Many engineering and construction companies in Asia have won the Year in Infrastructure (YII) 2020 Awards for their work on various projects across the region. This award event, organised by infrastructure engineering software company Bentley Systems, took place on 21 October during the YII 2020 Conference – which was held virtually for the first time.

The annual award programme honours the extraordinary work of Bentley users advancing design, construction, and operations of infrastructure throughout the world. Sixteen independent jury panels selected the 57 finalists from over 400 nominations, which were submitted by more than 330 organisations from more than 60 countries. In total, there are 19 YII 2020 Awards winners and 14 Special Recognition awardees.

Geotechnical Engineering, Building and Campuses categories

One of the winners is Golder Associates Hong Kong Ltd, in the Geotechnical Engineering category. The company has been recognised for its work on the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link Tunnel, Southern Landfall, Hong Kong.

As part of Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok Link (TMCLKL), a strategic link that will connect Hong Kong, Golder Associates was tasked with designing and constructing a 5-km dual two-lane subsea tunnel. This US$2.33 billion tunnel will be the deepest and longest subsea road tunnel ever built in the city. The company needed software that would support the complex geotechnical conditions and high water pressure on the project.

Golder Associates used Bentley’s geotechnical applications to help construct the tunnels with alluvium overlain, marine deposits, and thick sand fill. With Plaxis 3D, the company optimised barrette design to use 52 less barrettes, shortening 46 of them by 2.8 m, saving US$16 million, reducing construction time by two months and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1,500 t. The link shortens travel time by 20 minutes and ensures economic growth in the area.

In the Building and Campuses category, Voyants Solutions Private Limited has been named the winner. The company has been recognised for its work on the Bangladesh Regional Waterway Transport Project 1 – Shasanghat (New Dhaka) IWT Terminal.

While Bangladesh has seen a growth in passenger transport, the inland waterway transport (IWT) needed improvement to efficiently transport 157 million passengers annually. Therefore, Voyants Solutions was tasked with developing four major IWT terminals to provide a low-cost, eco-friendly transportation system. With major terminals in cities throughout the country, the company needed to improve collaboration to meet the client’s 30-day design completion goal.

Adopting ProjectWise, Voyants Solutions monitored survey information and transferred it into the design platform. OpenBuildings Designer and STAAD helped develop the architecture and structure design, respectively. The company’s initial design formulation was completed in about a week, leaving only 21 days for the detailed design. By using Bentley applications, Voyants Solutions submitted the completed design in 18 days, three days ahead of schedule, with a team of eight rather than the usual 15. The applications increased ROI by 50%. The models will be converted to 4D models to streamline construction.

Roads and Highways, Bridges categories

Sichuan Road & Bridge (Group) Co Ltd is the winner in the Roads and Highways category. The company has been recognised for its BIM technology application on the Chengdu-Yibin Expressway project in Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

The 155-km Chengdu-Yibin Expressway contains 154 bridges, 17 interchanges, four tunnels, and five service areas. Sichuan Road & Bridge (SRB) was required to integrate artificial intelligence and a cooperative vehicle infrastructure system, follow strict landscape requirements, and construct the project within three years. With so many controlled works and structures on a long road, the company could not execute the design and construction of this estimated CNY 24.6 billion project without reality modelling and BIM software.

SRB developed a construction management platform based on Bentley technology. The company optimised drawings and organised material inspection and construction processes to cut costs. It also reduced resource hours by providing greater visibility into construction methods among various disciplines. To create a safer roadway, SRB used BIM technology to inspect and correct traffic line-of-sight problems. Employing Bentley technology, the company saved CNY 23.3 million and cut 124 days off construction.

Another winner is Chongqing Communications Planning, Survey & Design Institute Co Ltd, Guizhou Communications Construction Group Co Ltd, Guizhou Bridge Construction Group Co Ltd, in the Bridges category. The company has been recognised for its digital design and construction work on the Taihong Yangtze River Bridge project in Chongqing, China.

The construction of the 1,436-m CNY 900 million Taihong Yangtze River suspension bridge needed to push the boundaries of engineering data to improve construction quality and safety. Chongqing Communications Planning, Survey & Design Institute (CCPSD) realised that for a bridge of this size and complexity, traditional, paper-based data exchange and construction methods would not work. So, the company proposed BIM application to enable intelligent management.

CCPSD used ContextCapture and MicroStation for 3D BIM and reality modelling, reducing bridge design time by 300 hours and saving CNY 5,000 in costs. Establishing digital workflows and simulating construction helped the company complete the design 30 days ahead of schedule and shorten the construction schedule by approximately 47 days. The virtual 3D model enabled CCPSD to integrate and manage engineering information throughout construction and the entire project lifecycle, promoting industrialisation of the bridge infrastructure industry.

Some other winners and project highlights from the Asia region include:

1). PT. Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk, which received a Special Recognition Award in the Comprehensiveness in Transportation Digital Twins category, for its work on the railway facility for Manggarai to Jatinegara: Package A - Phase II (Main Line II) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

2). Powerchina Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, the winner in the Rail and Transit category. The company has been recognised for its digital technology application in the construction of Shaoxing Urban Rail Transit Line 1 in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China.

3). Shanghai Institute of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Co Ltd, the winner in the Power Generation category. The company has been recognised for its work on the Shanghai Electric Environmental Protection Group Technology Renovation and Expansion Project for Nantong Thermoelectric Waste Incineration in Nantong, Jiangsu, China.

The full winners and finalists can be found here.

Credits:
Image 1: Golder Associates Hong Kong
Image 2: Voyants Solutions
Image 3: Sichuan Road & Bridge
Image 4: Chongqing Communications Planning, Survey & Design Institute