Industrial Infrastructure and OpenBIM By Ar. Prof. Ada Fung and Prof. Wilson Lu

bodies—each with varying project requirements. This diversity leads to challenges in planning, design, construction, operation and information management throughout the process.

Effective collaboration and coordination among these stakeholders are thus essential to achieving shared goals in industrial infrastructure projects. Building information modelling (BIM)—in particular openBIM—together with today’s digital technologies, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT), offers an unprecedented opportunity to overcome these challenges that have long plagued industrial infrastructure development.

PROJECT CASE STUDIES ON THE USE OF OPENBIM

The use of openBIM’s Industry Foundation Classes (IFC)1 in the design and delivery of the Chengdu–Chongqing high-speed railway infrastructure project in China has greatly improved information accuracy and workflow efficiency. By enabling different teams to use specialised software tailored to their specific needs, the project gained better precision in structural analysis, optimised spatial planning and improved coordination among diverse engineering and project management tasks. This interoperability streamlined workflows, reduced the risk of errors, and led to substantial cost savings and timely project completion. Furthermore, openBIM’s real-time data integration facilitated better decisionmaking and stakeholder collaboration, ensuring compliance with technical and regulatory standards.

Similarly, the design and delivery of the 400-kilometre Guangzhou–Zhanjiang high-speed railway infrastructure project in China has showcased the successful application of this technology. A software based on the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF)2 standard was developed to capture and manage design issues, facilitating collaborative reviews of BIM models among multiple participants and software platforms. As a result, the project enhanced construction efficiency, quality and safety, while also promoting the ecosystem of openBIM within railway projects. The project received the Design for Infrastructure award at the building SMART International Awards 2022.

Another application of openBIM is the Integrated Waste Management Facilities (IWMF) Phase 1 in Hong Kong, China. This project aims to reduce the bulk size of mixed municipal solid waste and recover useful resources, significantly minimising waste landfilling. This will extend the useable life of landfills and their extensions in Hong Kong.

Scheduled for commissioning in 2025, the IWMF Phase 1 primarily involves the design and construction of reclamation to form an artificial island near Shek Kwu Chau, along with a municipal solid waste incineration plant with a treatment capacity of 3,000 tonnes per day. The main electrical and mechanical equipment modules are prefabricated in Zhuhai, China, using the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) technology in order to improve quality control and accelerate the progress.

The project has adopted openBIM to facilitate collaboration among more than 30 companies from different countries involved in it, allowing for effective communication and coordination through a common data environment (CDE) and openBIM methods like IFC 2x3, IFC 4, BCF and Construction Operations Building Information Exchange (COBie)4. These methods helped resolve issues early during the design stage and accelerated construction progress, facilitating the design, manufacturing, and assembly of the MiC modules to ensure site safety and reduce waste during construction.

BIM AND OPENBIM

BIM is more than just a digital representation of a facility. In the case of an industrial facility, instead of designing and representing it with 2D drawings and then proceeding to physical construction, BIM allows clients and designers to consider and design it in a virtual environment first. By using a unified set of building information models, it aims to reduce interoperability issues and put stakeholders on the same page—that is what we refer to as ‘the single source of truth’.

The flourishing emergence of different commercial BIM authoring tools, however, has led to new interoperability and compatibility issues. These software tools do not communicate with each other. The BIM files generated by one tool often have unique formats that cannot be readily opened by others. Therefore, there is a global movement to promote openBIM. Led by buildingSMART International, this movement has gained significant momentum. The United States, China, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Hong Kong are active members of buildingSMART in promoting openBIM.

The IWMF Phase 1 involves the reclamation of an artificial island near Shek Kwu Chau.

BIM—in particular openBIM—together with today’s digital technologies, offers an unprecedented opportunity to overcome challenges that have long plagued industrial infrastructure development.

Moreover, the application of openBIM in this project also helped to achieve sustainable outcomes, such as a better working environment; a reduction in material usage and carbon emissions; and the provision of environmental education facilities. The project has been awarded the Special Mention under the Construction for Infrastructure category at the buildingSMART International Awards in 2023.

The Intelligent Water Trunk Transfer System in Hong Kong, China, a pilot project by the Water Supplies Department (WSD) that commenced in 2023, showcased how openBIM could be integrated with other technologies, namely openGIS, AI and IoT technologies. This was done to improve waterworks asset management efficiency, optimise the operations, reduce costs, as well as improve safety and reliability.

By enabling real-time data collection and analysis, the project facilitated proactive maintenance, demonstrating the advantages of adopting openBIM standards and processes in themanagement of waterworks assets for asset owners and operators in the water sector.

The project addressed such challenges as data transfer, asset information alignment and collaboration with consultants, through solutions like COBie, the integration of application programming interfaces (APIs) and early asset information capture. The lessons learnt from this initiative include the significance of capturing asset information early, collaborating effectively with consultants, and contributing to optimise asset functionality in future projects. It has been awarded the Special Mention under the Asset Management category at the buildingSMART International Awards in 2023.

MAXIMISING POTENTIAL OF OPENBIM IN INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE & OVERCOMING CHALLENGES

OpenBIM has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance the interoperability of project information among stakeholders through open and unified standards. It aims to ensure accurate and timely communications and data exchange across BIM-compatible software. The extension of openBIM standards, such as IFC4.3 in 2022, marks a significant milestone for industrial infrastructure, allowing for seamless exchange of multi-domain BIMs. It also eliminates compatibility concerns among different task executors. All these open a new avenue for industrial infrastructure.

However, several hurdles remain to be addressed to fully realise the potential of openBIM. Firstly, it is important to ensure the reliability and authenticity of information within the system. Verifying data at its origin is crucial, particularly in decentralised and multi-stakeholder environments typical of industrial infrastructure projects.

OpenBIM has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance the interoperability of project information among stakeholders through open and unified standards.

The Intelligent Water Trunk Transfer System demonstrated the successful integration of openBIM and other technologies.

Secondly, since openBIM information is vulnerable to falsification due to its open and accessible nature, researchers have always emphasised the importance of continuous monitoring and regular auditing of openBIM systems. These practices can identify security risks and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. Technological advancements such as data encryption, blockchain and watermarking can secure openBIM information. It is also essential to establish clear data governance policies and protocols, and regularly audit data-sharing practices to help maintain information integrity and confidentiality.

Thirdly, the adoption of openBIM requires an initial investment in software, hardware and training. While the long-term benefits are substantial, these upfront costs can be a barrier.

Lastly, stakeholders may hesitate to shift from traditional methods due to concerns about disruption and additional costs. Without a concerted effort to standardise and integrate openBIM across all levels of project execution, its full potential may remain untapped.

EMERGING TYPOLOGIES IN INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE: WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES

In today’s digital age, emerging typologies such as renewable energy plants, data centres and logistics hubs are playing a crucial role in driving industrial infrastructure development and fostering technological advancements. Here are two waste-to-energy facility projects that illustrate this impact.

COPENHILL

Also known as Amager Resource Centre, CopenHill is a waste-to-energy plant located on an industrial waterfront in Copenhagen, Denmark. It converts 440,000 tonnes of waste into clean energy annually, providing electricity and district heating for 150,000 homes. It also serves as a tourist spot, an urban recreation centre and an education hub, featuring a ski slope, tree-lined hiking trails and the world’s highest climbing wall.

CopenHill’s façade features aluminium bricks measuring 1.2 metres tall and 3.3 metres wide, which stacked like giant blocks that overlap. Glazed windows interspersed throughout allow natural light to penetrate deep into the facility. Its longest vertical façade boasts an 85-metre climbing wall, the tallest artificial climbing wall in the world, designed for breaking new records.

Combining innovative design with sustainability, CopenHill was named the World Building of the Year 2021 at the annual World Architecture Festival.

T · PARK

Being the first facility of its kind in Hong Kong, T · PARK is a sludge treatment plant that plays a key role in shaping the city’s waste-to-energy journey. It adopts a proven and high-tech thermal technology known as fluidised bed incineration, capable of handling up to 2,000 tonnes of sewage sludge per day. The facility transforms the sludge into mainly inert ash and residues, reducing the original sludge volume by 90 per cent, hence greatly alleviates pressure on landfills. The heat energy generated from sludge incineration is recovered and converted into electricity to power the facility, eliminating the need for external water and electricity supply. It can also export surplus electricity to the public power grid.

T · PARK can process up to 2,000 tonnes of sewage sludge per day.

Designed by the internationally renowned French architect Claude Vasconi (24 June 1940 – 8 December 2009), T · PARK’s wave-like form was inspired by the nearby sea and hills. The facility utilises sunlight, natural ventilation and green roofs to reduce energy consumption. It maximises natural daylight and minimises the need for artificial lighting. It also boasts more than 70 per cent green coverage, with green roofs that provide extra heat insulation. Moreover, T · PARK’s total water management facilitates the generation of potable water through sea water desalination and the collection rainwater for non-potable uses. It achieves zero effluent discharge by utilising a compact waste water treatment system that collects, treats and reuses all waste water on-site for irrigation, flushing and cleaning purposes.

This self-sufficient complex also features a variety of recreational, educational and ecological facilities, along with a landscaped area designed to enrich the visitor experience.

Reference:

¹ https://www.tpark.hk/en

INTEGRATING OPENBIM WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FOR INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

The use of technology to boost construction efficiency is the way forward.

The delivery of industrial infrastructure can be further enhanced by combining openBIM with other emerging technologies. This evolving landscape is not just about technological advancements, but also about creating smarter, more resilient and sustainable infrastructures.

BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES

Securing information exchanged within a project life cycle is crucial, as the integrity, authenticity and confidentiality of data impact project success. Blockchain technology provides a decentralised, immutable ledger that ensures transaction transparency and traceability, showing great applicability for openBIM. By using blockchain oracles, this technology creates a single source for all project information, eliminating data duplication and increasing security. Digital watermarks could be embedded within openBIM data to verify its authenticity and integrity when extracted.

DIGITAL TWIN

The interconnection between openBIM and digital twin for real-time surveillance and prediction of possible failures is a highly anticipated future development. This would enhance the durability of high-stake infrastructure projects like bridges, tunnels and energy facilities, as well as to improve the life cycle of related assets by providing efficient performance simulations.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

The integration of AI with openBIM is poised to revolutionise the industrial infrastructure sector. Machine learning and other related concepts fused with openBIM tools enhance project teams’ capability to analyse problems, leading to enhanced decision-making and optimised design and construction processes.

Additionally, a growing emphasis on sustainability within the industry is also driving the adoption of openBIM. Future industrial projects should be able to better track, measure and monitor carbon footprints and other environmental impacts with these tools, supporting global efforts to develop sustainable infrastructure.

AR. PROF. ADA Y S FUNG, BBS
Founding Chairperson, Hong Kong, China Chapter of buildingSMART International

Ada is dedicated to the green building movement, construction site safety, BIM development and environmental protection. She strives to promote openBIM to maximise the benefits of digital workflows in the built asset industry while fostering collaboration for smarter information management across built assets and the environment. She is also the Founding President of Hong Kong Alliance of Built Asset & Environment Information Management Associations (HKABAEIMA); Former Board Secretary and Director of World Green Building Council; and the Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong.

PROF. WILSON LU
Chair Professor (Digital Construction) and Head of the Department of Real Estate and Construction, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong

Wilson’s research interests focus on construction management, with a particular emphasis on construction informatics and construction waste management. He is also the Director of iLab@hku, which was established as an urban big data lab to take the opportunities and challenges as instigated by the global visions of Smart City and Industry 4.0.