As a leading construction enterprise at both domestic and provincial levels, Hunan Construction Engineering Group has consistently taken on the responsibility of spearheading the adoption and promotion of new technologies. The company actively pursues innovation, transformation, and upgrading to adapt to the evolving economic and social landscape. Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology plays a crucial role in enhancing Hunan Construction Engineering’s construction capabilities by enabling precise and efficient management. This approach creates significant value in terms of cost control, quality assurance, and safety management.
Hunan Construction Engineering regards BIM as a vital tool for boosting market competitiveness and improving project management. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand BIM applications across various specialized construction fields, including concrete and steel structures, mechanical and electrical installations, curtain walls, and municipal engineering. A dedicated BIM design institute will be established within the group’s design department to accelerate BIM adoption. Additionally, a BIM center has been set up in the general contracting division to oversee and promote BIM integration throughout construction projects. Leveraging the advantages of the entire industry chain, Hunan Construction Engineering aims to implement BIM applications across the entire project lifecycle—from design and construction to operation and maintenance.
The BIM system at Hunan Construction Engineering Group is structured into three hierarchical levels: group level, subsidiary level, and project level. These levels are interconnected through software and hardware platforms that facilitate seamless, closed-loop information exchange. The project-specific BIM workstation represents the third level within this system, serving as the critical interface for information management at the project site.
Project Overview
Meixi Lake City Island spans approximately 20,000 square meters and features a rectangular, artificially leveled landform. The island comprises a double helix landscape structure, a service center with a rooftop viewing platform, a pedestrian overpass, an island entrance bridge, and an outdoor plaza. It incorporates a diverse mix of high-end residential buildings, a super five-star hotel, 5A-grade office buildings, hotel-style apartments, cultural and artistic centers, technology innovation hubs, and other top-tier facilities. The island is designed as a public open space for the community.
Conceptual Map of Meixi Lake Urban Island Project
The double helix viewing platform is primarily composed of spatial hyperbolic bending and twisting components. These two spiral-shaped curved channels are supported by a triangular support structure connected to a dense column gallery. The pedestrian walkway features a 6-meter-wide ramp that spirals upward to a height of approximately 30 meters. Visitors standing atop the spiral enjoy panoramic views of Meixi Lake and the surrounding 40-hectare planned development area.
Pedestrian Overpass
Adjacent to the spiral landscape structure, an approximately 800-meter-long pedestrian overpass extends westward. The bridge piers feature variable cross-section concrete inclined columns, while the span structures consist of inverted triangular three-dimensional trusses combined with single cable arch components. The service center and rooftop viewing platform are constructed as reinforced concrete frame structures. The island entrance bridge is a multi-span beam slab structure measuring approximately 22 meters in length.
Island Bridge
Project Highlights
1. Measurement Principles for Spiral and Pedestrian Overpass Structures
All measurements strictly adhere to the BIM-based construction surveying and mapping precision standards set by the Hunan Construction BIM Center’s professional application system. Measurement workflows follow a “global first, local later” approach, beginning with establishing the planar control network, followed by precise positioning and layout of local axes based on that network.
Accuracy of Autodesk Revit models is rigorously reviewed, with a synchronized verification process ensuring measurement and layout consistency throughout the project.
2. Accurate Measurement and Comprehensive Review
The measurement control network is strategically designed to ensure all control points are properly closed simultaneously. A secondary control network is established based on the primary one, and after retesting, a tertiary horizontal control network is also set up. The control networks are adjusted at various construction stages to maintain accuracy and effectiveness throughout the project. During construction, control points are clearly identified, protected, and regularly retested to guarantee measurement integrity.
Aerial Photo of Construction Site
Future Prospects
Hunan Construction Engineering integrates software and hardware solutions to bring BIM models directly to the construction site. This enables the three-dimensional spatial coordinate data from BIM to guide intelligent total stations for precise measurement. This integration strives to embed BIM technology fully into the construction workflow, delivering tangible benefits in quality, safety, scheduling, and cost-efficiency.
By applying the “BIM + intelligent total station” method to survey and install the project’s unique steel structures, Hunan Construction Engineering not only shortened the construction timeline but also overcame challenges related to precise control of complex steel components. This innovation significantly reduced manual labor on-site, improved construction accuracy for hyperbolic spiral steel components, and received unanimous praise from the project owner, supervisors, and management team. As a standout example of BIM technology application, the “BIM + intelligent total station” approach has attracted widespread industry attention.
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