They build 3D bridges 

Advanced IT tools simulate earthquakes, traffic conditions, wind load and ship collisions on major bridges before they are even built.

Civil Engineers Georg Bjørn Andersen and Peder F. Jakobsen from COWI are just two of the experts behind an advanced design and analysis tool that is now being used to plan some of the world’s longest bridges.

This IT-tool – known as the Integrated Bridge Design and Analysis System (IBDAS) – has been developed by COWI for the purposes of integrating design and analysis. Bridge specialists in COWI have invested 20 years in developing this system and it has demanded a fair portion of engineering spirit, bridge-building expertise and sheer hard labour.

The system enables users to produce everything from drawings, quantity estimates, statistical and dynamic analyses and not to mention the ability to verify all types of load-bearing structures. This unique program cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.

Diving into details

"IBDAS allows us to examine details, change project data midway, and immediately calculate the overall consequences. So if we have to alter a particular design we can minimize the risk of error," says Peder F. Jakobsen.

The seed for IBDAS was sown back in the early 80s, and the system has helped to make COWI one of the world’s foremost bridge builders. Consultants are currently using IBDAS on one of the world’s longest bridges (36 kilometres in length) connecting Kuwait City with development area Subiyah.

The bridge – which represents the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Kuwait – will contribute to developing the northern part of the Bay of Kuwait, which until now has been little more than a desert.

From Thailand to China

IBDAS is also helping to build the world’s longest bridge (47 kilometres in length) in Thailand; the Stonecutters Bridge in Hongkong; the Sutong Bridge in China; Xihoumen in China, and several Korean bridges.

One of the more spectacular projects is a bridge in Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf, where COWI is performing independent check calculations. This particular bridge is shaped like a sculpture of immense proportions. In Denmark, IBDAS was used on the Great Belt bridge and the Øresund bridge.

By: Christina Tækker, cht@cowi.com  
Published 27.6.2005