4D construction modeling technology leverages Microsoft Azure and HoloLens to provide immersive construction management solution for Espai Barça sports complex

Bentley Systems presented Synchro, a 4D construction modeling solution, at Microsoft Inspire, Microsoft’s annual partner conference in Las Vegas. The use of Synchro as part of a mixed reality construction management solution for FC Barcelona’s Espai Barça sports stadium project was featured during the Mixed Reality (MR) and the Cloud session at the conference.

The Microsoft Inspire session, led by Microsoft’s Nancy Li, detailed how Bentley’s Synchro, a cloud-based 4D construction modeling solution, will be used for FC Barcelona’s major renovation to the Espai Barça sports arena in Barcelona, Spain, which when completed will accommodate more than 100,000 fans. In conjunction with time-lapse monitoring footage of the construction site provided by EarthCam, Bentley’s Synchro software will help the stadium project team to visualize and compare construction progress with the 4D construction model.

Greg Demchak, technical architect for Bentley, said, “The scope of this project demands that we look for new solutions, and for this, we turned to Microsoft. Using Azure infrastructure, HoloLens technology, and Cognitive Services, multiple users can interact with a holographic representation of the stadium data at any moment in the construction process. We are also leveraging machine learning and reality capture to digitally track actual progress with Synchro.”

Bentley Systems is a Mixed Reality and CityNext partner with Microsoft, and will receive the 2018 Microsoft CityNext Partner of the Year Award during this year’s Microsoft Inspire Conference for its Azure-enabled software solution for Mass Rapid Transit Corporation’s world-class, Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya high-speed railway project in Malaysia.