (see main article picture above) is being built on an existing dock, providing the English Premier Football League team a new home to host club games for their fan base across the globe.
The scope of the project includes building a 52,888-seat stadium within tight logistical confinements while paying respect to the local heritage. It necessitated off-site prefabrication works that required precise planning and coordination to avoid costly project delays. Laing O’Rourke, the principal contractor, has implemented a 4D digital construction approach to deliver the project on time and within budget.
Having already used Bentley’s SYNCHRO to win the project bid, Laing trusted SYNCHRO to help meet project goals, increase communication across the entire project team and effectively plan and execute construction works. The 4D model was fundamental to the team’s collaboration, enabling multiple disciplines to work together to submit the project ahead of schedule and within budget.
Successfully working in a collaborative 4D digital environment optimised project delivery and has transformed how Laing will deliver complex construction projects in the future.
In Australia, the Surrey Hills Level Crossing Removal Project, one of Victoria’s most complex level crossing removal projects, is expected to improve safety, limit congestion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30%.
Situated along a live railway, a 93-day shutdown occupation was enforced where 200,000 cubic meters of earthworks needed to be excavated to build a 1.7km new rail trench and new premium station. Given the complexity and scale of the works amid a stringent timeline, the team implemented a carefully crafted design for manufacturing approach. To timely and safely deliver prefabricated components on site and complete construction works with minimal disruption to commuters and the environment, the team needed to precisely plan and sequence works in a virtual environment.
Contractors Laing O’Rourke used SYNCHRO to create a detailed 4D model, visualising the entire construction programme in a cloud-based platform that facilitated accessibility and scalability across the project.
The company says that using Bentley’s construction management solution to simulate on-site works provided greater visibility into planning and interfacing and allowed the team to identify potential issues prior to construction. Through digital 4D planning, the team reduced the risk of clashes by 75% and scheduling errors by 40%, compared to using traditional construction workflows.
The winning project in the construction category in this year’s Going Digital Awards will be announced, along with all the other winners of the awards, at a special event in Singapore on 12 October 2023.
Click here to view all the shortlisted entries in the 2023 Going Digital Awards.
