When the City of San Diego was in the planning phases of making major improvements to a water treatment facility, Kleinfelder suggested using a 3D animation construction sequence to illustrate the milestones that needed to be accomplished over the course of the 4.5 years of construction. The resulting four-minute animation (below) provided a visual simulation of the challenges that laid ahead.

Inherently Complex Changes

The Miramar Clearwell Improvements faced five major milestones, each one requiring completion while maintaining uninterrupted service to 600,000 customers served by the Miramar Water Treatment Plant. Each milestone was met, and the 3D tools employed were used during construction, as exhibits to the San Diego City Council and to community groups for education and acceptance. As just one component to this major infrastructure project, the investment in this graphical representation of the challenges the team would face was instrumental in making changes, modifying the construction sequence, and providing the community an understanding of the stages of construction.

Fast and Professional

Using high-resolution photos, CADD drawings, and record drawings of the existing facility, our 3D design team rapidly modeled both existing and future conditions. Moreover, the modeling and animation provided the design team with vital information throughout the design and construction to stakeholders. Without this model, stakeholders would be reliant on traditional record drawings and data with labor-intensive calculations, analysis, and computations. The model quickly yielded answers, solutions, and critical calculations immediately and accurately.

Project Results

Kleinfelder’s client account/project manager and other project stakeholders were pleased with the first draft of our 3D visualization, which required minimal updates and changes. This proved that face-to-face interaction was not only critical for gaining a stronger understanding of the project, but it also saved the design team invaluable time normally spent if reliant on traditional methods.

Project Details

Location:
San Diego, California

Owner:
City of San Diego