Technologies at the heart

One of the most successful developments actively used by designers are BIM technologies. Their use in design of modern complex facilities, which include sports facilities, is one of the key conditions for successful customer investments, because BIM technology can significantly save time and money required for project implementation.

This technology makes it possible to improve the quality of design and at an early stage to provide a complete picture of how the object will look and function. If necessary, the customer can make timely adjustments to the project at the stage when changes do not entail large costs. This is a great opportunity for all project participants to get an almost perfect product that has visual appeal, comfort and sustainability and, most importantly, investment attractiveness.

Now all projects of our company are developed using this technology. For example, the Rhythmic Gymnastics Center of Irina Viner-Usmanova won first place in the BIM technology competition organized by the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation already in 2016.

Another promising development is the fairly young technology of mathematical modeling (CFD modeling) in the construction industry. Prior to its appearance, one or another technical solution could be justified either based on accumulated experience (most often using decisions made earlier for similar objects), or with the help of field tests (creating a mock-up, test bench, etc.). The first option is risky (a similar object can differ quite a lot in its characteristics from the designed one, which can give its own error and lead to the inoperability of the solution). The second one is costly both in terms of money and time, not to mention the fact that not all layouts can be physically implemented. CFD technology makes it possible to solve a non-standard node in a couple of days, and sometimes even in a few hours, make the necessary adjustments to it and achieve the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution.

We used CFD modeling when designing such facilities as the Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Moscow, the Luzhniki multifunctional water sports center, the Moskomsport indoor skating rink, as well as when designing residential buildings.

Before we mastered this technology, it seemed to us that its use would be in demand only on unique objects, but practice has shown that the use of CFD models is useful for objects of any complexity. It can be used to solve such problems as temperature distribution in complex three-dimensional multilayer structures, calculation of indoor climate parameters, air distribution, calculation of pressure losses in non-standard network elements.

This technology gives a specialist the opportunity at an early stage of design to trace the probable shortcomings of potential engineering solutions, and sometimes to understand that the proposed solution is too expensive (both energetically and financially) or not viable at all. For example, to check the conditions created for spectators and athletes, our company evaluated the design solutions for ventilation and air conditioning systems of the main arena of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Moscow using CFD modeling. To achieve the optimal result, we had to carry out 8 iterations of calculations, as a result of which the ventilation and air conditioning systems were significantly redesigned. This once again confirms: CFD modeling and design using BIM technologies allow you to identify problems at an early stage and optimize design solutions. And the customer, in turn, receives a clear, intuitive rationale for the decisions made.

In harmony with construction

Let's see how the use of these technologies really affects the construction process. Let's take the Rhythmic Gymnastics Center as an example. The following stages of the project were carried out for the designed object:

1. Conceptual solutions (stage "C");
2. Stage "Project documentation" (stage "P");
3. Stage "Detail design" (stage "D");
4. Author's supervision.

The “C” stage project started at the end of May 2016 and lasted approximately 2 months. The subsequent stage "P" lasted approximately 3.5 months. The “D” stage lasted approximately 2 years, while construction work at the facility was carried out with a delay of only 2–3 months from the project, sometimes this gap became even smaller, so we can say that the project of the “D” stage, construction and architectural supervision ran almost parallel.

The main design difficulties are precisely related to the small time gap between the development of a design solution and its delivery to the construction site for implementation. Engineers and architects have very little time to make and agree on decisions, and mistakes are unacceptable with such a short time frame.

It is the use of BIM technologies and, in particular, CFD modeling that allows designers to feel quite comfortable in the process of interacting with all interested parties. At the same time, of course, there is one obligatory condition, with which we were lucky: all project participants had modern technologies and design approaches in their arsenal, which made it possible to complete the task within the required time frame.

Read the material on "Agency of construction news" website.