Subsurface Modeling and Analysis Finalists in the 2023 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure Featured

The annual awards program honors the extraordinary work of Bentley software users advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world. Twelve independent jury panels, representing 12 award categories, selected the 36 finalists from over 300 nominations submitted by 235 organizations from 51 countries.

Representatives from the finalists’ organizations will present their projects to a panel of independent judges to determine the winners and meet with global press and industry executives at the 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event, which will be held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, October 11-12, 2023.

ARCADIS: South Dock Bridge

Location: London, United Kingdom 

Project Playbook: Bentley Configuration Explorer, GeoStudio, iTwin, Leapfrog Geo, Leapfrog Works, OpenBridge Designer, OpenBridge Modeler, OpenGround, PLAXIS, ProjectWise 

A new South Dock pedestrian bridge has been proposed in London’s iconic Canary Wharf that will improve urban connectivity and encourage active sustainable transport, reducing carbon emissions. Designed as a bascule bridge with an overall span of 75 meters and a lifting span of 35 meters, the project presents technical and architectural challenges while being in a high-profile area. Arcadis needed an integrated digital solution to meet the unique engineering demands, compounded by coordinating voluminous data amid multiple disciplines and stakeholders.

Leveraging ProjectWise, Leapfrog, OpenGround, and iTwin, Arcadis established a federated model and single source of truth, centralizing and visualizing ground investigation data, resulting in an accurate representation of subsurface geology. The integrated digital approach optimized analysis of ground variability, reducing ground investigation scope by 30%, saving GBP 70,000. The interoperability and connectivity of Bentley’s applications saved 1,000 resource hours, equivalent to 12% of design costs. Through digital planning and design, the team reduced embodied carbon and provided a basis for construction monitoring and proactive maintenance, minimizing environmental impact.

OCEANAGOLD: Validation Of Digital Management Tools For OceanaGold's Waihi Tailings Storage Facility

Location: Waihi, Waikato, New Zealand 

Project Playbook: GeoStudio, iTwin IoT, Leapfrog Geo, Seequent Central 

OceanaGold initiated this pilot project to validate the use of digital applications for safer, more effective management of their Waihi Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) in New Zealand. Typically, TSFs are designed, built, and operated using manual observational methods, data comparison, and reporting processes. Faced with vast amounts of siloed data, OceanaGold sought to integrate their data sets and develop a cloud-based digital twin for collaborative, proactive deformation monitoring by both internal and external engineers.

They selected Seequent Central, Leapfrog Geo, GeoStudio, and iTwin IoT to develop 3D geological and geotechnical models and a digital twin in a dynamic, cloud-based environment, facilitating digital monitoring and automated, consistent reporting. Combining observed and real-time data within the digital twin provides a proactive virtual paradigm for better understanding of the safety of the physical asset, optimizing prediction and preventive capabilities. The solution allows for ore responsive management and governance ensuring resilience, ultimately minimizing risk of environmental or social impacts of the TSF in New Zealand’s Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.

PROF. QUICK UND KOLLEGEN GMBH: Deutsche Bahn Neubaustrecke Gelnhausen - Fulda

Location: Gelnhausen, Hessen, Germany

Project Playbook: Leapfrog Works, PLAXIS, PLAXIS 2D, PLAXIS 2D Output Viewer 

To accommodate an increase in passengers along the Gelnhausen-Fulda railroad line in the Rhine-Main area of Hessen, a new high-speed traffic line will eliminate bottlenecks and shorten journey times. Prof. Quick und Kollegen were commissioned to perform the geotechnical investigation to determine an optimal route option and explore the geotechnical feasibility of tunnels while protecting the local environment and the community. Faced with complex subsoil and voluminous data capture and coordination issues when developing the required 3D models, they realized that they needed to establish BIM workflows in a common data environment.

Leveraging PLAXIS and Leapfrog Works, they established a connected data environment and single source of truth for all geotechnical information, building a 3D ground model that covers 200 meters used to perform accurate geotechnical calculations. The solution helped explore 100 boreholes, define excavated material quantities, and pursue digital risk management. As a pioneer project in Germany for geotechnical BIM application, the team is promoting Leapfrog Works and the benefits that digitization can bring to other geotechnical engineering firms and the environment.

Chris Bradshaw, Bentley Systems’ Chief Marketing Officer, said, “We are so excited to be back in Singapore to present the Going Digital Awards finalists in front of our users and those attending virtually, as well as invited press and analysts at the 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards event. These projects reflect how organizations have improved their workflows by embracing digital technologies to maximize efficiency and cost savings. I congratulate the finalists for advancing infrastructure intelligence by adopting Bentley Infrastructure Cloud, iTwin Platform and products, and Bentley Open Applications, and I wish them success on their future projects.”

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