Erasmus Medical Center

Assignment

Erasmus MC needed an inspection of an infrastructure tunnel approximately 1,100 meters long and over 10 meters wide. This tunnel houses various cables and pipes that supply the buildings above with essential utilities like power, water, and heating. Due to flooding, many of the pipe mounting brackets have corroded. The goal of the assignment was to inventory the extent and location of the corrosion on these brackets. The information collected would be used in a tender process for replacing the brackets.

Execution

Inspecting with Augmented Reality: Beecot-Inspect utilized Augmented Reality (AR) as a tool for inspection, allowing digital interaction with the tunnel’s BIM model. By tapping specific objects on a screen, inspectors could link inspection data directly to the applicable BIM objects. Photos were also attached to the corresponding BIM objects, with each photo’s location and viewpoint saved, enabling the receiver to view them in the model’s context.

Managing the project in Catenda: The Erasmus project team used Catenda to review and manage the inspection output. Within Catenda, all inspection data could be queried and analyzed as needed for project management. High-resolution photos were accessible directly within the model view. By clicking on a specific topic, the viewer zoomed in on the highlighted BIM object, complete with linked photos taken from the same viewpoint. This setup allowed the team to review and analyze the project scope remotely. During the replacement phase, the team could receive real-time status updates on each bracket’s replacement in Catenda, providing insights on project progress without needing to visit the tunnel.

Tendering Based on inspection output: Once the inspection output was processed, it was made available for review by tendering contractors. All data could be queried and analyzed to meet each contractor’s needs, with high-resolution photos viewable in the context of their specific modeling software. The relevant BIM objects were highlighted, and linked photos appeared from the same viewpoints as originally captured. This enabled contractors to review the assignment thoroughly from their desks, minimizing the need for costly, repetitive inspections.

Result

Using this process, Erasmus MC created a comprehensive and precise inspection file. This approach is expected to attract competitive offers and mitigate the risk of unforeseen additional costs, as contractors can base their bids on detailed and accurate information.