The Dawangshan Tourist Resort Center is situated in the southwest of Changsha, approximately 8.5 kilometers from the city center, offering convenient transportation access. To the east lies the Xiangjiang River, while Dawangshan Mountain borders the west, providing excellent natural surroundings. As part of the comprehensive planning and design for the Dawangshan Tourism Resort Center, the Ice and Snow World and a five-star hotel are positioned on the western side of the entire mining ecological base, creating an integrated complex.
Covering an area of 1.5 hectares, the Ice and Snow World boasts a total construction space of about 180,000 square meters. Once completed, it will stand as the world’s largest indoor amusement park themed around snow and water, becoming a landmark in Changsha that combines entertainment, sightseeing, dining, and more.
Construction began in 2013, with completion scheduled for 2017. Upon opening, Dawangshan Ice and Snow World will be the world’s largest four-season ice and snow theme park.
Image caption: The Ice and Snow World project involves complex design coordination among more than 20 consulting firms, requiring extensive data and information sharing.
Perched atop an ancient mine, the building harmoniously blends with its natural surroundings. Its sculptural shell-like form stretches across the cliff edge at the top of a deep pit, spanning 170 meters and exposing only the east and south sides. Between the bottom of the pit and the Ice and Snow World structure lies a sunken suspended garden, creating a leisure island space. Incorporating elements such as lake water, cliffside walkways, and ramps, the design integrates the building with the natural heritage, forming a unique open space where architecture meets landscape.
The water element in the pit inspired the architectural concept; the roof resembles a water vortex flowing down to the bottom. Another distinctive feature is the central glass cone, which channels sunlight through the structure onto the islands and water surfaces, leaving a memorable impression.
Shanghai Modern Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd., a technology-driven architectural firm with over 60 years of experience, is one of the primary design companies involved in this project. Its subsidiary, East China Architectural Design and Research Institute, along with over ten other affiliated companies and professional institutions—including the Modern Urban Architectural Design Institute, Shanghai Architectural Design and Research Institute, Modern Engineering Construction Consulting Company, and Wilson Interior Design Company in the U.S.—comprise a team of more than 6,000 professionals, including nearly 700 designers skilled in BIM tools. The group has applied Dassault Systèmes solutions across multiple projects.
“This project is extremely challenging,” said Mr. Wang Kai, Design Director and Technical Director of the Digital Technology Research and Consulting Department at Shanghai Modern Architectural Design (Group) Co., Ltd. During the China 3D Experience Summit Forum held in Shanghai on June 4, 2015, he shared insights about the Ice and Snow World project with professionals from architecture, engineering, and construction industries.
When Mr. Wang explained how Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA solution was utilized in the design, the venue was packed, with many attendees standing to listen.
Image caption: Wang Kai, Design Director and Technical Director at Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Group, presented how BIM was leveraged for detailed curtain wall design at the 2015 China 3D Experience Summit Forum.
The project involves numerous stakeholders—over 20 design consulting firms—and demands the construction of complex buildings, structures, and electromechanical systems. This necessitates extensive sharing of data and information, with the BIM model reaching a data size of 2.4 GB and encompassing 33 different module systems.
With a total investment of 2.9 billion yuan (approximately 467.2 million USD), the project’s complexity poses significant challenges for budget management and cost control. The large scale and diverse participants make coordination and communication particularly difficult.
Mr. Wang explained, “Due to the project’s complexity, traditional software simply cannot meet our needs. We require highly detailed design from the start, while minimizing costs, accelerating processes, and shortening time spent at each stage. Ultimately, some original goals had to be scaled back.”
These goals included reducing budget deviations by over 30%, maintaining budget accuracy within a 3% margin, cutting budget development time by 50%, halving drawing review time and work cycles, and achieving a two-star green building design rating.
According to Mr. Wang, the project demanded a platform capable of precise modeling and streamlined coordination. The system needed to be efficient in transmitting information, mature, modular, and open in architecture, supporting various users such as consultants and architects. It also had to accommodate mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP), structural design, team collaboration, and knowledge management (KM) functions.
Strategic Advantage
The CATIA solution enables integration and linkage of reports, spreadsheets, drawing specifications, models, and analyses within a collaborative environment.
A key advantage of CATIA is its portability, as it can be easily accessed on tablets and laptops. This facilitates sharing and presentations during meetings without requiring additional software installations on personal computers.
Mr. Wang highlighted CATIA’s exceptional calculation and drawing speeds and explained its application across the concept, design, and data management phases. The system prioritizes cached data before accessing the CPU and retrieves information from RAM if not cached. CATIA supports 3D modeling, drawing, and exporting functions based on CAD software.
He detailed how CATIA was used for conceptualizing, designing, developing, manufacturing, and planning the construction of the Ice and Snow World’s three-dimensional snow domain. The system is compatible with other software like AutoCAD, Rhino, Revit, and Navisworks, generating precise 3D modeling data within a centralized knowledge management database.
Shanghai Modern Architectural Design Group has also established a BIM knowledge base within the central database, storing relevant building standards digitally. This eliminates the need for bulky printed manuals, allowing easy online access to standards as needed.
Given the large and diverse teams involved, a comprehensive, open-architecture information and drawing database is essential for seamless communication and easy reference. Models and data are stored collaboratively, enabling reuse across projects. Systematic classification improves searchability and access.
Parameters and data ranges can be predefined to simplify the design process. Additionally, the system supports 3D printing to create physical models, accurately simulating exterior designs, including lighting effects and various viewing angles.
Impact
Mr. Wang reported that the CATIA solution helped the firm resolve and avoid numerous issues, resulting in estimated cost savings of around 100 million RMB (approximately 16 million USD). Review times were cut by 38%, and the design phase was shortened to two months. The project developed precise construction plans and successfully met green building certification standards.
Regarding CATIA, Mr. Wang concluded, “The efficiency of this system is outstanding.”
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