Civil Engineering September 2022 | Vol 30 No 8

Civil Engineering September 2022 41 across all disciplines, identifying and solving more than 320 500 clashes on time and avoiding any rework onsite. A BIM room was created to coordi- nate, collaborate, and improve decision- making. In the BIM room, 30 000 stakeholders came together in a virtual collaborative environment to interact with the designers and contractors in real-time. A 7D model was also achieved, with 6D created for sustainability goals and 7D for facilities management throughout the lifecycle of the airport post-construction. From a site perspective, more than 150 tablets were actively used by site engineers and chiefs to share the 3D model, shop drawings, and quality assurance and quality control checklists (QA/QC) with the entire team. The QA/QC checklists are applied to all the disciplines, including superstructure, infrastructure, special airport systems, and MEP-IT. LOCAL APPLICATIONS From a South African perspective, BIM and related technologies could be applied (or possible have already been applied) on our local airports in the following ways: Q Q For existing airports that may be designed using traditional CAD, these CAD layouts could be used (as-builts) as a reference to generate a BIM model that contains as much metadata as possible. For new airports, BIM should be mandated on these projects. Both scenarios will enable a consolidated model (commonly referred to as a single source of truth) that can be coupled with IoT for live data sourcing and analysis for streamlined decision making and maintenance. Q Q For airports that may not have as-builts (unlikely) or may want to enhance immersion for decision making and planning, scan to BIM and VR/AR could be utilised. Scan to BIM involves the use of BIM technologies and reality capture for as-built capture and model- ling, with VR/AR used for design im- mersion. These processes could assist in capturing alterations/modifications that may not be present on original drawings or models, which then can be added and updated accordingly. Q Q By having a BIMmodel, future expan- sion and modifications can be better analysed, with different possibilities envisaged and the optimal, best-suited option selected. Should a BIMmodel not be required or be seen as a non- necessity, IoT and dashboards are strongly recommended to promote better systems and processes computed from acquired data, including better passenger/people flow management. Q Q With power and energy efficiency being a crucial area currently, energy systems can be monitored and opti- mised, ensuring optimal usage, main- tenance, sustainability, and economy. Q Q From an elegance and design perspec- tive, airport architecture and revamping can be better visualised, and with the incorporation of generative design, designers can ensure that an elegant, modern look and feel is achieved in the most cost-effective way, limiting mate- rial wastage. With the incorporation of generative design, components are created that are design compliant and sustainable, using the least or optimal amount of material required, affecting structural design and analysis. Q Q AI and machine learning can be applied to enhance security as well as study patterns and processes that could feed into a model for current and future process planning and risk management. In summary, connected BIM for airports boasts many benefits and innovative solutions, from parametric modelling to engineering design and analysis, swept path analysis pertaining to aircraft and vehicles, multidisciplinary coordination and collaboration, cloud computing and project management, as well as the capability to integrate with IoT to derive live data and make informed decisions for operations, maintenance, as well as facili- ties and risk management.  REFERENCES Autodesk Customer Success Stories. n.da. HDR BIM-Powered Design and Workflow Enable Improved Accuracy and Enhanced Collaboration for The Automated People Mover project at LAX . Available: https:// www.autodesk.com/customer-stories/ hdr-apm . Autodesk Customer Success Stories. n.da. IGA Builds the World’s Largest Airport from Scratch with BIM . Available: https:// www.autodesk.co.uk/customer-stories/ iga-istanbul-grand-airport . Powerful Interface User-defined Beam Creep and Shrinkage Reinforcement Design Polka Engineering Software (Pty) Ltd Cell: (083) 675 5666 Email: coombes@polka.co.za