Big Infrastructure Projects of the Year: Construction

From finalists in Bentley Systems’ annual customer showcase.

Bentley Systems revealed 36 finalists for its annual customer showcase, culled by independent judges from over 300 entries, projects from 47 countries, the work of 180 firms. The annual customer showcase emerges out of the pandemic to become, once again, a live event, after two years as a virtual event. It has a new name, Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure, but continues with its unofficial name, the Academy Awards for Infrastructure. In keeping with the Oscars, winners are awarded top prize in each category at a formal dinner, which this year is being held on November 15 in London, UK. Engineering.com will be in attendance.

The finalists in the 2022 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure in Construction are as follows.

Image Credit: Acciona

Image Credit: Acciona

Acciona, for removing dangerous level crossings with digital construction in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

A level crossing, with trains crossing at the same elevation, is an accident waiting to happen. The 42.7 km Frankston to Melbourne line (in Australia) has 20 level crossings. The city, recognizing the peril, is determined to remove the level crossings and has invested AUD 744 million ($484 million) and will build 13 new stations along the line. Challenges include working in congested urban areas, software that does not allow easy visualization for all stakeholders or allow a seamless data transfer – the latter, a situation Bentley, with its digital twin application and SYNCHRO, will certainly try to remedy.

Image Credit: Southwest Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute of China

Image Credit: Southwest Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute of China

China Railway 18th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. For application of BIM technology to ultra-deep water transmission tunnel in the Pearl River Delta in Foshan, Guangdong, China.

The Pearl River Delta is the site of a megalopolis that includes Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen – and several other cites. With 78 million people in a small area, it is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Fresh water supply and conservation is of utmost and increasing importance. The Pearl River Delta Water Resources Allocation project is the largest water conservation project ever made in the Guangdong province. The government has enlisted the Foshan China Railway 18th Bureau Group to create a deep, double track water line 70 km underground along an existing 113 km line. Challenges include complex topography and geology as well as working in under and in a densely populated area.

Image Credit: DPR Construction

Image Credit: DPR Construction

DPR Construction for expansion of 20 Massachusetts Ave. building in Washington, D.C,

Just a half a mile away from the US Capitol is 20 Mass, a unique building in a triangle formed by Massachusetts Avenue and F Street. It is undergoing an expansion, laterally and vertically, growing from 300,000 sq ft of office space to 523,000 sq ft of mixed use space. DPR Construction, founded in Redwood City, California, has built as of the suites as it can offsite and moves the prefabricated units to the site for assembly. As use of prefab units is relatively new in construction, DPR had faced challenges in installing the modules. The use of Bentley’s SYNCHRO 4D and SYNCHRO Control to link the schedule to 3D models and design has helped design and construction teams visualize and communicate with each other using VR (virtual reality).