From roads and bridges to electricity and water treatment, Americans rely on their federal, state, and local governments for the construction and maintenance of critical infrastructure. The free movement of people, products, and goods are necessary for modern life, and it is reliable infrastructure the keeps America moving.
Unfortunately, America’s critical infrastructure has simply not made the grade in the past few decades.
Every four years, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) releases a report card that gives an individual grade to 17 categories or types of critical infrastructure in the United States. It then provides an overall grade for the country’s infrastructure, as a whole.
Since the ASCE started releasing these report cards in 1998, the association claims that critical infrastructure systems in the U.S have, “struggled to get out of the D’s.” However, in the most recent report released earlier this year, they concluded that “…incremental progress toward restoring our nation’s infrastructure,” has resulted in our infrastructure being out of the D range for the first time in twenty years.
This year’s overall grade? A “C-” that resulted from moderate gains across multiple infrastructure systems. Still, that’s hardly a drastic improvement and something to proudly display.
To help stimulate the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, and to get our “average at best” critical infrastructure more in line with what one would expect in the world’s richest and most powerful nation, President Biden recently shared his administration’s American Jobs Plan. This plan is one of the most sweeping infrastructure investments since the Eisenhower Administration worked with Congress to pass the Federal-Aid Highway Administration Act in 1956, which provided critical funding to build interstate highways and serve civilian needs.
The plan is ambitious in its aims to modernize and future-proof America’s infrastructure. It seeks to “build a world-class infrastructure” that will stand the test of time. However, this will only be possible if both government and the AEC industry at large embrace advanced digital design solutions to design resilient projects. From the power of digital twins and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to leveraging geospatial intelligence and sensor technology, design and manufacturing technology is uniquely positioned to help successfully execute transportation, utility, and critical infrastructure projects.
The Focus on Modernization and Revitalization
A major portion of Biden’s infrastructure plan – formally known as the American Jobs Plan – includes incentives for updating existing structures to meet more modern requirements.
Older, and often historic buildings, and infrastructure tend to be less environmentally friendly and energy-efficient as they were built according to outdated codes and without modern technology. Improving sustainability and resiliency is a cornerstone for this plan as healthy buildings are better for people and the planet.
However, revitalizing older buildings and infrastructure – whether it’s done by the government or private owners incentivized to do so by tax credits – comes with several challenges. Construction and revitalization can inconvenience or even displace constituents and residents. In the case of buildings like healthcare facilities and roads, it can disrupt operations and reduce a local government’s ability to respond to emergencies. Working around operating infrastructure can also slow down projects or add significant costs.
Using digital design technology, designers can better understand the ways that older structures can be revitalized with minimal disruption to current occupants.
A great example of this can be seen in Skanska’s work revitalizing Terminal B at LaGuardia Airport. This project required the global construction juggernaut to build an entirely new terminal in the middle of an operating airport, in the country’s largest city – which supposedly never sleeps. And, according to David Tullis, the Design-Build Manager for Skanska USA Civil, advanced BIM solutions have been essential to making the project possible:
“…Skanska is essentially building a brand-new Terminal B and all the roadways and associated infrastructure within the footprint of an existing and active airport. Digital design tools were critical to our overall planning and sequencing, allowing Skanska to phase work in a way that would minimize any impact on the airport’s daily operations…this project is akin to performing open-heart surgery on a runner in the middle of a marathon.”
But the value of digital design technology and its capacity to help make an impact on how people go about their daily life doesn’t end there.
Fair and Equitable Infrastructure
Another key portion of Biden’s plan, and one aspect that advanced design solutions can play a role in, is creating fair and equitable infrastructure. Often, when asked if a project will impact their daily lives, individuals with no prior design experience are presented information in formats that they are not able to understand fully.
Looking at a blueprint or a model can only provide so much information. This is especially true for residents that may be impacted by a construction or infrastructure project but aren’t trained architects or construction workers capable of visualizing the final, completed project just by looking at schematics.
But advanced design technology can provide more accessible information in an easier-to-understand format. Using digital design tools, firms and designers can open the process up from conception to completion to those who will be most impacted by it. They can generate 3D models of what the completed project will look like to make it easier for communities to consider and comment on. Thanks to integrations between BIM and GIS solutions, designers can even illustrate how the building, road, or other infrastructure elements will occupy the space once the project is completed.
With this easier-to-understand and digestible information, residents can make more informed decisions about how a project will impact them and their lives. Nearby small businesses can understand and prepare for the impact that the project may have on their day-to-day operations – both positive and negative. For example, will they see a noticeable increase in foot traffic after the project is complete due to more sidewalks and nearby parking? On the flip side, will their façade be obstructed making it harder for people to notice the store?
The other integral aspect of designing fair and equitable infrastructure is addressing the impacts it has on communities where the projects are being developed. Historically these were communities of color and lower-income areas that often did not have the power to challenge projects that harmed their communities. The American Jobs Plan prioritizes using design tools to ensure that these communities who were previously left out or ignored can be active participants in influencing the design process and make their voices heard on decisions that impact their neighborhoods.
This ability to efficiently bring multiple stakeholders to the table and give everyone the information they need to make educated decisions about a project is one of the reasons digital design solutions were so useful in the Panama Cruise Port project, in Panama City.
When asked how BIM and other advanced technologies helped keep residents and stakeholders informed, Sara De Maintenant, Technology and Innovation (TID) Leader and Pablo Sardiña, Senior Designer, at Mallol Arquitectos told us:
“Technology advances exponentially, and barriers to commercialization, learning, and production are increasingly disappearing. This fact produces democratization of information because today the access to technology does not mean a huge investment for the user.”
But what’s even more exciting is the ability of advanced design solutions to stretch America’s infrastructure investment.
Better Efficiency to Stretch Infrastructure Dollars
On the most recent ASCE Report Card, America’s infrastructure received a barely passing “C-”. When you consider that there were 17 different categories or types of infrastructure included in that report and that it includes infrastructure across 50 states, there are a lot of construction projects that need to happen to bring up the average.
Even with the $2 trillion price tag of the American Jobs Plan, there is still a need to stretch those dollars if our nation is going to turn that “C-“ into an “A.” Luckily, advanced digital design solutions can help improve project efficiency and provide visibility earlier on in the design and pre-construction process to avoid budget overruns and schedule delays.
The average infrastructure project tends to drag behind schedule and balloon over budget because of the lack of coordination and collaboration between an immense number of project stakeholders, and the unforeseen clashes that arise during the handoff of the final design plans to the construction team. These are both areas where BIM and other digital design solutions can help.
New cloud-based platforms, like Autodesk Construction Cloud, can help the government and building teams coordinate more closely to bring a project to life. This cloud-based approach also decreases the chance of encountering data silos and allows more input from all stakeholders. It creates a framework that empowers entire design teams to work on the same project with the same data. This results in better version control, which creates a system where conflicts between stakeholders are significantly less likely to occur.
In this type of workspace, there is a single source of truth on the project that keeps everyone from the designers to the communities impacted in the loop.
This benefit of BIM has been on full display with the Auckland City Rail Link project – New Zealand’s largest transit infrastructure project ever. As representatives of the Link Alliance explained:
“Through working in a unified common data environment, the Alliance has streamlined the development of design visualization material for peer and stakeholders’ reviews, public consultations, and communications…Coordination between team members is essential to get a successful outcome. The BIM models are the focal point used every day – an essential tool for coordination and as the project’s single source of truth.”
Using design technology also presents opportunities for more responsive editing. Using models, engineers and architects can consult and make updates to plans as new information develops in real-time.
Modeling projects also helps with clash detection. By seeing a visual representation of a building or infrastructure project with all its disparate systems and elements incorporated, architects and engineers can spot possible problems before construction starts. By integrating GIS data this insight can be extended to model environmental problems and clashes with the immediate area surrounding the project site. This eliminates mistakes and makes construction projects run smoother.
Together, these BIM benefits can help teams stay on schedule and on budget, which will effectively extend our nation’s infrastructure budget and enable the country to accomplish more with the same amount.
Will It All Come to Pass?
President Biden’s American Jobs Plan is an important initiative and desperately needed recognition that America’s infrastructure needs comprehensive repair and revitalization. While Congress has yet to agree on the budget and pass a bill, all the report cards and data show that our critical infrastructure needs investment and attention.
However, if we are, as a nation, going to embark on “building a world-class infrastructure” that is equitable, effective, and meets the need of our citizens, then digital design solutions will invariably need to play a large role.
To learn more about the American Jobs Plan click here. To learn more about the state of American Infrastructure click here.
