Two projects in the Gulf are among the finalists in Bentley System’s annual Be Inspired Awards, which honours projects that achieve excellence in design, delivery, and operations across the world through the use of building information modelling (BIM).

The awards are part of The Year in Infrastructure 2014 Conference, to be held at the Hilton Hotel Metropole in London, UK, from November 4 to 6.

These include the Fairmont Hotel in Abu Dhabi, UAE, work on which has earned Arabtec recognition in the Innovation in Construction category, and campus projects in Doha, Qatar, which helped put Arup in the limelight in Innovation in Land Development.

The Year in Infrastructure 2014 is hosted by Bentley Systems of the US, which offers comprehensive software solutions for the infrastructure lifecycle: from buildings to bridges, transit to utilities, clean energy to clean water.

The competition brings together infrastructure professionals and members of academia from around the globe. Its goal is to advance innovation and best practices in design, engineering, construction, operations and project delivery; and promote the extraordinary work of the organisations that help sustain the world’s infrastructure.

The $220-million Abu Dhabi Fairmont, located in the prime breakwater district with extensive beach frontage, comprises a five-star resort, apartments, soccer field and grandstand, retail outlets, and ancillary buildings. It is housed in two 38-storey towers with a total built-up area of 1.9 million sq ft.

Bentley said its i-model technology reduced the planned 30-month project duration by 1,000 man-days and cut delivery costs by 30 per cent.

The project, which is Fairmont’s second property in the capital, is scheduled to open in 2016.

A spokesman for Bentley said: "Arabtec Construction’s BIM (building information modelling) department developed and stored the i-models, while all of the engineering data and information was also extracted and stored in a SQL database accessible by different departments and site teams.

"This allowed 4D and 5D integration to simulate different construction scenarios and identify possible hazards and improve site management from tender through construction stages. The project produced a total of 1,240 i-models," he stated.

On the campus projects, meanwhile, to modernise its project delivery, Arup decided to implement a BIM methodology that was not typically used for transportation-related infrastructure projects.

Starting with the campus projects in Doha, Arup integrated all engineering disciplines, using BIM processes to achieve cost and time reductions, while improving quality and information accessibility.

Arup Madrid used Bentley software to design 90 per cent of its installations: AECOsim Building Designer for structures, buildings, and utilities; InRoads for road design; and SewerCAD and WaterCAD for water networks.

“The rollout of the first projects in the Middle East employing its new civil BIM technology strategy already has produced a 30 per cent cost savings. Information quality and accessibility also have improved,” stated the company spokesman.

The Be Inspired Awards has recognised more than 2,000 of the world’s most outstanding infrastructure projects since its inception in 2004. The programme boasts a unique competition - which is claimed to be the only one-of-its-kind that is global in scope and comprehensive in categories covered, encompassing all types of infrastructure projects.

The Year in Infrastructure is a global gathering of leading figures in the world of infrastructure design, construction and operations. It will feature a series of presentations and interactive workshops exploring technology and business drivers, and how they are shaping the future of infrastructure delivery and investment returns.

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure.

It applies information mobility to improve asset performance by leveraging information modelling through integrated projects for intelligent infrastructure.

Its solutions encompass the MicroStation platform for infrastructure design and modelling, the ProjectWise platform for infrastructure project team collaboration and work sharing, and the AssetWise platform for infrastructure asset operations – all supporting a broad portfolio of interoperable applications and complemented by worldwide professional services.-TradeArabia News Service