Context/Need

Balfour Beatty's Florida team needed to create a more robust and dynamic site logistics plan that reflected the complexity of the site. The traditional two-dimensional (2D) approach was not adequate for this project as it was visually limited in representing the nuances of the logistics plan. To better convey the plan, the team had to find an easy-to-adopt platform that offered better visuals.

Why were the logistics so complex?

This confidential project is in the middle of an active zone which is open to the public. While construction activities are underway, the public will be adjacent. The safety of the public and our workforce is at the forefront of every consideration. Our logistics challenge is to create the safest way to construct next to ongoing, occupied zones—keeping construction activities safely out of the way of the public.

Solution

The project team settled on Autodesk’s Infraworks, an infrastructure design software, as the right solution for this project and client. Infraworks has powerful capabilities to create site logistics plans using interactive fence placement, laydown area creation, and road building. The team built 3D models of the site’s existing buildings and modeled future buildings to complete a real-time site rendering.  These capabilities helped our clients better visualize the logistics and impact to surrounding occupied areas adjacent to the build site. 

Challenges

Learning Curve
The team chose Autodesk’s Infraworks platform to create 3D plans. The learning curve is minimal as Infrawork’s online tutorials and self-training guides make for a quick study. The team chose Autodesk’s Infraworks platform to create 3D plans. The learning curve is minimal as Infrawork’s online tutorials and self-training guides make for a quick study

Logistics and Communication
Even with 3D logistics, the visual plan is only going to be as good as the information used to build it. Continual input from and partnership with the project’s superintendents and key trade partners is vital to a complete and robust 3D plan.

Model in Action

The team used the 3D model to talk the client through the proposed logistics plan. Given the construction activities are adjacent to occupied pedestrian areas, a problem concerning pedestrian access was uncovered. In real-time, adjustments to the model could be made alongside the owner to create a modified plan that allowed certain pedestrian areas to remain open during construction. The owner was extremely satisfied to see real-time collaboration and modifications.

Is this right for my project?
Infrastructure design software can help if your project meets these criteria:

• Projects with site logistics that are constantly changing
• Projects that already have model content from designers
• Additional uses could include civil projects such as designing roads, bridges, or drainage for Infrastructure applications