The 2021 Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure by Bentley Systems showcased a variety of infrastructure projects globally – five of them are in Southeast Asia. This annual awards programme honours the extraordinary work of Bentley software users advancing infrastructure design, construction, and operations throughout the world.
This year, a total of 16 independent jury panels selected 57 finalists from nearly 300 nominations – submitted by more than 230 organisations – from 45 countries. The winners were announced at the 2021 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards virtual event, which took place last week on 1 and 2 December.
The five projects from Southeast Asia include:
Trans Sumatera Toll Road Project Section Serbelawan-Pematangsiantar
PT Hutama Karya (Persero)
Location: Pematangsiantar, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia
(Roads and Highways Category – Winner)
PT Hutama Karya (Persero) is responsible for constructing the Trans Sumatera toll road, spanning 2,800 km across Sumatra Island in Indonesia. The Serbelawan to Pematangsiantar section is a 28-km expressway projected to shorten travel time by 50%. Located in a remote and dense forest, the project presented data acquisition challenges while working with numerous disciplines and software platforms. Having experience using various BIM platforms, PT Hutama Karya sought interoperable digital modelling technology to accommodate large files and improve project collaboration.
The company selected ContextCapture to deliver an accurate reality mesh of the remote project area in 28 days, compared to the 120 days it would have taken using conventional survey methods. Adopting OpenRoads and OpenBridge streamlined data and workflows, shortening coordination and approval time by up to 34 days, while Plaxis helped avoid potential critical failure due to soft soil conditions. Bentley’s integrated digital solution resolved compatibility issues and clashes, provided data continuity, and optimised collaboration to save US$2.18 million.
Digitisation of Koh Kong 230/22-kV Substation
Pestech International Berhad
Location: Koh Kong, Cambodia
(Utilities and Communications Category – Finalist)
Located along the border of Thailand and Cambodia, the 230-kV Koh Kong substation will provide essential power to 11 rural villages, strengthening the reliability of Cambodia’s grid. Pestech was awarded the construction and installation contract and faced site constraints along with a tight timeline and budget. Manual substation design methods were time-consuming and error-prone, so the company needed integrated intelligent modelling technology in a connected data environment.
Pestech selected OpenUtilities and OpenBuildings to model the entire substation, including equipment and buildings, addressing its entire lifecycle. ProjectWise provided the collaborative design platform. The company could automatically extract materials and construction deliverables, eliminating manual errors and increasing design quality. Maximising design automation through digital modelling accelerated design time by 50%, while coordinated design and clash detection reduced design changes by 60%. Bentley’s integrated smart technology solution allows utilities to keep pace with refurbishment requirements and reduce regulatory compliance risks.
MRT Jakarta Phase II
PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda)
Location: Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, Indonesia
(Rail and Transit Category – Finalist)
MRT Jakarta Phase II is an 11.8-km urban railway development to increase mobility and reduce congestion by providing safe, reliable public transportation. PT MRT Jakarta is responsible for construction, operations, and maintenance amid a complex urban environment, challenging topography, and tight project schedule. Previously restricted by inefficient document management systems and time-consuming manual methods with information silos, the company needed improved project information management to streamline design development and review.
PT MRT Jakarta selected ProjectWise and the Bentley iTwin platform to streamline collaboration. The solution provided real-time access to trusted project information, enabled digital reviews that saved at least 10% in time, and reduced hardcopy paper submissions by 90%. Integrating AssetWise, the company expects to minimise construction cost and schedule overruns. By handing over 3D models and as-built data to operations and maintenance, the company will improve asset performance and reliability throughout the railway’s operational life.
Advancing Singapore National 3D Reality Mapping for a Changing World
Singapore Land Authority
Location: Singapore
(Reality Modelling Category – Finalist)
Singapore Land Authority (SLA) initiated a 3D reality mapping project to update its 2014/2015 national 3D map, improving accuracy and accessibility to government agencies and stakeholders. Covering a 720-km area consisting of over 160,000 high-resolution images, the scale presented data processing challenges compounded by data interoperability difficulties among numerous agencies using varying legacy systems. SLA explored third-party software applications, but needed a comprehensive, interoperable reality modelling and mapping solution to deliver a cloud-based digital twin.
SLA selected ContextCapture to generate a 0.1-m accurate nationwide reality mesh and Orbit 3DM to incorporate over 25 terabytes of data covering all public roads in Singapore, resulting in a sustainable digital twin for a variety of nationwide infrastructure projects. Compared to traditional methods, Bentley technology saved S$29 million and one year and four months, generating a dynamic, national 3D reality mesh while increasing user accessibility by 60%. The project promotes digital transformation and development of Singapore.
Pump Operation Optimisation Through Hydraulic Modelling Using OpenFlows WaterGEMS
Maynilad Water Services Inc
Location: Muntinlupa, Manila, The Philippines
(Water, Wastewater and Stormwater Networks Category – Finalist)
Maynilad Water Services operates 67 active pump-fed areas with 1.08 million water service connections in the West Zone of metro Manila. To ensure cost-effective, efficient pumping operations, the company continually manages the pumping stations and inline boosters. However, its manual processes using disparate databases often resulted in high nonrevenue water due to excessive pressure. So, the company sought an integrated digital solution to optimise pumping operations.
Maynilad selected OpenFlows WaterGEMS for hydraulic modelling and data analytics, digitalising its pump operation optimisation process, and chose a priority facility to pilot the process. Using Bentley’s interoperable, open application simplified data integration, enabling the company to establish an integrated digital twin of the facility network. Based on the model, the company determined the pumping inefficiencies and implemented corrective maintenance, resulting in a projected plant power reduction of 13% and saving US$4,000 annually. The results promote using digital twins to optimise all 67 pumping facilities, greatly reducing total energy consumption, costs, and carbon footprint.
Note: Watch all the finalists’ presentations here to learn how they overcame project challenges through the use of technology and engineering ingenuity.
Image credits:
Image 1: PT Hutama Karya (Persero)
Image 2: Pestech International Berhad
Image 3: PT MRT Jakarta (Perseroda)
Image 4: Singapore Land Authority
Image 5: Maynilad Water Services Inc
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Going Digital Awards 2021: Eight Asian projects in the spotlight
