The [tunnel](https://www.cowi.com/solutions/infrastructure/northern-europe-largest-construction-project) is 18 kilometres long and will consist of a four-lane motorway and two electrified railway lines. This new tunnel will reduce travel time for from more than an hour by ferry to 10 minutes by car and 7 minutes by train. Besides reducing travel time, the tunnel will also lead to a [reduction in traffic emissions](https://femern.com/en/Benefits/A-greener-corridor). This is due to the transfer of freight from road to rail and the fact that some lorries will take a shorter route as they will no longer have to cross Storebælt, Denmark, which will result in an overall decrease in CO2 emissions. 

In cooperation with COWI a [parametric design application](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) will be developed to optimise the design of the tunnel. The tunnel consists of 79 tunnel elements, each 217 metres long. Each element has slightly different loads and soil conditions, so the optimal required steel reinforcement in the concrete is different. The total amount of steel used in the tunnel is equivalent to about 50 Eiffel Towers and each tunnel element weighs 73,000 tonnes. 

The VIKTOR platform will be used to development the [parametric design application](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software) which will be used to design the tunnel, which will help COWI find the optimal design in an automated way, so they can engineer the awesome! 

 

.   

 

 

Infrastructure & Construction

Engineering & Design

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Discover how parametric design is used in an application to automate and optimize the design of the world's longest immersed tunnel on VIKTOR.ai

Automated design of world's longest tunnel | VIKTOR.ai

Automating the design of the longest immersed tunnel in the world 

1. What is parametric design, and how is it evolving
2. Collaborative parametric design: working together for better results
3. How to make tools available to others
4. Active collaboration on parametric design tools
5. Parametric design in a billion-euro project
6. What collaborative parametric design means for you



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The adoption of parametric design grows exponentially thanks to friendly programming languages like Python or visual programming packages like Dynamo or Grasshopper.
 
Our perception is changing. We no longer see parametric design as a model to solve specific technical problems, but rather as a new way of working, in which stakeholders collaborate to find the best solution for a project.

Learn about the latest trends and the future of parametric design in this white paper

Collaborative parametric design models allow you to work together for better solutions

Download the white paper and get INSPIRED

Did you know parametric design models are no longer just used to solve specific technical problems, but rather as a new way of working? Read here how stakeholders use parametric design to collaborate and find the best solutions for their projects!

The Future of Parametric Design is COLLABORATION

## The Digital Engineering Community is exanding

After successful initial developments, the community is now expanding with Boskalis, Dura Vermeer, Mobilis, Van Oord and Volker Wessels. “In the past period, we have learned how to work together more effectively without losing our distinctiveness: increasingly focusing on digital building blocks. In these building blocks, standard actions are automated based on which each participant can build their own strategic application. We are therefore calling on more market parties to participate!”.

## The starting point
Heijmans is one of the first companies to use the VIKTOR Platform on a larger scale. Great digital successes have been achieved on a number of projects such as Wintrack, Wilhelmina Canal and Dike Reinforcement Project Gorinchem – Waardenburg. Combining the technical challenges of these projects with automation of the design and construction process proved very valuable, allowing knowledge and know-how to be scalable, and increasing the number of generated solutions. For example, for the Wilhelmina Canal project, all kinds of damage scenarios could easily be calculated, making it possible to discuss all options with the client. With the Wintrack II project, it was possible to design the most optimal foundation based on construction-related criteria at the touch of a button, and with the Dike Reinforcement Gorinchem – Waardenburg project, the design stability calculations can be finished in a fraction of the time compared to before.

## First collaboration

You would expect a construction company to keep these kinds of innovations under wraps to distinguish themselves from their competitors. “This was also the first thought”, laughs Marcel. “That is still very much in our genes.” Nevertheless, Heijmans chose to seek collaboration. This has to do with the fact that Heijmans made two important observations during its own developments. “On the one hand, we saw that fellow construction companies were doing more or less the same thing. And just as importantly, if everyone does this side by side, it is unnecessarily expensive and slow.” These reasons prompted Heijmans to approach several infrastructures companies through the VIB to develop a joint application. “This was in 2018 with a number of sessions on two exciting topics: digitization and collaboration. Halfway through 2019, we agreed with Ballast Nedam, BAM and Heijmans that we had to try this.”

## First development: soil layout application

This led to the start of the development of an application for soil layouts. To start development, a Product Owner (senior geotechnical advisers) was appointed from each of the companies to jointly consider what functionality was needed to make the application successful. It turned out that the wishes of the companies were not that different, so that selection for “must haves” and “nice to haves” were quickly made. An interesting moment in the development of the application was when the user of the application changed from the geotechnical consultant to another end user, the cost expert and the planner. The application makes it possible for both of them to look for the best design solution for the project, without the direct intervention of the geotechnical consultant (who simply approved the model in advance).

![Soil layout modelling application in VIKTOR platform](/uploads/Soil_layout_modelling_application_16580bb351.jpg)
*Soil layout modeling application*

The application is a success, which was not certain in advance since a joint development like this had not been done before. Collaboration between the companies was also very positive and the feeling arose that collaboration might be essential. From this, the DEC idea was born.

## Founding of DEC

### Joint development

In February 2020, the resulting application was presented to the companies first involved in the discussions in 2018. Since then, most companies had experimented internally with coding and application development, and they have undoubtedly concluded that professional development costs more time and money than initially thought. The time was right to investigate whether joint development is possible, and the DEC was established. After a number of meetings, the most important follow-up steps were taken, in which the parties defined the following developments that will be tackled jointly. A GWW application is being developed that makes a universal link to and from Civil3D, MxRoad and AHN. As a second development, an application will be made for the design of pile foundations, linking Scia Engineer and D-foundation.

### Fascilitating role

Eight construction companies participate in both developments. VIKTOR itself is not a participant, but facilitates on the basis of experience and expertise. The fact that the applications are developed on the VIKTOR Platform was a logical choice. “The platform has been specially developed for technical companies, it has a rich amount of digital building blocks for our rapidly growing sector and facilitates collaboration and application distribution,” explains Marcel. “It also has a more practical reason. All participants use the platform separately. As a result, we develop in the same way, making collaboration possible and efficient. The output is also readable (Python) code with which companies can continue to develop independently of the platform. In addition, we make use of their knowledge and experience. That is VIKTOR’s core business and by engaging them we put some of the responsibility outside the door. Our own developers learn from this collaboration, but at the same time there is a high degree of certainty that developments will be delivered within time and budget. The Product Owners of the companies remain responsible for the functionality of the application. The development of the dyke application has shown that this separation of responsibilities works well and strengthens cooperation.”

## Cooperative construction companies
Until now, the collaboration has been very easy, and requires almost no effort. Construction companies are used to working together on projects and this new theme shows that we can easily find each other in different subjects and builds mutual trust. Of course, matters such as IP are contractually recorded, but this is in broad lines only, and not in every in detail, therefore trust is central. We assume that everyone participates with a positive attitude and has a name to lose. Everyone is also free to choose to participate or not in a development, possibly by joining later. Different ways to participate are by supplying usable existing code, by making an experienced programmer available or simply in euros. In the future, expansion with other companies is the obvious next step.

## The future of the community
To give the community more visibility and recognition, the digitalengineeringcommunity.nl website was established.  “The purpose of the website is mainly to show who is participating and what we are all developing. Hopefully it will be more widely recognised in the market that, being on your own is alone and that the future lies in developing together. We therefore urge all parties in the sector to contact us!”

### About DEC
The Digital Engineering Community (DEC) is being set up (formal start at the end of February) and consists of a non-exclusive collaboration between the companies Ballast Nedam, BAM, Boskalis, Dura Vermeer, Heijmans, Mobilis, Volker Wessels and Van Oord. The affiliated companies can submit topics for development and discuss periodically who wants to participate in which development. There is no obligation to join all developments and it is possible to join later in the process. Within the DEC, digital building blocks are being developed in a modular way. These digital building blocks can be anything from general functions such as calculating headpile reinforcement to an integral link with Civil3D. Companies are then free to jointly develop these further together into integrated solutions such as the soil layout or to integrate them within an internal process of the company itself.

### About VIKTOR
VIKTOR is a web-based development platform for building online applications for technical processes. By means of an SDK and the programming language Python, employees of companies can automate processes more easily, integrate with other software and distribute to colleagues, either on their own or together with the developers at VIKTOR. A large number of standard building blocks are already included in the VIKTOR Platform, both general and industry specific. For example, for the civil engineering sector, there are useful ways to process soil information, mapping functionalities and integrations with the most commonly used software packages.

The VIKTOR Platform makes version and user management of the use of applications easy. Because data is stored centrally, a “Single Source of Truth” becomes standard for all users. Changes in assumptions or requirements are therefore immediately visible in all disciplines, making interfaces more manageable and controllable. This speeds up and improves technical processes such as the design process.

Source: Magazine Land+Water nr 1/2 – February 2021

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The Digital Engineering Community is Accelerating 

## Get the white paper

**INDEX**

1. Construction companies and digital transformation
2. Technology trends for a different approach
3. Technology trends in the construction industry
4. A new technology trend for the construction industry
5. Low code for the construction industry
6. The VIKTOR platform
7. What does it cost?
8. How to start
9. What's next?

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Autonomous cars, algorithms that are trading stocks, people having conversations with robots and digital services from the valley make our lives easier. It is already part of many different industries and drives extreme productivity. Considering these benefits of digitalization, there is huge potential in introducing this in the engineering and construction sector.

However, the engineering and construction industry spends way less on digital transformation than other sectors or automotive. So when the benefits are obvious, why have the engineering and construction industry not yet fully embraced new digital technologies? The reasons of lacking behind are understandable and have to do with the characteristics of the industry. But we have come to a time where there are increasing opportunities at hand for 
the sector to speed up digital transformation.

What are these trends in digital transformation and how will it effect the engineering and construction industry? You can read the answers to these questions and more in the white paper.



Learn about the trends on digital transformation and how to take the next step.

Download the White Paper and get INSPIRED

What are the trends in digital transformation and how will it effect the engineering and construction industry? You can read the answers to these questions and more in the white paper.

Digital Transformation Engineering and Construction Industry

## Why Dynamo?

People from different disciplines use all kinds of different software programs. Where structural designers make extensive use of BIM and CAD software, such as Autodesk Revit and AutoCAD, road designers use Autodesk Civil3D and Bentley MX Road. The skilled designers amongst us automate their workflows in these packages using Dynamo: By creating Dynamo scripts, manual actions can be automated in structural design software, which saves designers lots of time.

Dura Vermeer’s engineers and technical modellers are amongst these skilled engineers that are highly acquainted with those software packages and use Dynamo intensively in their design process. Their experience, expertise, and the concept of visual programming enable them to quickly develop models with Dynamo. However, some needs are yet to be covered: The exchange of data and versioning of that data remains challenging.

## Why VIKTOR?

Also, although Dynamo is a very handy tool, it has a learning curve: Often only a specialist knows how it works, making other disciplines dependent on the time and resources of these specialized individuals. That’s where VIKTOR comes into play. VIKTOR is a web application development platform for engineers and has a large variety of digital building blocks (like digital LEGO), such as integrations with structural design software. VIKTOR’s web applications provide a central database with version control on the data and offers an intuitive user interface where other disciplines can easily use encapsulated expert knowledge. This is also known as: Democratization of Knowledge.

But the question remains: How do you leverage Dura Vermeer’s existing expertise in Dynamo and VIKTOR’s distribution and data control? The answer: By building an integration between the two! VIKTOR and Dura Vermeer collaborated and developed a Dynamo-VIKTOR node package: Nodes where data can be fetched and pushed from Dynamo to VIKTOR.

## Single Source of Truth

In Dura Vermeer's current design process, the exchange of parameters between the different disciplines often takes place via mail or quick hand-drawn sketches. However, this is not foolproof and can become increasingly risky when many versions and alterations are made. By developing a VIKTOR web application that automatically integrates with different design software, Dura Vermeer no longer requires manual output exchanges. Of course, active communication between the different professionals is still needed, but less normative.

### Creating Dynamo scripts

The Dynamo-VIKTOR node package consists of several nodes (in Dynamo terms, a node is a visual representation of methods/functions with only input and output). When properly placed, the nodes can perform a task such as establishing a connection between Dynamo and VIKTOR. The following figure shows a representation that makes it possible to acquire the input parameters of an entity from VIKTOR to Dynamo. Other configurations of these nodes can create alternative tasks, such as getting results, getting files and even pushing data to VIKTOR.

![The Dynamo-VIKTOR node package](/uploads/Dynamo_VIKTOR_node_package_3359b129c6.png)

By connecting these strings of nodes to other Dynamo nodes, actions and even designs can be automated using the design software. These series of nodes is called a Dynamo script. Once the script is executed, multiple tasks that can be used in Revit will be performed. Since Dynamo is not only supported in Revit, scripts can also be developed for AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Inventor, etc.

### Using the Dynamo-VIKTOR node package

The video shows the same Dynamo-VIKTOR node package used in both Revit and Civil 3D. The video shows how the cross-section is manipulated using the parameters given in VIKTOR. No external exchange file is necessary, resulting in a live connection between all disciplines (in this case the structural engineer, road designer and structural modeller) which is basically practicing the single source of truth principle.

<div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/584816499?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" title="DV_Dynamo-VIKTOR_nodes_ViktorUBak_v3(1)"></iframe></div><script src="https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js"></script>

## Connecting software and knowledge

The collaboration between VIKTOR and Dura Vermeer has made a huge difference regarding the way software is deployed. Not only are software packages connected, but also the knowledge of the professionals. Both parties ended up speaking the same digital language, even though their knowledge backgrounds are so different.

In only one sprint (a two-week development period) the live connection between VIKTOR and the structural design software was explored and finally established. Further development will most likely yield many more functionalities and applications, as all kind of design software can tap into this single source of truth.

## A reusable package for future automation efforts

The Dynamo-VIKTOR node package is a very general utility to exchange data between VIKTOR and Dynamo. It can be linked to any VIKTOR app for which credentials are available and any Dynamo script. That is why this is a digital building block that Dura Vermeer can reuse in their future automation efforts as well. In the long term, VIKTOR can continue to provide digital building blocks that Dura Vermeer can use to realize their vision of becoming the best digital contractor in the Netherlands.

If you are interested or have are any questions or remarks about this development, do not hesitate to contact us at: pmadlener@viktor.ai.


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A single source of truth for Dynamo and Civil 3D

## Custom truss constructions

The truss constructions at large music stages become bigger and more complex. Festivals want to have their own unique stage, with a custom truss construction. These constructions are very expensive if they have to be custom made, or you have to deal with a limited set of standard shapes with existing products. 

![Truss construction design in the analyze one](/uploads/Truss_constructions_in_the_analyze_one_3bfe986172.jpg)


### Software and building blocks

FrameFlux is offering an affordable option for creating your custom construction. Yufe Wong, cofounder of Frameflux: “We invented an adjustable, reusable building block, with which you can create any shape structure you want, with the same level of form-freedom as a snake!” Besides the physical product they also developed in-house [parametric design](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) and analysis software tools to rapidly design these custom shapes and analyse them. “You can perform a structural feasibility check in seconds on an unlimited set of forms, including the conventional shapes.” This removes a barrier to the use of the truss, since it would be difficult to engineer and design some of the complex structural shapes that become feasible.

![Truss construction design](/uploads/Truss_construction_design_56c25ff136.jpg)


## Hitting the market

After demonstrating the software tools to customers and receiving a lot of enthusiasm, FrameFlux wanted to take the next step. After an elaborate vendor selection, FrameFlux partnered with VIKTOR for their experience and integration with Grasshopper and Python, along with a user-friendly interface to suit the needs. Since March 2020, the two companies have been collaborating to deliver this software product, named Antalyze One. This application allows integration with SCAD Re-Event, a popular 3D CAD program for the Dutch event industry. Now a super-fast workflow for design of standard truss beams is realized: users can create a design in SCAD Re-Event, export the data to the web-based VIKTOR platform, and then instantly run a Grasshopper-powered structural feasibility check. It is also possible to make changes in VIKTOR and re-import these back into SCAD Re-Event. VIKTOR’s fine grain data management systems, for user information and technical data, allow for such automation when coupled with Grasshopper. In future, integrations with other CAD programs will be possible.

![Data mangement systems for truss constructions](/uploads/Data_management_system_8043c8a027.png)


## A user-friendly interface

“With VIKTOR we’ve got a friendly user interface and a good integration with our existing Grasshopper model, instead of starting over again.” In the web-application an event designer can also upload their design and other relevant inputs whenever and wherever they want. As before, this information is sent to the Grasshopper model in which the analysis is done. The results of this analyses are sent back to the web-application and visualized for the event designer.

![Visualizations of truss construction designs](/uploads/Truss_construction_visualizations_deb241cb3c.jpg)


## The 'Antalyze Two'?
The decision to automate this process is an easy one according to Yufe “A designer can now create, develop and get a structural feasibility check on their preliminary designs of loaded straight beams without hours of spreadsheet work or consultation.” There are already plans for a potential ‘Antalyze Two’, which will be able to process a much greater variety of structural shapes. “Especially for custom-made constructions it could take weeks before a design was analysed by a consultant. With our software and the web-application made on the VIKTOR platform, a check could be run on squares, circles and snake-like structures… in only a matter of seconds!”

Interested in developing web-applications as well? Check out our [parametric design solutions](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software)!

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Analyse any truss construction design within seconds

[Source:](https://fd.nl/weekend/1358248/nieuwe-rekenwijze-voor-sterkere-dijken-levert-honderden-miljoenen-op)

## Strenthening the pumping stations

The HWBP is a joint investment program of Rijkswaterstaat and the water boards. Since the start of the program in 2014, € 100m has been invested in innovations, which has already yielded at least € 180m in savings. “We expect that the new knowledge will yield a multiple of that in savings in the coming years.” Are the savings heading towards € 1 billion? “I would not dare to take on a saving of 1 billion, but it would be inspiring for society if that succeeds.” Because the risk of a dike breach according to safety standards must not be greater than once every five to ten thousand years, until 2050, at least 1,300 kilometers of sea and river dikes and 500 locks, weirs and pumping stations must be strengthened. To this end, a budget of € 7.4 billion has been agreed up to 2028, which must be jointly raised by the central government and the water boards.

## Custom work for dike improvement

One of the promising innovations is custom work for dike improvement. In other words: not starting from a high water scenario with one water level with different conservative assumptions and factors, as before, but calculating many thousands of scenarios based on an extensive database and the specific characteristics of a dike section. In order to arrive at the most likely scenario of strength and failure for each individual stretch of dike. This customization can mean that in 80% of the cases the dike improvement job in the Netherlands can be reduced and in 20% of the cases must be enlarged, says Willems. “A considerable part of the dikes can be built slimmer and less high. Which means that the balance tends to make the total program cheaper. “That does not mean that the budgeted amount of € 7.4 billion can be reduced. “Even when the agreements for the HWBP were made in 2013-2014, it was clear that the financial agreements were not sufficient,” says Willems. “That was a conscious choice to ensure efficiency in the HWBP by means of innovation and knowledge development at the front. “Extra jobs are also coming up. “Rijkswaterstaat and the water boards are assessing all dikes. They do this once every twelve years, a kind of periodic MOT. They will be working on that until 2023, when dikes will emerge that need to be strengthened. 

## Parametric design and digital transformation
[Read here](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/26/parametric-design-python-dike-improvement) how our clients innovate with [parametric design](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) and accelerate their digital transformation on dike projects.

![calculating dike.png](/uploads/calculating_dike_0580c2c558.png)

See how you can [implement parametric design solutions](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software) to your projects as well. 


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Parametric design for stronger dikes yields “hundreds of millions”

## Increasing design efficiency

However, providing an adjusted design after each road or artwork change costs a lot of work. About two years ago, WTOP decided to investigate where most of the time was spent in the process of designing, and where this could be done more efficiently. This showed that in a number of these processes, many hours were spent on repetitive and unimaginative work. In addition, it turned out that arranging and creating a smooth line with these barriers is a complicated process and time-consuming. Jaap van de Werfhorst, owner of WTOP infra, decided that this process should be automated.

## Automating the process

The work of manually placing elements along the road based on a maximum angular rotation and, if it turns out not to fit, to start this process all over again, had to find an alternative solution. WTOP infrastructure was in contact with VIKTOR to see how various processes could be better linked to each other, and the above mentioned problem was discussed with the question wheher using VIKTOR would be fruitful. At VIKTOR they came up with the proposal to do this with a self-written algorithm. Van de Werfhorst: “Initially, there was still uncertainty whether the algorithm could also handle complex projects. If it could carry out the 80% easiest projects, it would not be of much use to us, because it is precisely in the difficult 20% where the most profit lies.”

## An application for complex projects

“After several brainstorming sessions, we were confident that the application could also handle complex projects,” explains Van de Werfhorst. In the application you can define your grid, the bounds of the design, the horizontal and vertical alignment, the maximum angular rotations between the elements, variables related to defining the angular rotations, other constraints such as cables and pipes, artworks, etc. and where you wants to apply your fitting elements. All these parts can be entered in both x, y and z directions. Based on all this input, the algorithm determines the optimal line of the noise barrier. In a visual representation, the application shows by means of colors whether the barrier can be made with the specified conditions. If it turns out that this does not work, the application indicates where the problems are, so that the conditions can be adjusted at those specific locations if desired. This can be done by increasing the angular rotation between the elements, which may then create elements that meet the requirements or by giving the barrier some more space by adjusting the bounds of the design. The great thing is that the program examines and calculates hundreds of thousands of possibilities within a few minutes. The application also generates a list of coordinates in x, y and z direction of the design. This list of coordinates is imported into Excel by WTOP infra, after which all elements that meet the requirements are generated by dynamo and placed in a 3D model. In addition, dynamo in combination with excel creates a quantity list with the main dimensions per element. As a result, the consequences of design choices are immediately visible in both a 3D model and quantities.

## What can be gained? 

Due to this extensive automation, instead of spending much work on unimaginative tasks, the time can now be spent on solving details and interfaces. The advantage is that various choices can be made clear at a detailed level quickly in the tender phase, which also makes it easier to estimate the risks. Since all parts and placements are generated from a single coordinate list, including the production drawings and layout drawings, it is also possible to act quickly during the design process and execution, and failure costs due to changes can be minimized.

Van de Werfhorst: “The step that we have taken together with VIKTOR ensures that we are at the beginning of a development that can be carried out much further by linking this to schedules, cost estimates, etc.” The application and links made with analysis- and drawing programs are useful not only for noise barriers, but also for everything in which prefabricated (3D) elements are placed on or along an alignment, which is currently also being implemented.

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An algorithm that makes noise barrier design much faster

## Features of version 1.0

Voorbij created a web-based [parametric design application](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/46/parametric-design-cloud-engineering-construction) on the VIKTOR platform to optimize the (re)design process of pile foundations, which helped their clients save a lot of time and money. 

![figure 1.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/figure_1_49c8585c84.png)

*Map view of soil investigation*

Before, Voorbij optimized pile foundations based on their experience, by grouping CPTs, and including soil variances in a smarter way. 

![figure 2.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/figure_2_0de8bde2ac.png)

*Soil interpretation of CPTs*

Now, they use their application on the VIKTOR platform to speed up this time-consuming manual process. Their application allows for the automated grouping of CPTs based on a given set of rules and generates optimized pile plans according to aspects such as cost, soil structure, grouping, pile tip levels, and pile types. The app also provides Voorbij with rich visualizations of results for quick interpretations. 

![figure 3.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/figure_3_1908f64262.png)

*Visualization of calculation results*

Using their own calculation core, Voorbij is able to indicate upper and lower limits of pile tip levels, easily generate designs, see interactive load-bearing charts, and visualize piles in combinations with the CPTs based off one that information in their application.


## From 1.0 to 3.0 real fast

Now, Voorbij has added some new features to their application. 

### Load carrying capacity

In the first version, Voorbij was only able to calculate on pressure loaded piles. With the new version, they are also able to calculate on pull loaded piles. These are very common in large projects and construction pit projects, which means Voorbij can take on these projects from now on as well. 

> “With the application, we can now consider the whole construction pit integrally.”  - Mark Remijnse, Head Sales at Voorbij Funderingstechniek

### Cost calculation

Initially, optimization was done by reducing material. As of more recent, the application also allows for calculations and linking of actuals costs to provide engineers with a clearer picture of expenses and early on the project already guide the design in the right direction based on budget. 

### Work execution

Also, a somewhat more logistical feature has been added, which is the improvement of work execution. The optimization of a project was previously done separately from the actual construction. Now, the execution and construction parts of the project have been added to the application as well. For the work execution part especially are some preparations required that have been added to the application now:

- **Smart grouping of elements:** Which allows for the optimal design of foundations. Since the soil that a construction project is build on often has a lot of differences in structure, piles vary a lot in size, such as length, diameter, and/or reinforcement. By clever grouping of these piles (putting the right pile in the right place), you can logistically save a lot of time and reduce chance of errors.

- **Bulk orders:** If you want to order material, it is most beneficial to order in large numbers with low variety, based on the [smart](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/40/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-engineering-construction) grouping you did before to avoid and reduce unnecessary costs.


![figure 4.png](https://cms.viktor.ai/uploads/figure_4_ed64713811.png)

*Visualization of combined pile rebar cages*

Read more about version 1.0 [here](https://www.viktor.ai/customer-cases/7/digital-transformation-python-pile-foundations)

### Increased calculation capacity

In the early version of the application, Voorbij was already able to use their application to do batch calculations of CPTs. Back in version 1, they could run an analysis of about 150 CPTs at the same time. With the latest version however, they are able to calculate up to 1000 CPTS simultaneously, increasing the calculation capacity.

## An environmentally friendly application

The addition of new features was not only beneficial for Voorbij and their clients, it also brought some environmental advantages along. 

### Less crane days

With the release of the latest version of their application, Voorbij was able to reduce days of crane usage by 40 in one case. This meant 40 days of proximality 250 litres of fuel less, which is good for 10.000 litres reduction of (CO2) emissions.

### Less concrete

Additionally, the new features allowed for the creation of a design that required about 6.000 to 6.500 m3 less concrete, resulting in Voorbij using 26.500 m3 concrete for their design were another company calculated about 33.000 m3 concrete for their design. Every m3 of concrete consists of 350kg cement, meaning every 3 m3 of concrete is about 1.000 kg cement, which makes up for about 2.275 tons kg less cement. This also equals 2.275 tons less CO2 emissions. For this design, that would be over about 2.000 tons CO2 emissions less! On top of that, it also reduces transport of approximately 500 truck movements of ready-made mixed concrete.

## From developer to advisor

Before working with automation applications, when taking on a project Voorbij would receive a definitive design that they had to make into an execution design, meaning they could only adjust some details. Since they started using their applications, they are pulled into the process from an early stage on, mostly somewhere between preliminary design and definitive design. In this stage, there is still a lot of room for advisement, improvement, and optimization.
 
According to Voorbij, their engineers are the ones who are now talking to the constructors, which works very well, as they understand each other best. 

> “Before, we were mostly doing calculations. Now we are able to put a lot of effort on advising. You can use your cleverness and really add value to a project this way.” – Wiebren Koers, Geotechnical Advisor at Voorbij Funderingstechniek

> “Thanks to our applications, our engineers are now only doing 4 up to 8 hours per design calculation instead of 20 to 40 hours per design. This, I think, is still too much however, since they can add the most value by sharing their knowledge!” – Mark Remijnse, Head Sales at Voorbij Funderingstechniek

## The BASE FT tool

Voorbij has been working hard on collecting all their project data and creating a database for the purposes of comparing their data and applying Machine Learning techniques to improve and predict future on future projects. 

The BASE FT tool consists of three pointers, which are the applications, their machines, and a database. Currently, there are three applications, but Voorbij is aiming to expand BASE FT’s network and incorporate more external applications from other companies as well.

> “It is important that BASE FT can be used to link other applications and disciplines to your processes” – Mark Remijnse, Head Sales at Voorbij Funderingstechniek

Furthermore, the machines that are part of BASE FT constantly track data when used on a project, this data is gathered and saved in the BASE FT database, where they use data engineering to optimize and better generate future designs.

## More to come

Besides expanding BASE FT’s network, Voorbij wants to work on improving their current applications as well. For example, by adding a nitrogen module to the pile application. They also want to start using the data from BASE FT’s database to predict the course of a building project, analyse execution data, and improve their designs. 

Read more about how they do this [here](https://www.viktor.ai/blog/40/python-artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-automation-application-development).

And see how you can [build your own parametric design applications here](https://www.viktor.ai/parametric-design-software).


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Discover how engineers at Voorbij FT build a web app to automate and optimize design of pile foundations on VIKTOR.ai

Web app for optimal pile foundation design | VIKTOR.ai

Optimal pile foundation design saves tons of CO2

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