Client: CITIC Architecture Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
BIM Application in the Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station Project by CITIC Architecture Design Institute
Figure 1: Outdoor perspective view of Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station
CITIC Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Wuhan Architectural Design Institute and abbreviated as “CITIC Design”) was established on October 1, 1952. It is one of the large state-owned design institutions founded shortly after the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. As a large-scale comprehensive architectural design institute, it holds Class A certificates in architectural engineering design, urban and rural planning, municipal industry (including road, bridge, and tunnel engineering), and architectural professional engineering consulting. Recognized by the Ministry of Commerce as a key enterprise, it functions as a review institution for construction drawings and design documents of building engineering.
In the 1980s, CITIC Design became a pilot unit for the reform of the national construction system and implemented Total Quality Management (TQC). In 1992, it was ranked among the top 100 comprehensive strength survey and design units in China by the Ministry of Construction and the National Bureau of Statistics. It was the first design unit in China to computerize engineering design methods in 1994, passed ISO9001 quality system certification in 2000, and joined China CITIC Group Corporation in 2002. The institute was honored as a high-tech enterprise and recognized for its integrity in the national architectural design industry in 2011. In 2012, it was listed among the top 100 contemporary Chinese architectural design institutes.
Software Used:
- Autodesk® Revit® Architecture
- Autodesk® Revit® Structure
- Autodesk® Revit® MEP
- Autodesk® Navisworks®
- Autodesk® Ecotect®
- Autodesk® Inventor®
- AutoCAD® Civil 3D®
- Autodesk® 3ds Max® Design
- Autodesk® Design Review
- Autodesk® BIM 360™
- Autodesk® Showcase®
- Autodesk® Infrastructure Modeler
- Autodesk® Simulation CFD
Customer Feedback:
The best entry point for BIM application is through practical project implementation. By mastering BIM during the application process, cultivating a dedicated BIM team, and establishing a management system tailored to the enterprise, BIM can be effectively integrated.
— Ye Wei, Deputy Chief Architect, CITIC Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
In the Urumqi high-speed railway station project, collaboration with Autodesk’s customer service team and peer design units significantly enhanced CITIC Design’s BIM capabilities, advancing BIM development throughout the entire design process.
— Dong Weiguo, Deputy Chief Engineer, CITIC Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
BIM technology has revolutionized architectural design methods, greatly improving design quality, facilitating communication, and enabling more advanced and intuitive concepts for construction, operation, and maintenance management.
— Liu Yijiang, Director of Information Department, CITIC Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
BIM Application in the Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station Project by CITIC Architecture Design Institute
Project Overview
Urumqi is a key city on the ancient Silk Road and has rapidly emerged as a gateway connecting China to Central and Western Asia. As a super-large provincial capital-level hub, the new Urumqi Railway Station leverages its strategic location as the northwest gateway and the comprehensive transportation advantages of a high-speed rail hub. It will become a powerful functional core and strategic hub for Central Asia and the Xinjiang region.
The project involves an investment of approximately 2.7 billion yuan, covering a total station building area of 100,000 square meters and a canopy area of 70,000 square meters. The design reflects Urumqi’s urban character, harmonizing with local culture, environment, climate, and topography, achieving an internationally leading standard.
Figure 2: Visualization of the BIM model for Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station
The architectural design reflects the “Tianshan Snow Sea, Pearl of the Silk Road.” The building’s form rises smoothly from the ground, rounded and elegant like a pearl. Its streamlined shape integrates harmoniously into the city skyline, highlighting the grandeur of the Tianshan Snow Peak, the Silk Road’s history, and the vast desert landscape. The base and roof complement each other, creating an open and inclusive architectural image.
The pipeline collision detection performed by Autodesk Navisworks effectively resolves errors, omissions, and clashes that are common in traditional 2D designs.
Figure 3: Sectional view of the BIM model for Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station
Project Challenges
- Complex construction content with tight deadlines;
- Large scale requiring coordination across multiple specialties;
- Irregular architectural shapes with significant technical difficulty;
- Comprehensive design requirements within a short design cycle;
- As a public transportation hub, the station’s construction, operation, and management directly impact passenger safety and service quality.
Improving the design, construction, and operational management of modern railway stations is key to ensuring efficient and safe railway development.
Due to the project’s complexity, CITIC Design carefully analyzed its characteristics. The station is a comprehensive, large-volume building with complex functions. The innovative architectural design features many two-dimensional and three-dimensional exterior facades, making design and construction especially challenging. Railway station engineering design covers all typical civil building specialties and requires coordination of railway lines and signals.
To address challenges such as unclear 3D information and difficulties in integrating structural, architectural, and installation drawings in traditional 2D processes, BIM technology was adopted. This enables seamless multidisciplinary integration, timely problem detection during design, and improves overall design efficiency and quality.
BIM Application Achievements in Architectural Design
The goal of BIM application in the Urumqi high-speed railway station project is to integrate modeling, clash detection, calculation, simulation, and data integration into a comprehensive 3D building information management system. This covers the entire building lifecycle: engineering design, detailed design, manufacturing, construction management, and future operation management.
Feature 1: Extensive Use of BIM Technology
BIM is applied across building specialties, including architecture, structure, MEP systems, curtain walls, decoration, roofing, and signage.
Feature 2: Successful Collaborative BIM Design
Figure 4: BIM model display of Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station
The collaborative platform supports the full process from project creation, model establishment, analysis, optimization, drawing, review, to archiving. This BIM platform enables seamless collaboration across multiple locations and disciplines.
Feature 3: BIM Performance Analysis
Performance-based analyses improve design quality and address practical issues. Architecture, structure, and MEP teams use BIM models to conduct performance analyses that guide design decisions, significantly enhancing energy efficiency and comfort compared to conventional methods.
Application Process Overview
Figure 5: Sectional View of the Full Professional BIM Model
The BIM design process of this project is comprehensive, encompassing full-team collaboration and covering all project phases from conceptual design to construction drawings and future operations.
During conceptual design, AutoCAD Civil 3D handled terrain modeling in the master plan phase. Terrain data were imported from Google Earth and used for 3D design and simulation analysis, including site elevation studies. Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) supported 3D management and real-time virtual city capabilities during scheme design, aiding rapid visualization for planning and layout decisions.
Virtual reality software enabled realistic interior design presentations, allowing owners to explore different design schemes interactively. This approach helped identify subtle design flaws early, minimizing costly revisions and improving project evaluation quality. Architectural and site road modeling were also fully realized.
The BIM model contains information supporting the entire lifecycle for all stakeholders, promoting green principles such as energy, water, land, and material conservation, as well as environmental protection.
Given the architectural complexity, parametric design was employed in the early scheme phase to refine building massing into detailed shapes, achieving rapid integration of function and form. During construction drawing development, the scheme-phase BIM model was used as a foundation, integrating data from other platforms into Autodesk Revit for detailed design, professional coordination, performance analysis, 3D review, output, multidisciplinary graphic calculations, and 3D drawing disclosures.
Project BIM Collaborative Design Practice
CITIC Design established a complete and standardized BIM collaborative design system based on domestic standards, prior BIM experience, and the project’s specific requirements. This system ensures smooth cooperation across multiple disciplines and software platforms, providing unified BIM design guidelines.
The project’s BIM platform is centered on Autodesk Revit (Architecture, Structure, MEP), supported by over a dozen auxiliary modeling tools and analysis software such as Autodesk Ecotect and Autodesk Navisworks. This comprehensive setup has been practically validated, offering strong guidance for future projects.
Model division during block operations follows two methods: by design blocks and construction types. Architectural, structural, and MEP disciplines primarily divide models by floors, supplemented by stairs, curtain walls, and complex components. Structural models are generally divided geographically, e.g., East and West zones.
Each model segment contains only one or two types per discipline, ensuring completeness and manageability. This approach controls model size, reduces data redundancy, and minimizes workflow disruptions.
Figure 6: Construction Drawings Generated Using Autodesk Revit
In the Urumqi project, the model serves as the drawing standard, directly generating construction drawings. This approach achieved a 100% model-to-drawing rate for architecture, 90% for structure, and 75% for equipment. Views are generated as 2D and 3D drawings via model slicing, with real-time updates reflecting model changes.
All modifications are performed in 3D to maintain model integrity. BIM-based coordination results in more compact and reliable building structure models, especially for irregular shapes, compared to traditional 2D methods. This enables architects to better optimize spatial layouts and structural engineers to simulate loads more clearly, enhancing interdisciplinary interaction.
MEP teams use architectural and structural models as references for coordination, ensuring timely and accurate information exchange. Visualization tools further aid in identifying and resolving issues promptly.
Figure 7: 3D Visualization of the Design Process
Collision detection is a critical design step. BIM software performs clash detection on integrated pipeline systems using Autodesk Revit for 3D modeling and Autodesk Navisworks for comprehensive clash analysis. This process quickly identifies all conflicts and generates reports.
Detected clashes are resolved by adjusting pipelines to meet design and construction standards, reflect design intent, satisfy owner requirements, and maintain maintenance access, ultimately achieving a zero-collision final model.
Figure 8: Pipeline Model During the Design Process
The BIM platform supports the entire design workflow, including planning, schematic design, construction drawings, MEP, green building considerations, daylight and energy conservation. Data outputs are tailored to different project stages and depths.
Additionally, BIM applications extend to construction and operational phases, supporting construction management, cost control, and facility maintenance.
Performance-Based Analysis Using BIM
In the roof steel structure design, stress analysis identifies appropriate steel beam specifications. The architectural team collaborates closely with structural engineers. The integrated BIM model is imported into finite element analysis software for comprehensive vibration and elastic-plastic structural analysis.
HVAC professionals set load calculation parameters within Autodesk Revit building models, generating HVAC load models exported in GBXML format. These files are imported into specialized software for load calculations and 3D simulations of airflow and HVAC performance.
Figure 9: Airflow Simulation Comparison in the Waiting Hall
During design, factors such as energy efficiency, economy, and aesthetics were balanced. When design decisions required owner input, the intuitive BIM model demonstrated feasibility clearly.
To optimize pipeline routing, reduce initial costs, and ensure cooling efficiency in the waiting hall, two symmetrical pipe galleries were planned on the elevated level.
CITIC Design leveraged Autodesk Revit’s advanced construction drawing capabilities to replace traditional CAD workflows. Built-in calculation features were used during design to verify and correct issues promptly, improving accuracy and speeding up the process.
BIM Application Summary
CITIC Architecture Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. applied full lifecycle BIM from conceptual design through construction management and operation in the Urumqi High-Speed Railway Station project. BIM was used to complete design and drawings, establish a coordinated BIM platform, enhance BIM design manuals, and train BIM engineers.
Through collaboration with Autodesk and peer institutions, CITIC Design improved its BIM expertise and promoted BIM technology throughout the design process.
The BIM model’s information meets the needs of all construction lifecycle participants, supporting green design principles such as energy, water, land, and material conservation, and environmental protection.
Using the BIM platform, integrated designs were completed for acoustics, lighting, fire evacuation, CFD simulations for HVAC, interior design, and low-carbon strategies, elevating design quality. Virtual reality and visualization techniques facilitated communication with construction teams, owners, and operators, lowering technical barriers.
Mature BIM design processes and methods have been summarized, creating conditions for broader BIM adoption. Studying BIM technology also supports enterprise management upgrades and guides effective BIM utilization.
Figure 10: Aerial View of BIM Model
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