Course 1 - BIM fundamentals applied to dam engineering - from digitalisation to openBIM approach

LNEC, Library

About the Course

The adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is increasing worldwide as the construction industry becomes more aware of its benefits. For example, UK government mandated BIM in April 2016 for all central government-funded construction projects, requiring “fully collaborative 3D BIM”. Recognizing the immense potential of BIM, countries worldwide are swiftly adopting policies and mandating its use in public infrastructure projects. By embracing BIM, these nations aim to enhance project quality, reduce costs, and foster innovation in the construction industry.

Large hydraulic infrastructures, such as dams, involve hydrological, structural and geotechnical challenges, supported by prospecting and material characterization tests and observation and instrumentation plans. BIM methodology is expected to play a crucial role in dam design and construction by enhancing precision, coordination, safety and overall project efficiency. Moreover, BIM can streamline dam maintenance by providing a centralized, data-rich platform for asset management, inspections, predictive maintenance, and collaboration.

This course aims to present the fundamental concepts of BIM methodology focusing on the aspects of dam engineering. The first part of the course will address the general concepts of BIM and the need for standardization and OpenBIM. The second part will present BIM implementation regarding design, construction and operation and maintenance with application used by the industry and digitalization techniques for safety control activities. During the course, there will be practical examples for the participants to follow and to be engaged.


Speakers

     Miguel Azenha      Associate Professor with Habilitation, Universidade do Minho (UM), Portugal

Miguel Azenha is Associate Professor with Habilitation at the Structural Division in the Department of Civil Engineering, University of Minho, His research interests comprise: (i) numerical and experimental study of concrete at early ages regarding phenomena such as thermo-hygral-mechanical couplings, concrete properties evolution during hydration, creep and shrinkage; (ii) use of digital processes in construction, namely Building Information Modelling.Chair of RILEM TC 287-CCS “Early age and long-term crack width analysis in RC Structures” and past Chair of COST Action TU1404 “Towards the next generation of standards for service life of cement-based materials and structures”. Coordinator of the Portuguese National Course in ‘Building Information Modelling’ and member of the national BIM Drafting Committee. Director of the ERASMUS+ Master Course in Building Information Modelling. 

Maria João Henriques 

Senior Researcher, LNEC

Maria João Henriques is a Geospatial Engineer, Senior Research Officer at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC), and head of the Applied Geodesy Division within the Concrete Dams Department. In the first years at LNEC, her activity was in the application of engineering survey methods to the monitoring civil engineering structures. In the last 10 years, she has expanded her activities to other geospatial techniques: terrestrial and aerial photogrammetry, this last one using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), to support visual inspections and geometry changes studies; and laser scanning to support the creation of 3D models, particularly those of built heritage. 

Carlos Serra

Assistant Researcher, LNEC 

Carlos Serra is an Assistant Researcher in the Concrete Dams Department (DBB) of LNEC with strong background on structural dam safety and concrete technology. He is responsible for the evaluation of structural safety of several concrete dams in Portugal and he has been one of LNEC’s responsible for assessing monitoring-related activities during the recent dam construction by Iberdrola in Portugal and their first filling between 2022 and 2024. He has been working at LNEC since 2008 in the Monitoring Division and his scientific focus is on the prediction of dam concrete properties and its implications on structural behaviour and deterioration over time. Recently, in coordination with the LNEC consultant appointments regarding dam safety, Carlos Serra have been making efforts to improve LNEC’s monitoring procedures, namely related to data analysis and interpretation and visual inspections, considering BIM concepts and methodology. 

José Nuno Figueiredo

Civil Engineer, EDP Produção, Portugal 

José Nuno Figueiredo - Head of BIM Engineering (Global CoE Hydro & Thermal, Renewable Generation Assets, EDP)

José Nuno Figueiredo is a Civil Engineer. Between 2008 and 2010, he worked at GEG – Gabinete de Estruturas e Geotecnia, as a Design Engineer in the Geotechnics area. Since 2010 he has worked at EDP Produção, until 2021 also as a Design Engineer in the Geotechnics area, mainly concerning Hydroelectric assets in Portugal. He has also participated in activities related to the safety of geotechnical structures, including monitoring of the first filling of hydraulic circuits and reservoirs, preparing monitoring plans, conducting structural behavior analysis, and accompanying inspection visits by the authorities. Since 2021 he has been working at the BIM Engineering Unit. He is currently head of the unit. Also since 2021, he has been a member of the Working Group 4 of the Portuguese Tunnelling and Underground Space Commission (CPT), which is dedicated to “BIM and Information Management in Underground Works.”

Final Programme

08:30 – 09:00 – Registration

09:00 – 10:30 –  Introduction to BIM methodology

                        Miguel Azenha (UM)

 

10:30 – 11:00 –    Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30 –   Standardization, Interoperability and OpenBIM

                        Carlos Serra (LNEC)

 

12:30 – 14:00 –   Lunch

14:00 – 15:00 –   BIM along the lifecycle of a Dam

                         José Nuno Figueiredo (EDP Produção)

 

15:00 – 15:30 –   Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 –   Digitalization techniques towards safety control of dams

                        Carlos Serra (LNEC) and Maria João Henriques (LNEC)


One-day courses prices: