Olympic-Style Construction Technology
With thousands of athletes converging in London to compete for Olympic gold, construction technology has played a strong role ensuring the infrastructure is sufficient. From software associated with BIM (building information modeling), to intelligent GPS systems and devices, the process of constructing and maintaining the facilities in London has been aided in part by solid technology.
This week Bentley Systems, www.bentley.com, Exton, Pa., acknowledged some of its customers that have been successfully using its technology in London.
Edge Structures Engineers, www.edgestructures.com, London, U.K., for example, used structural modeling software to coordinate the structural design work at the All England Club in London for redevelopment of the east stand of Wimbledon's Centre Court. The software helped the company design the facility improvements for the new retractable roof. In addition, Structural Modeler and MicroStation were used in the development stages of the design and the integration of the 3D work for other members of the project.
Overall, this helped to minimize the design resource requirements and helped the team meet the tight project schedules associated with refurbishment efforts that were needed in stages between tournaments.
Technology also helped to construct an intelligent infrastructure for the Olympics. Utility roadwork crews in London have been using an underground mapping solution from Bentley, 3M, Trac-ID, and Infotec. The technology helped the team complete road work in advance of the July 1 mandated deadline.
Through the service, authorities and contractors used the online portal to access utility plan information. The Intelligent Trench product from Bentley works through a combination of RFID (radio frequency identification) asset marking, GPS, a spatial-asset database from Bentley, and noninvasive surveying methods. Through this combination of technology, excavations are able to be recorded accurately and cost-effectively. In addition, work was able to be photographed and mapped on a Web portal.
The service is built to allow contractors and utilities to plan targeted excavations. Such advanced-planning methods help reduce the number of exploratory digs, which subsequently limit the damage to underground assets.
While the world’s greatest athletes compete in stadiums and arenas across London, they can be thankful that some intelligent technology systems helped bring it all together.