Project Introduction
The Huangdeng Hydropower Station is situated in Lanping County, Yunnan Province. It marks the fifth phase in the water elevator development plan along the upper Lancang River, stretching from Gushui to Miaowei. The project features a roller-compacted concrete gravity dam, with a maximum height of 203 meters and a total storage capacity of 1.5 billion cubic meters. With an installed capacity of 1900 MW, its primary purpose is power generation, while also providing flood control, irrigation, water supply, soil and water conservation, and tourism benefits.
This large-scale project involves an estimated investment of about 17.3 billion yuan and spans a construction period of 81 months. The main site covers approximately 20 square kilometers and includes numerous auxiliary facilities, such as engineering production zones, residential areas, and processing plants, all supported by a comprehensive road and transportation network.
Adopting BIM Concepts and Technical Support
The main construction area of Huangdeng Hydropower Station comprises numerous complex, large-scale zones connected by an extensive transportation network. Key structures—including water-retention facilities, underground powerhouses, and diversion systems—are intricately designed, requiring thorough multidisciplinary coordination. The design process is highly complex, involving fields such as planning, surveying, hydraulics, mechanical and electrical engineering, and construction.
In response to rapidly evolving design concepts and technologies, engineers from the China Hydropower Engineering Corporation Kunming Survey and Design Institute (“Kunming Institute”) continuously pursue integrated coordination and information-driven, visualized design approaches.
With the advancement of BIM technology and the adoption of Autodesk’s BIM software, the Kunming Institute has introduced innovative design methods. Practical research shows that BIM platforms have significantly transformed multidisciplinary design workflows. Autodesk Revit Structure and Revit Architecture are employed for hydraulic structures, while Autodesk Revit MEP and Autodesk Inventor support mechanical, electrical, and metal structural designs. Additionally, AutoCAD Civil 3D and Autodesk Infrastructure Modeler (AIM) are used in construction-related fields, enabling rapid development and practical implementation of BIM concepts.
AIM Brings New Capabilities
The introduction of AIM enhances rapid modeling capabilities and seamless integration with AutoCAD Civil 3D data, improving visualization and providing robust technical support for planning, multi-scheme comparisons, and presentations. Especially in the preliminary design phase, AIM’s intuitive modeling functions for roads, water bodies, vegetation, buildings, landscapes, and data association empower designers to communicate ideas effectively.
AIM allows importing precise design models from AutoCAD Civil 3D and other GIS data into a unified platform, enabling efficient integration of various model types.
At Kunming Institute, designers utilize AIM’s urban planning and design features to organize and layout hydropower projects—particularly the Huangdeng Hydropower Station. AIM supports 3D collaborative design based on construction layouts, providing an efficient platform for landscape planning. Each model element retains independent information and visual links. When design updates occur, only the relevant files need modification and re-import into AIM, which then automatically refreshes the model, facilitating dynamic, multidisciplinary collaboration.
BIM Model Overview
Designing a hydropower station involves various disciplines, including geology, hydraulic engineering, construction, architecture, mechanical, and electrical engineering. The overall construction layout of Huangdeng Hydropower Station employs multiple modeling tools such as AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk Revit, and Autodesk Inventor. Autodesk Navisworks Manage is used for model review and clash detection, while AIM handles visualization and information integration within BIM collaborative design.
1. Master Plan
AutoCAD Civil 3D’s advanced terrain processing supports 3D layout of engineering hubs and construction planning. Combined with AIM’s intuitive modeling and analysis tools, designers efficiently plan construction sites, communicate design concepts, and compare multiple schemes.
2. Hub Layout Modeling
The hub layout—including mechanical and electrical equipment within the factory building—requires close collaboration among hydraulic engineering, mechanical and electrical, and metal structure specialists. Following regulations, they establish a foundational model and an overall construction layout.
2.1 Foundation Excavation Treatment
Using AutoCAD Civil 3D, a triangulated digital ground model is created to accurately define excavation surfaces for dam foundations. This supports precise construction drawings and quantity estimations.
2.2 Civil Structures
The hydraulic engineering team uses Autodesk Revit Architecture for 3D modeling of dams and powerhouses, enabling parameterized design and coordinated construction planning for the overall scheme layout.
2.3 Electromechanical and Metal Structures
Building on the civil engineering BIM model, the mechanical, electrical, and metal structure teams use Autodesk Revit MEP and Autodesk Revit Architecture to concurrently develop their designs, refining the overall 3D construction layout.
3. Construction Diversion
Diversion structures—including cofferdams, tunnels, and gate valve facilities—are designed and modeled in 3D by the diversion team according to regulations. AutoCAD Civil 3D supports the creation of accurate diversion designs, which AIM uses for visual layout, data association, and information management.
4. On-Site Transportation
AutoCAD Civil 3D’s advanced terrain processing and road/slope design features enable dynamic generation of road excavation and fill surfaces by assembling models. This facilitates precise calculation of engineering quantities and clear conceptual visualization through AIM.
5. Slag Yard and Material Yard Layout
Using AutoCAD Civil 3D’s digital ground model as a reference, designers quickly develop 3D layouts for slag and material yards. This allows accurate quantity calculations and intelligent information management with AIM.
6. Construction Factory
The construction factory model includes both site and 3D factory models. Autodesk Inventor assists in parameterizing complex machinery and equipment, integrated with AutoCAD Civil 3D for precise facility placement. AIM supports 3D layout and information visualization.
7. Camp Layout
Construction camp layouts consist of site models and camp building models. Initially designed in 2D using AutoCAD Civil 3D, these models are imported into AIM for 3D visualization and information modeling. This enables rapid configuration of production and residential areas while effectively communicating design intent.
8. Integration of Construction General Layout Design
Throughout BIM information modeling, design data is synchronized and linked with design files, enabling clash detection, comprehensive reviews, walkthroughs, and animation outputs of the entire model. AIM combines information technology with visualization, enhancing design efficiency and quality while significantly reducing collaboration and communication costs across disciplines.
9. Overall Construction Layout and Visual Appearance
In the 3D integrated information design of the general layout, BIM model integration enables comprehensive informatization and visualization of the entire project. AIM’s walkthrough functionality allows designers to quickly and thoroughly explore both the overall and detailed views of the construction—from the dam structure to the entire site—and to produce high-definition renderings and walkthrough videos.
BIM Collaborative Design
At its core, BIM design emphasizes comprehensive information management and professional collaboration. Throughout the process, files from AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk Inventor, AIM, and other tools are interconnected and shared, enabling centralized, hierarchical management and control. This integration allows all disciplines to efficiently perform specialized design tasks, greatly enhancing productivity.
Development of BIM Applications
1. Transformation and Enhancement of Design Concepts: BIM enables full informatization and visualization of the entire project, facilitating collaborative layout and multidisciplinary design. The latest achievements from each discipline are reflected in real-time within the BIM model, clearly illustrating interrelationships and avoiding unnecessary conflicts and information silos.
2. Significant Improvement in Design Efficiency and Quality: Through systematic organizational planning and BIM methodologies, multidisciplinary collaboration and drawing production are streamlined. Accurate engineering quantities are extracted from BIM models, and intelligent clash detection allows designers to respond effectively to changes, boosting both efficiency and quality.
3. Intuitive and Efficient Design Expression: With the advancement of BIM platforms—especially AIM—designers can effortlessly conceptualize and apply design ideas, achieving virtual interactive walkthroughs and multi-scheme presentations.
Future Outlook – Continuously Evolving Design Concepts
The Kunming Institute remains dedicated to pursuing more efficient design methods alongside technological progress. BIM, as a novel organizational approach, integrates management concepts and technology, emphasizing comprehensive informatization throughout the building lifecycle. For the Huangdeng Hydropower Station project, the Kunming Institute team employed Autodesk’s leading BIM software across various stages, achieving high-quality results.
Adopting Autodesk’s BIM platforms has significantly elevated Kunming Institute’s design concepts and quality. Supported by BIM technology, data and workflows are accumulated and preserved through every stage, providing valuable experience for future projects.
Author: Yang Hongbin
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