city of Almaty, Kazakhstan
Facts
- ProjectWise and Bentley’s open applications streamlined workflows and communication, optimizing scheduling across 500 worksites.
- Leveraging Bentley’s modeling and visualization software facilitated simultaneous design and construction.
Project
Bringing Gold Production into Kyrgyzstan
To eliminate exporting ore for processing and enable gold production within Kyrgyzstan, a decision was made in 2018 to build a gold plant in the mountainous Talas region, nearby the Dzhamgyr mine. The USD 75 million project included constructing the main building, a crushing and screening complex, a laboratory, storage pond, tailings storage facility, poison and ore storage areas, shift camps for operating personnel, and new roadways and accesses. AAEngineering delivered the winning bid for this engineering, procurement, and construction project that was located in a dangerously seismic area. In addition to the altitude and seismicity complications, AAEngineering had to overcome technical, engineering, and coordination challenges, as well as meet strict environmental standards amid a short construction period and an ensuing global pandemic.
“Without using ContextCapture and OpenRoads, it is difficult to imagine the possibility of designing the multistage construction sites, on-site engineering works, roads, and highway spirals.”
Andrey Aksyonov
Director of Information Modeling Department
AAEngineering Group
Solution
Open Applications Provide Integrated Solution
AAEngineering selected ProjectWise as the coordinated platform, combining it with Bentley’s integrated digital applications in a cloud-based environment to share project information and optimize communication and scheduling among 500 work sites. They also used ContextCapture to develop the basis of a digital terrain model. With OpenRoads Designer, they modeled the facility construction sites and access roads, defining maximum safe traffic speeds and visibility zones, critical in the highlands. PLAXIS provided the geotechnical analysis necessary for ensuring stability of the tailings and storage pond dams, while the interoperability of OpenBuildings Designer facilitated structural and architectural design. Integrating the Bentley iTwin platform and SYNCHRO enabled all project stakeholders to understand the scale and complexity of construction, and allowed for simultaneous design and construction.
Digitalization Drives New Standards
Using Bentley’s open modeling applications saved AAEngineering 30% in design and construction time and up to USD 2 million in costs. Leveraging ProjectWise and Bentley’s digital twin technology in a connected data environment streamlined communication and design review among the geographically dispersed team, reducing time and costs associated with business travel. Performing construction simulation resulted in construction completion and commissioning ahead of schedule, providing additional dividends for the client. Based on the successful application of information modeling and digital twin technology, AAEngineering achieved competitive advantages and established themselves as a regional leader in the industry. Through digitalization, they have transformed their conventional engineering approach, making advanced digital practices a company standard and requirement for subcontractors working with them in the future.
Outcome
- AAengineering relied on Bentley’s collaborative modeling and digital twin technology to overcome extreme challenges when delivering a gold processing facility amid COVID-19.
- Working in a coordinated digital environment reduced design and construction time by 30%, saving up to USD 2 million in costs.
