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Marina-Bayfront-Pedestrian-Bridge_Case Study

Marina-Bayfront-Pedestrian-Bridge_Case Study
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Marina-Bayfront-Pedestrian-Bridge_Case Study - 1

case study PROJECT SUMMARY Organization: ARUP Solution: Roads and Bridges Location: Marina Bay, Singapore Project Objective: Create pedestrian bridge linking entertainment complex to Central Business District Products used: GenerativeComponents® FAST FACTS • 280m double helix bridge • 6m wide pedestrian deck • 65m span between piers • Unique nighttime lighting design Marina Bayfront Pedestrian Bridge Inspired Double-Helix Pedestrian Bridge Replicates Designers’ Vision of Walking Through a DNA Molecule Arup, a leading global design and business consulting firm, knew from the beginning that completing the Marina Bayfront Pedestrian Bridge design project in Singapore would require innovative technology. The 280-meter-long bridge features a double-helix exoskeleton constructed from stainless steel to support a 6-meter-wide deck spanning 65 meters between piers. When it opens in 2009, the bridge will replicate for pedestrians crossing it the designers’ vision of walking through a DNA molecule. What enabled the designers to pursue this inspired design was GenerativeComponents (GC) – Bentley’s unique generative design software that captures and exploits the critical relationships between design intent and geometry. GC allows architects and engineers to quickly explore a broad range of “what-if” alternatives for even the most complex structures. The Marina Bayfront Pedestrian Bridge project presented the type of design challenge for which GC capabilities are well suited. The bridge’s DNA-inspired double-helix structural support mechanism is fundamentally unique. Unlike the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and Millennium Bridge in London, which, though different in appearance, utilize conventional structural systems, the Marina Bayfront Bridge doesn’t belong to any tried-andtested bridge type. Moreover, as an aerial view shows, the bridge’s centerline adapts to the site geometry, with the bridge curving in plan while simultaneously rising to a high point in the center to create a shipping lane. Incorporating the plan curve and vertical geometry within the constraints of the helix rhythm required complex geometry. To understand that geometry and create the necessary drawings to accurately estimate construction costs and coordinate the design between engineering analysis and documentation, Arup needed an innovative 3D modeling solution. “The main challenge that impacted our ability to coordinate the geometry was associated with finalizing the bridge centerline,” said Greg Killen, senior associate in Arup’s Brisbane office and design manager of the Marina Bayfront Pedestrian Bridge.“Ultimately, it became a delicate balancing act to provide sufficient clearance for the shipping lane, as well as a gentle slope to move pedestrians comfortably along the bridge. We also needed to create a link to a nearby vehicle bridge, allow pedestrians to pass under the bridge at each abutment, and facilitate supports close to existing bridge supports to reduce the impact on ships navigating the bay.” The design team also understood that any project constructed around complex, nonrepetitive geometry often attracts premium pricing during the tender process. To avoid this, the Arup team deployed sophisticated geometric analysis to rationalize portions of the structure. By using Bentley’s integrated software applications, Arup was able to take advantage of streamlined collaborative workflows that increased the efficiency and productivity of its project teams. For example, by deploying GenerativeComponents, the team could begin modeling the complex helix exoskeleton, even while finalizing the critical bridge centerline geometry, fully confident that the design could accommodate any late changes. Arup’s ability to work simultaneously on linked design tasks allowed compression of the project’s critical path. Using InRoads®, Bentley’s powerful civil engineering design solution, Arup finalized the bridge design centerline for use in GenerativeComponents. The GC flexible associative modeling technology empowered the design team to prepare a model of the double-helix geometry around this critical final design centerline. By associating this flexible model with the new design centerline, Arup was able to regenerate a

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Marina-Bayfront-Pedestrian-Bridge_Case Study - 2

“Without deploying Bentley products on the Marina Bayfront Pedestrian Bridge, achieving this design would have required using expensive software, a dedicated 3D graphics programmer, and considerably more time,” ABOUT BENTLEY Bentley Systems, Incorporated is the global leader dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Architects, engineers, constructors, and owner-operators are indispensable in improving our world and our quality of life; the company’s mission is to improve the performance of their projects and of the assets they design, build, and...

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