Here is howArcadis harnessed cloud collaboration and 3D modeling to provide a resilient water system for the city of Toledo, Ohio. The story begins on August 2, 2014, when a HAB in Lake Erie turned the water into a thick green blanket of algae leading to a “do not drink” advisory under the recommendation of the Ohio Environmental Pro- tection Agency. The HAB produced a toxin called microcystin, which can cause stomach sickness, skin and eye irritation, respiratory issues, and in a worst-case scenario, liver failure. The Governor declared a state of emergency, the National Guard and Red Cross set up water distribution centers, and the water system’s half-million service popu- lation were under a do not drink advisory for three days. But even after the contamination cleared and the crisis waned, the threat of HAB’s remained an ongoing concern during hot and humid Ohio summers. The city engagedArcadis to modernize and expand the aging system. To- ledo’s Collins Park Water Treatment Plant had six existing water basins at the time of the algal bloom. Built in the 1940s and 50s, the facilities needed more capacity to handle contamination and to remain operational during repairs and maintenance. Arcadis was charged with designing and overseeing the construction of two new water basins, adding 40 mil- lion gallons of capacity per day, while coordinating across other system upgrades and keeping the facility operational during construction. The timeline for the project was aggressive: Two years of design work starting in 2016, out for bid and construction beginning in 2018, and The Hospital’s large glass walls and roofs, and post-stressed shaft units, as well as requirements for operating rooms and X-ray units, added to the complexity of the models. The hospital’s steel-framed quiet room with elaborate curved geometry was modeled using the Grasshopper- Tekla link which enabled algorithmic modeling for Tekla Structures. The level of detail in the Tekla Structures model made it possible to address these engineering challenges and connect the new hospital to the existing structures. “The connections between the existing hospi- tals and the Bridge Hospital are all on different levels and at oblique angles,” said Jutila. “It would not have been possible to create the new hospital without 3D modeling.”
Exceptionally Detailed Modeling Rather than treating the design and construction phases sequentially, the demanding four-year completion goal required teams to begin construction while the design process is still ongoing, making detailed modeling central to success. Room plans were created almost exclusively by modeling. All building service systems including terminals, electrical outlets and even furni- ture, were modeled and included in the projections. MEP and structural design models have been used as a reference in architectural design, enriching the architectural model.
Arcadis Deploys Autodesk Cloud Technology to Deliver an Infrastructure Project Bookended by Public Health Crises
By Carolina Venegas Martinez, PhD.
At Autodesk, we are increasingly seeing the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry use the power of the cloud to collabo- rate through challenges—those that can be anticipated and even those no one saw coming. To be able to design for and bounce back from disruption is the definition of resilience and has taken on even greater importance in the yet-to-be-defined “new normal” we are living. Take it from Arcadis, a leading global design, engineering, and man- agement consultancy, which just completed a $50 million infrastructure project that started with a toxic Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) in the Midwest and ended with a pandemic that swept the world. They met the challenge—and tight deadlines—by shaking up the way they work.
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