BE Magazine - Volume 5, Issue 1 - (Page 24) CIVIL Arup began structural design work for the Singapore Urban Redevelopment Agency in June 2005. The bridge is scheduled for completion in 2009, with an estimated cost of SGD$68 million. Arup credits 3D modeling with helping to translate the complex organic curves of the double helix into a functional pedestrian bridge. The 3D model also allowed Arup to standardize portions of the structure to facilitate construction and avoid the premium costs that often accompany projects with complex, nonrepetitive geometry. “Designing a fundamentally new kind of structure using material rarely used for pedestrian bridges was a bit like sailing in uncharted waters,” said Killen. “Bentley’s suite of products allowed Arup to develop more flexible ways of working that enabled us to move with the necessary speed when faced with the inevitable challenges expected from a project without precedent. BE Award Finalist The South Africa Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) began assessing the feasibility of various water-supply options in response to an urgent need for socio-economic upliftment and development, and the planned expansion of mining operations in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Phase 1 of the Olifants River Water Resource Development Project (ORWRDP) will raise the height of an existing dam to increase water yield. Phase 2 will build a new dam on the Steelpoort River, which is a tributary to the Olifants River. DWAF began an intensive environmental impact assessment in April 2004 and issued the final Environmental Impact Report in October 2005. Construction of the De Hoop Dam was shown to be the most cost-effective option for supplying water to the region. The 1,050-meter-long and 81-meter-high dam would retain 347 million cubic meters of water, enough for both community and mining development. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism authorized the De Hoop Dam in November 2005, but subsequent Supporting Sustainable Development 3D modeling visualizes ecological and socio-economic impacts of proposed dam PROJECT OVERVIEW DWAF ORWRDP: De Hoop Dam Visualization Organization Graphic Engineering Solutions & Services (GESS) BE Awards Category Civil Visualization and Simulation Project Objective Optimize the workflow and minimize manipulation of digital data to model the surrounding topography, proposed dam, and rerouted road T he Olifants River, flowing through South Africa’s world-famous Kruger National Park, became the focus of intense study when it was identified as a potential source of water for sustainable economic and social development in the region. A proposed dam on an upstream tributary could supply potable water to about 800,000 people, as well as mining developments in the area. But it could also impact the delicate balance of nature in the 2-millionhectare wildlife park and 1,690-hectare inundation area. v GESS visualized the De Hoop Dam and rerouting of road R555 to communicate potential impacts to major stakeholders appeals by various environmental and conservation groups to reconsider the decision delayed the project. In March 2006, DWAF appointed Graphic Engineering Solutions & Services (GESS) to produce a visualization of the De Hoop Dam and rerouting of road R555 that would help communicate the potential impacts of the project to major stakeholders. These groups included government agencies, legislators, public participants, environmental groups, land owners, and water beneficiaries. Modeling the dam and surrounding area involved the generation of 8 million triangles of digital terrain. GESS delivered the visualization on an interactive DVD that included fly- and drivethrough AVIs, and MPEGs of the dam and rerouted road. A Google Earth™ file of the area, 3D Adobe PDF files of the dam, and 2D Adobe PDF files of the layouts were distributed to various stakeholders for review. Said Brett Forbes, managing director at GESS, “We are not aware of any other product that could produce the degree of 3D visualization required for this project in the time available, considering the variety of data that had to be collected, assimilated, and consolidated into a single model, then exported to various media for subsequent presentations.” 24 BE MAGAZINE | Volume 5, Issue 1
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