In Qatar, HOCHTIEF ViCon was involved in one of the world’s largest urban development projects: the creation of Lusail City, an artificial city which will be home to 200,000 people. Lusail City will evolve on desert sand on the gulf coast, to the north of Qatar’s capital, Doha. It will span approximately 37 square kilometers and comprise ten urban quarters, including residential areas, shopping streets, recreational facilities, schools, medical centers and two harbors.

A project of this size means substantial challenges for all parties involved as they plan and coordinate the construction process. Lusail introduced Building Information Modeling at an early project stage to enhance planning and communication and minimize disruptions in the construction process. A 3D computer model of the city’s infrastructure, including its main supply pipes, was used on a regular basis as the project was planned and coordinated.

HOCHTIEF ViCon supported Lusail in this process. Initially, ViCon identified to what extent virtual construction could be applied in the Lusail planning and construction phase. Which software and which hardware were required? What kinds of contracts must be concluded with the companies involved, to make sure that the client has access to all the necessary data at the right time? ViCon has been supporting the Lusail team throughout the project, making sure that BIM is used in the most efficient manner. This includes regular BIM training sessions for everyone involved.

Once an overall process had been established for the use of data collected, ViCon created a 3D model of the city’s entire infrastructure. It was developed using more than 10,000 2D drawings from more than 20 specialist planners, which included more than 100km of streets and motorways, 60km of sewage drains and 160km of rain water pipes. The digital 3D model constituted a uniform database to which all project members had access.

All the individual planning stages were integrated in one 3D model, making it possible to bundle and coordinate all individual plans in a straightforward manner. This meant that geometrical clashes between trades could be identified in the early stages. The model also served as a basis for photo-realistic visualizations and video animations of Lusail. With these, it is possible to imagine what the buildings will look like and how they will work, which is an excellent basis for marketing and PR activities.