At the Nanjing Zijin Jianye project department of China Railway Construction Engineering Group, technicians faced engineering challenges on site. Instead of consulting traditional paper blueprints, they first accessed their smartphones to use the BIM software client. This allowed them to quickly review the design plans, construction node methods, material usage, and other critical information. This shift is mainly attributed to the project’s adoption of BIM construction technology.
BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an engineering data model based on 3D digital technology that integrates information from various construction stages. Known for its five key advantages—visualization, coordination, simulation, optimization, and graphing—BIM is considered a landmark development in the construction industry, often referred to as the “Second Revolution.”
Visualization of On-Site Construction
The first phase of the Nanjing Zijin Jianye project is located in Hexi District, Nanjing City, adjacent to the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center. It represents the largest building complex currently under construction in Nanjing. The project is divided into two construction zones, AB and CD, comprising 19 individual buildings with a combined construction area of 1.1 million square meters.
Given the scale of the project, the China Railway Construction Engineering Shanghai Branch introduced BIM construction technology to implement refined management and strengthen project control throughout every stage and cycle.
The BIM technology is based on building information modeling. “The information model is like a CT scan of a building, reflecting every detail during the construction process,” explained Ding Shaolong, the BIM technical leader of the project. He pointed to the grid-like model database on the computer and added, “It also helps compensate for deficiencies in design drawings and reduces frequent construction clashes.”
By leveraging the 3D virtual walkthrough feature of the BIM software, the team identified numerous design conflicts during the modeling phase. For example, the basement civil air defense area’s frame beams in Block AB were originally designed to be placed at the staircase corner, leaving only 1.5 meters between the staircase turn and the floor slab. This compromised both aesthetics and construction feasibility. The project department promptly collaborated with the design institute to revise the plans and avoid costly rework. So far, BIM modeling has uncovered 292 issues in the basement drawings of the AB plot, including 147 collision points between the foundation pit support structure and the basement structure.
Each technician in the project department has the BIM mobile terminal software installed on their smartphones. Using this app, they can capture photos related to on-site quality, safety, and construction nodes, and synchronize them directly to the project’s BIM model on the server. Other team members can then view and respond to these marked contents on their computers or other client devices.
This mobile quality monitoring enhances project quality management efficiency. Regular analysis of photo reports helps identify weaknesses in quality control and enables targeted corrective actions.
Refined Construction Process Management
Creating a digital building model means product information can be digitally displayed, processed, and exchanged throughout the building lifecycle and across different phases. The BIM information platform supports construction organization and management with auxiliary calculations, automatic drawing generation, and other functionalities.
Previously, material and supply procurement was planned by the Engineering Technology Department, accounted for by the Cost Management Department, and distributed by the Materials Department. This traditional approach involved multiple personnel and steps, often leading to waste due to calculation errors and inaccurate forecasts.
Ding Shaolong noted, “After introducing BIM technology, procurement plans can be generated automatically from the model by layers and construction sections. This not only boosts efficiency but also greatly improves accuracy, making on-site coordination smoother.”
The basement foundation pit excavation for the Nanjing Zijin Jianye project reaches a depth of approximately 14 meters, covering an area of 129,000 square meters, with a total excavation volume of about 2.04 million cubic meters. Managing the excavation and support system construction for these large foundation pits presents significant challenges.
Notably, the CD plot employs a “new unsupported support system,” with no prior engineering experience in China to reference. Traditional manual methods made it difficult to position prestressed pipe piles and control their verticality using gravity alone. To address this, the project team fully leveraged BIM’s 3D visualization capabilities to research the PCMW construction method for pile installation on the CD plot. Through BIM virtual node simulation combined with on-site data collection and analysis, the team developed a “PCMW construction method pile positioning tool.” This innovation solved the challenges of positioning and verticality control of prestressed pipe piles and earned the first prize in the National Quality Achievement Competition.
Comprehensive Engineering Quality Management
“BIM not only advances technology but also profoundly impacts production organization and enterprise management models,” said Qiang Peng, the project department’s chief engineer. “Using BIM to present process flows, construction plans, and schedule management has completely transformed the traditional text-heavy approach supplemented by drawings.”
During construction, information such as maintenance and replacement cycles for mechanical and electrical equipment is input into the BIM model and linked to an intelligent management system. This creates a BIM-based operation and maintenance management platform that simplifies fault diagnosis, replacement location tracking, and quick access to maintenance plans.
After project completion and acceptance, large volumes of construction drawings, change documents, office materials, and budgets are archived uniformly. Traditional filing systems often make searching difficult. Instead, electronic files based on 3D models are saved as project completion documents, significantly easing information retrieval during later operation and maintenance phases.
China Railway Construction Engineering Shanghai Branch’s comprehensive BIM application—from bidding scheme presentations to construction process management—has earned the company a strong reputation in the Nanjing market. Leveraging its leading BIM expertise, the company has also secured bids for projects such as Jinling Jiangbin Hotel and Nanjing AVIC Science and Technology City.
Recently, the Nanjing Zijin Jianye project was honored with the title of “Third Batch of National Green Construction Demonstration Projects in the Construction Industry” and recognized as a “Jiangsu Province Civilized Construction Site.”
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