CCCC Creates a Digital Twin to Build a New Digital City in China, Bentley Systems
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CCCC Creates a Digital Twin to Build a New Digital City in China, Bentley Systems

EXTON, Pa. – Bentley Systems, Incorporated,  announcement

As part of a coordinated development plan, Zhongguancun will integrate the resources of Beijing, Tianjin, and Zhongguancun to build a new science and technology city. The CNY 2.2 billion project includes the design and construction of roads, utility pipelines, a 174,000-square-meter park, and green roadsides spanning 477,000 square meters. Given the large geographic span, wide construction area, and tight construction timeline, the overall project consultant CCCC Water Transportation Planning Design Institute (CCCC) implemented a collaborative BIM process to coordinate the many engineering disciplines to deliver the new digital city.

Integrated digital twin of Zhongguancun CCCC Water Transportation Planning Design Institute’s digital model includes 30 kilometers of roads, 144 kilometers of water pipelines, 128 kilometers of gas and power pipelines, and 39 kilometers of communications pipelines.

Image courtesy of CCCC Water Transportation Planning Design Institute

In keeping with the idea of a truly digital city that incorporates a municipality’s needed services, the project scope encompasses a wide range of utility, transportation, and environmental disciplines. Included within the project scope is the construction of 16 roads with a length of approximately 30 kilometers; a layout of rain and sewage diversion pipelines with a length of approximately 78 kilometers; water supply pipelines with a length of approximately 40 kilometers; intermediate water pipelines with a length of approximately 26 kilometers; gas pipelines with a length of approximately 43 kilometers; thermal power pipelines with a length of approximately 40 kilometers; power pipelines with a length of approximately 45 kilometers; and telecommunication pipelines with a length of approximately 39 kilometers. Additionally, the project team is responsible for designing and constructing a city park with an area of approximately 174,000 square meters. The roadside will be green with an area of approximately 477,000 square meters, and the river and water environment will be comprehensively improved. CCCC acts as the overall consultant and implementer of the BIM process on this project. The organization is responsible for the creation and application of BIM technology in the design, construction, and operation and maintenance of models in all stages. CCCC is responsible for setting up a BIM project management platform, building project digital assets, and assisting the construction of the regional smart park and smart city.


Using Bentley’s integrated BIM applications, including ContextCapture, LumenRT, MicroStation, Navigator, OpenBridge Modeler, OpenRoads, ProjectWise, ProStructures the team generated a comprehensive 3D model of the entire city. CCCC identified and remedied more than 200 collision points, optimizing design and reducing costly rework. Performing construction simulation facilitated construction management, shortening the construction period by 64 days to save CNY 6.6 million in costs. ProjectWise provided a connected data environment to streamline workflows and improve design efficiency. Integrating ContextCapture to generate a reality mesh from UAV terrain data collected on site enabled the team to facilitate earthworks planning, saving approximately CNY 40 million.


Zhiqiang Lu, deputy chief engineer of CCCC Water Transportation Consultants Co., Ltd., stated, “By using Bentley solutions, we realize the integrated BIM application in the construction of the project. We apply a brand-new working mode in realizing the highly efficient collaboration and highly integrated sharing of information, resulting in all the project participants expressing our design ideas directly and efficiently, at the same time. We reach a target that all participants enhance professional service capability, digital management, and construction quality.”