BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a cutting-edge technology and workflow that offers a comprehensive, multidimensional, and collaborative digital approach throughout the entire lifecycle of engineering projects — from planning and design to construction and operation. By leveraging BIM, project owners gain valuable decision-making support, design and construction teams enhance their capability to manage large-scale projects, and the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry moves towards a future of integrated design, construction, and facility management.
The Xuzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium features a semi-rigid structural system, presenting unique technical challenges in both design and construction phases. To overcome these challenges, BIM technology was adopted to facilitate project delivery. A key initial step involved developing a specialized family library tailored to the project’s needs. This included creating specific families such as ear plates, cable clamps, cable heads, cable bodies, and complex nodes unique to the stadium’s prestressed structure. Precise model positioning is also critical to achieving accurate BIM modeling.
For stakeholders, BIM offers diverse technical capabilities: owners benefit from planning rehearsals, site analysis, building performance predictions, and cost estimations; designers leverage visual and collaborative design, performance-based analysis, quantity takeoffs, and integrated piping systems; construction teams gain from progress simulations, digital construction management, material tracking, visual oversight, and coordination; and during operations, BIM supports virtual reality walkthroughs, asset and space management, system analyses, and emergency response simulations.
BIM Family Library Development
The Xuzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium features a massive, complex cable-supported grid structure with an elliptical footprint measuring approximately 263 by 243 meters. The stadium’s central opening spans roughly 200 by 129 meters. The tallest point of the structure reaches about 45.2 meters, supported by 42 cantilevered steel frames with cable awnings. Cantilever lengths vary between 16 and 39.9 meters. The lower chord consists of a ring cable and 42 radial cables, each with specifications such as 6φ 121 and lengths around 587 meters. Radial cables include φ 90, φ 100, and φ 127, while four diagonal cables are arranged along the short axis, specified at φ 70. All cables feature a zinc-5% aluminum-rare earth alloy coating for durability.
Family Library Standards — Prestressed steel structures demand precise component cutting, carefully planned construction sequences, and accurate cable tensioning to ensure structural integrity and design compliance. Due to the complexity and strict requirements of prestressed steel construction, BIM family libraries for the Xuzhou project were developed with extensive information and parameter-driven functionalities. Customized family templates were created based on Revit Structure’s original templates, integrating company-specific design practices and experience. These templates incorporate essential parameters such as dimensions, stress, cost, materials, and construction sequencing to support both building and future maintenance needs.
Creation of the Family Library — Given the complexity of the stadium’s structure, establishing a prestressed steel family library was a crucial step. The library primarily includes families for ear plates, cable clips, cable heads, cable bodies, and complex connection nodes, all specifically designed for the Xuzhou Sports Stadium. These families are highly parameterized, allowing their attributes to be adapted for various projects, which enhances their versatility and scalability.
Building the BIM 3D Model
Model Positioning Technology — The intricate design of the Xuzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium requires precise installation and positioning of structural components, making accurate model placement a key BIM skill. Two main approaches were employed for model positioning. The 3D model comprehensively represents the spatial form of the structure, linking all plan, elevation, and section views. Once the 3D model is established, corresponding 2D views can be generated quickly and efficiently, avoiding the labor-intensive process of manual 2D drafting.
The BIM model was developed by importing AutoCAD axes and utilizing the custom families. The process began by tracing the steel grid axes, followed by modeling the cable bodies through similar tracing methods. Parameterization allowed modifications to steel beam cross-sections and cable bodies, as well as modeling connection nodes between cables and steel grids. These connection nodes were built using the prestressed component families customized to the company’s drawing standards and expertise. Once all components were modeled, final details such as pin axes and bolts were added to complete the overall model. The success of the model hinges on accurate positioning and selecting appropriate families to build the model efficiently.
BIM Model Construction and Dynamic Simulation — BIM aims to enable full lifecycle building management. Its application in construction allows for 4D simulation, incorporating time and spatial data to visualize construction progress dynamically. Construction projects, especially those of large scale and complexity, require meticulous planning and management. By integrating BIM with construction schedules, stakeholders can create visual 4D models that intuitively and accurately represent the entire building process.
4D simulation supports the development of optimized construction plans, better progress monitoring, efficient resource allocation, and improved site management. This integration facilitates unified control over project progress, resources, and quality, ultimately leading to reduced construction time, lower costs, and enhanced quality. Additionally, simulation provides a platform to test and compare different construction strategies, enabling the selection of the most effective approach.
Dynamic Simulation Results — BIM technology was employed to simulate both the construction progress and cable tensioning of the Xuzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. This simulation vividly illustrates the dynamic construction process. The construction simulation was performed by importing Navisworks files and construction schedules exported from Revit Structure into Navisworks software, where the Timeline feature was used to replicate the entire roof construction sequence based on defined rules.
BIM has revolutionized building structures by enabling rapid, accurate model creation in software like Revit Structure, alongside construction simulation and management through tools like Navisworks. The successful application of BIM at the Xuzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium highlights its effectiveness in prestressed steel structures, offering valuable lessons for future projects. The parameterized prestressed steel family components provide significant potential for expansion. Moreover, the precise model positioning technology and construction simulation methods developed are highly beneficial and recommended for broader adoption within the industry.
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