Schedule saved and the site under control from the home office
The Koralm Tunnel is one of the largest and most complex tunneling projects in Europe. When the works had already drifted well off schedule and threatened to slip further because of the pandemic, our digital platform came into play, and with it the schedule could be held and the site coordinated even from the home office.
The challenge
The Koralm Tunnel is an exceptionally large and complex tunneling project with a great many trades involved and construction sections running in parallel. By the time we came on board, the works had already drifted well off schedule. The coronavirus pandemic made things worse: presence on site was restricted and completion threatened to slip further and further.
- A very large, highly complex tunneling project with many trades
- The construction process had already drifted well off schedule
- Pandemic restrictions on being present on site
- A growing risk of further, cumulative delays
- No central overview of progress that everyone could see
How we went about it
We set up an individual digital platform for the project that brings trade planning, calendar, analyses and a georeferenced overview map onto one shared, continuously updated set of data. Everyone involved works in one place, whether they access it on site or remotely. That makes the entire construction operation transparent and centrally coordinable.
- An individual platform instead of off-the-shelf software
- Trade planning, calendar, analysis and map on one set of data
- Georeferenced real-time overview of vehicles, equipment and areas
- Shared access for everyone involved in the project
- Location-independent coordination: in the site office and from home
The outcome
With the digital platform the schedule could be held and further slippage was stopped. Because the site could also be coordinated from the home office through the platform, the project stayed fully operational even under pandemic conditions. Deviations became visible early, and decisions could be taken faster and on a reliable basis of data.
- Schedule held, no further slippage
- The site remained coordinable from the home office throughout
- Early visibility of deviations in the construction process
- Faster decisions on a shared basis of data
- The ability to act preserved even under pandemic conditions
Where construction stalled and how the platform held its ground
A highly complex tunnel project, safety-critical operations inside the tube and pandemic restrictions: the digital platform addressed every one of these and kept construction coordinable.
Many trades, parallel construction sections and data scattered across different systems made coordination hard. Without a central overview it was difficult to steer where deviations were building up.
Trade planning, calendar, analyses and the overview map come together on one shared, continuously updated set of data.
Many trades work at the same time in the confined space of the tube, with vehicles and equipment moving between them. Who is where and which areas are closed is hard to keep track of without an up-to-date picture.
The georeferenced real-time overview locates personnel and equipment and shows vehicles, equipment and closed areas along the alignment. Access routes and working zones can be coordinated with each other instead of conflicts only being noticed on site.
Presence on site was restricted, coordination of the works was at risk of breaking down and the project of slipping further.
The digital platform made it possible to coordinate the site entirely from the home office. The project stayed fully operational throughout.
From the platform
“Virtual construction process planning is the missing key to implementing a complete digital workflow across a company. The gaming industry knows how to plan virtual processes intuitively in changing environments and make them comprehensible to everyone through graphics.”
How does a digital platform help when a major project is already behind schedule?
On major projects with many trades and parallel construction sections, data is often scattered across different systems and deviations build up unnoticed. A digital platform brings trade planning, calendar, analyses and a georeferenced overview map onto one shared, continuously updated set of data. Deviations become visible early, and decisions can be taken faster on a reliable basis of data. On the Koralm Tunnel this stopped any further slippage of the schedule.
Can a large construction site be coordinated from the home office?
Yes, as long as everyone involved works on the same up-to-date set of data, whether on site or remotely. On the Koralm Tunnel, presence on site was restricted during the coronavirus pandemic. Through the digital platform the site could still be coordinated entirely from the home office, and the project stayed fully operational throughout.
What does a georeferenced real-time overview offer in tunnel construction?
Inside the tube many trades work at the same time in a confined space, with vehicles and equipment moving between them. A georeferenced real-time overview locates personnel and equipment and shows vehicles, equipment and closed areas along the alignment. Access routes and working zones can then be coordinated with each other instead of conflicts only being noticed on site.
A site under schedule pressure?
Tell us about your project and we will show you how a digital platform secures the schedule and makes your site transparent and coordinable.
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