A grand architectural Arbour and Disc structure is located in the pedestrian zone of Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, Gold Coast in Australia. The project is the winner of the sport and recreational category of the Australian Tekla BIM Awards 2018.

Early clash detection with 3D laser scanning

Watkins Steel were contracted by JMac Constructions to supply and install structural steelwork for the Arbour and Disc sculpture. With no two parts the same, the in-house drafting team had the complex task of turning the design drawings into something that could be manufactured and erected, as well as communicated easily to the team on the shop floor.

Using 3D Laser Scanning Technology, Watkins Steel scanned the as-built site for 100% accurate measurement and clash detection. “After overlaying the 3D design model into the 3D point cloud model registered from the scan, we discovered that the adjacent building scaffold encroached on the site and clashed with the arbour. However, because this problem was caught before installation, we were able to re-adjust the construction program, containing overall project costs and instilling client confidence”, said Andy Irwin from Watkins Steel.

From design to erection, in a flash

Using Tekla Structures for detailing, the team was able to efficiently go from design drawings to manufacture and erection. What’s more, the team easily communicated and collaborated in the workshop.