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An artist’s perspective of the new Abu Dhabi Fairmont … a
$220-million project.

Infrastructure conference gets down to business

LONDON, November 5, 2014

From Bina Goveas in London

A major infrastructure conference got down to business in the UK yesterday, with two Gulf projects in the running for prestigious awards that are the highlight of the event.

As many as 700 delegates in addition to 100 members of the media from across the world are attending the Year in Infrastructure 2014 Conference, which is being held at the Hilton Hotel Metropole in London.

The event includes the Be Inspired Awards, which honour projects that achieve excellence in design, delivery, and operations across the world through the use of building information modelling (BIM) software.

Two projects in the Gulf are among the 54 finalists in the annual competition, whose winners will be awarded at a ceremony this evening (November 5).

These include the Fairmont Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE, work on which has earned recognition for leading UAE-based contractor Arabtec in the Innovation in Construction category, while a proposed sports campus projects in Doha, Qatar, has helped put global consultancy firm Arup in the limelight in the Innovation in Land Development category.

The Year in Infrastructure 2014 is hosted by Bentley Systems of the US, which offers comprehensive software solutions for the infrastructure lifecycle: from buildings to bridges, transit to utilities, clean energy to clean water.

The competition brings together professionals and members of academia from around the globe. Its goal is to advance innovation and best practices in design, engineering, construction, operations and project delivery; and promote the extraordinary work of the organisations that help sustain the world’s infrastructure.

The $220-million Abu Dhabi Fairmont Hotel, which is scheduled for completion next year, is located in the prime breakwater district near the Marina Mall with extensive beach frontage. It comprises a five-star resort, apartments, soccer field and grandstand, retail outlets, and ancillary buildings. It is housed in two 38-storey towers with a total built-up area of 1.9 million sq ft.

Speaking to Gulf Construction magazine at the conference, Ahmed Balawi, BIM manager at Arabtec’s Building Information Modelling Section, said Bentley’s BIM software has enabled the company to integrate its own in-house designing software, while producing considerable savings in cost and time on the 30-month contract.

On the sports campus projects, meanwhile, which is still in the early design stage, Arup earned recognition for its innovative use of Bentley’s BIM software used for transportation-related infrastructure projects, according to Oscar Julian Veneros, based at Arup’s Madrid office.  Work on the project is slated to start in 2016.

Arup Madrid uses Bentley software to design 90 per cent of its installations: AECOsim Building Designer for structures, buildings, and utilities; InRoads for road design; and SewerCAD and WaterCAD for water networks.  

The Be Inspired Awards has recognised more than 2,000 of the world’s most outstanding infrastructure projects since its inception in 2004. The programme boasts a unique competition – which is claimed to be the only of its kind that is global in scope and comprehensive in categories covered, encompassing all types of infrastructure projects.

The Year in Infrastructure is a global gathering of leading figures in the world of infrastructure design, construction and operations. It features a series of presentations and interactive workshops exploring technology and business drivers, and how they are shaping the future of infrastructure delivery and investment returns.

The conference concludes tomorrow (November 6).

Bentley is a global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. It applies information mobility to improve asset performance by leveraging information modelling through integrated projects for intelligent infrastructure.

Its solutions encompass the MicroStation platform for infrastructure design and modelling, the ProjectWise platform for infrastructure project team collaboration and work sharing, and the AssetWise platform for infrastructure asset operations – all supporting a broad portfolio of interoperable applications and complemented by worldwide professional services. - TradeArabia News Service




Tags: London | Bentley | BIM |

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