CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Maldives Airport Expansion
and Runway Paving Project
Improving jobsite safety andoperations− at every experience level
the team also used the Trimble GCS900 Grade
Control System on one dozer, one excavator andone motor grader. The machine control technology
surfaces, grades and alignments inside the cab. The
system uses construction total station technology
to accurately position the blade or bucket in real
improving productivity.
For grading work, the team was able to train acompactor operator to use the GCS900 system on
ectively, in a short amountof time. This was important because the teamʼsmost experienced operator was set to retire in threemonths and it would have been costly to keep him
on board. The GCS900 system was also used on the
excavator extensively to lay communication lines, oilpipelines and other critical utilities.

“Without the GCS900 system wewould have had to put people in thewater to take measurements andmonitor where we were digging,”
said Mr. Fenglin Zhang from BUCG.
“Instead we were able to keep
everyone safely away from the
excavation because operators
could watch the screen andciently and directly inaccordance with the design.”
Currently the Maldives Airport expansion and paving
project is running on time and on schedule and is on
track to be complete in 2019.

Trimble: Transforming the Way the World Works
Trimble provides the tools and support to let you integrate planning, design, site positioning, machine control and asset
ts. Contact

Maldives Airport Expansion and Runwayce
Software and Field Solutions.
Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG)

guidance, compaction and paving control reduce rework and keep project on scheduleand budget.
© 2018, Trimble Inc. All rights reserved. Trimble, the Globe & Triangle logo, are trademarks of Trimble Inc., registered in the
countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PN 022482-34034(09/18)

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 1 of 4 - Pages(8, 1)

Solutionsce Software solutions:Trimble Business Center,
Trimble Connect, VisionLink,
ce.

Field Solutions: Trimble SPS985,
Trimble GCS900, Trimble
CCS900, Trimble PCS900
Base stations
Monitoring Solutions: NetRS+ T4D software and the TX8 for
3D scanning

United States and in other

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

10/04/2019 2:55:13 PM

overview
China-based Beijing Urban
Construction Group (BUCG) is alarge international constructiongroup focused primarily on
general contracting, real estatedevelopment and design andconsultancy. BUCG manages
120 subsidiary companies and42 branch offices, including
one publicly listed company, 27
exclusively-invested companies andholding companies.

Location

Beijing,
CHINA

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
BUCG was hired as the general contractor for a massive $440 million (US dollars) expansion and land
reclamation effort for the Maldives Airport. BUCG turned to Trimble for help improving safety and productivityof the personnel on the job, optimizing operations and completing the project on time and within budget.

With this information, the BUCG team was able toreduce over compaction, optimize fuel use and machine
runtime, and ensure consistent compaction pass counts
and meter values.

RESULTSThis was particularly important because of thecomposition of the reclaimed ground in Maldives,
which can have ‘soft spots’ that require additional
compaction of surfaces at a rate of 24 to 36 times.

Two-year ROI on technology investments Increased productivity in earthworks, paving andcompaction will result in two-year ROI for Trimble
office and field solutions.
Streamlined data sharing and workflow - Integrated
data workflows lead to better collaboration andcommunication across the site. Crews have a dynamicschedule and project assignments, and a more holistic
view of the project that enables users to make theright decision at the right time.

Faster and more accurate paving and compaction3D paving control improved paving productivity andthe smoothness of the airport surface and contributed
to decreased labor costs with 10 fewer crew members
required for every paver equipped with the Trimble
GCS900 system. Real-time compaction data wasshared instantly to track and adjust the compaction
process, reducing over compaction, optimizing fueluse and machine runtime, and ensuring consistentcompaction pass counts and meter values.
Advanced surface monitoring- Ability to measure,analyze, visualize and report on any subgrade
subsidence 24/7/365 with the ability to share data inreal-time.

Using VisionLink, subcontractors had the
documentation to demonstrate they were hitting
tolerances and that their compaction rates were inparallel with the design. This eliminated the possibilityof any severe miscommunication onsite. The result
was an overall increase in the surface quality andoperational life of the runway.

“The only window where paving
work could be completed was
between 1AM and 5AM, whenflights were not running,” said
BUCG “Because the prep work
is done when you build themodel, when the time window
opens up we can just pave andthen get to compaction. The
PCS900 allowed all four pavers
to work in synchronization
without running any string lines.
This was critical to maintaining
safety on site and was asignificant contributor to our
team’s paving success, saving
time, effort and material.”

Mr. Zhang from BUCG explains that the new runway
is being constructed about 200 meters from theoriginal runway, which added significant scheduling
restraints and put an increased emphasis on safety
and paving efficiency.

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 2 of 4 - Pages(2, 7)

10/04/2019 2:55:32 PM

overview
China-based Beijing Urban
Construction Group (BUCG) is alarge international constructiongroup focused primarily on
general contracting, real estatedevelopment and design andconsultancy. BUCG manages
120 subsidiary companies and42 branch offices, including
one publicly listed company, 27
exclusively-invested companies andholding companies.

Location

Beijing,
CHINA

BUSINESS CHALLENGE
BUCG was hired as the general contractor for a massive $440 million (US dollars) expansion and land
reclamation effort for the Maldives Airport. BUCG turned to Trimble for help improving safety and productivityof the personnel on the job, optimizing operations and completing the project on time and within budget.

With this information, the BUCG team was able toreduce over compaction, optimize fuel use and machine
runtime, and ensure consistent compaction pass counts
and meter values.

RESULTSThis was particularly important because of thecomposition of the reclaimed ground in Maldives,
which can have ‘soft spots’ that require additional
compaction of surfaces at a rate of 24 to 36 times.

Two-year ROI on technology investments Increased productivity in earthworks, paving andcompaction will result in two-year ROI for Trimble
office and field solutions.
Streamlined data sharing and workflow - Integrated
data workflows lead to better collaboration andcommunication across the site. Crews have a dynamicschedule and project assignments, and a more holistic
view of the project that enables users to make theright decision at the right time.

Faster and more accurate paving and compaction3D paving control improved paving productivity andthe smoothness of the airport surface and contributed
to decreased labor costs with 10 fewer crew members
required for every paver equipped with the Trimble
GCS900 system. Real-time compaction data wasshared instantly to track and adjust the compaction
process, reducing over compaction, optimizing fueluse and machine runtime, and ensuring consistentcompaction pass counts and meter values.
Advanced surface monitoring- Ability to measure,analyze, visualize and report on any subgrade
subsidence 24/7/365 with the ability to share data inreal-time.

Using VisionLink, subcontractors had the
documentation to demonstrate they were hitting
tolerances and that their compaction rates were inparallel with the design. This eliminated the possibilityof any severe miscommunication onsite. The result
was an overall increase in the surface quality andoperational life of the runway.

“The only window where paving
work could be completed was
between 1AM and 5AM, whenflights were not running,” said
BUCG “Because the prep work
is done when you build themodel, when the time window
opens up we can just pave andthen get to compaction. The
PCS900 allowed all four pavers
to work in synchronization
without running any string lines.
This was critical to maintaining
safety on site and was asignificant contributor to our
team’s paving success, saving
time, effort and material.”

Mr. Zhang from BUCG explains that the new runway
is being constructed about 200 meters from theoriginal runway, which added significant scheduling
restraints and put an increased emphasis on safety
and paving efficiency.

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 2 of 4 - Pages(2, 7)

10/04/2019 2:55:32 PM

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

BUCG Project Manager Mr. Joy
Zhang explains that with the
3D paving control system, one
surveyor on the ground was able tomanage three pavers, as opposed
to conventional methods where twoor three surveyors were neededfor each paver. This has optimized
the BUCG crew and increased
productivity, allowing the teamto reallocate crew members toother tasks

Faster and more accurate paving,plus real-time compaction data
The team hit a key project milestone in August 2017
when it completed the asphalt paving on the original
Maldives Airport runway. Asphalt paving took threemonths from start to finish, with four pavers, eachrunning the Trimble PCS900 Paving Control System andleveraging the Trimble SPS930 Universal Total Station
for positioning. The elevation models were createddigitally in Trimble Business Center and referenced by
the PCS900 system during both milling and paving. The
paving control system uses 3D automatic screed control
capabilities to significantly improve paving productivity
and the smoothness of the airport surface.

Twelve rollers followed the four pavers, with six utilizing
the Trimble CCS900 Compaction Control System. Eachcompactor also included a wireless modem connecting
to a fleet management system called VisonLink from
Trimble. Information such as pass counts, temperaturesand compaction meter values were captured, as well as
data about material layers. This real-time information
was accessible by crew leaders on site, via a mobile
app, and in the office. The real-time data was used
to make recommendations and adjustments to thecompaction process.

As the largest and most well-respected Chineseowned construction company, Beijing Urban
Construction Group (BUCG) has had the distinct
honor of constructing many of the nation’s namesake
land development projects, including the National
Stadium, the National Theater for the Performing Arts,
the National Museum, the National Indoor Stadium,
the Olympic Basketball Stadium, the Olympic Village,
and Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport.
For its innovative approaches and steadfast reputation
for meeting project goals, in 2016 BUCG was awarded
the contract for the expansion of the Ibrahim Nasir
International Airport on Hulhule island in the Maldives,
which is part of the Indian Ocean island group.
Scheduled for completion in 2019, the expansion
will include a new 3800 meter-long and 65-meterwide runway, a fuel farm, a cargo complex and a newterminal. The new runway will also open the airport to
the Airbus A380 jetliner, the world’s largest passenger
airline. The fuel farm, or fueling area for the planes,
will have a storage capacity of 11.8 million gallons
and a cargo complex with the capacity to handle
120,000 tons.

In addition to requiring mass excavation, fine gradingand precise runway paving and compaction, theMaldives Airport expansion also requires extensive
land reclamation work. To complete the runway,
four million cubic meters of sand must be removed
from the inner lagoon adjacent to airport, which was
also dredged in 2012 during a previous expansion.
Revetment work is also needed to absorb the energy
of incoming water, using asphalt and sand bags witha geotextile filter. BUCG hired several subcontractors
for the dredge work and to complete the gas and utilitylines for the fuel farm, and a Building Information
Modeling (BIM) consultant was hired to create a BIM
implementation plan.
Facing tight parameters on this project and looking tostreamline data flow and communication across thebuild, team leaders at BUCG reached out to Trimble
and MAG Science & Technology Co, Ltd for help.
After completing a site consultation and a detailed
recommendations report, BUCG implemented
several Trimble office software and field solutions.
Trimble technology partners from Germany, Australia
and Shanghai also supported the implementationand training efforts with MAG supported onsite
installations and services.

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 3 of 4 - Pages(6, 3)

10/04/2019 2:55:34 PM

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

BUCG Project Manager Mr. Joy
Zhang explains that with the
3D paving control system, one
surveyor on the ground was able tomanage three pavers, as opposed
to conventional methods where twoor three surveyors were neededfor each paver. This has optimized
the BUCG crew and increased
productivity, allowing the teamto reallocate crew members toother tasks

Faster and more accurate paving,plus real-time compaction data
The team hit a key project milestone in August 2017
when it completed the asphalt paving on the original
Maldives Airport runway. Asphalt paving took threemonths from start to finish, with four pavers, eachrunning the Trimble PCS900 Paving Control System andleveraging the Trimble SPS930 Universal Total Station
for positioning. The elevation models were createddigitally in Trimble Business Center and referenced by
the PCS900 system during both milling and paving. The
paving control system uses 3D automatic screed control
capabilities to significantly improve paving productivity
and the smoothness of the airport surface.

Twelve rollers followed the four pavers, with six utilizing
the Trimble CCS900 Compaction Control System. Eachcompactor also included a wireless modem connecting
to a fleet management system called VisonLink from
Trimble. Information such as pass counts, temperaturesand compaction meter values were captured, as well as
data about material layers. This real-time information
was accessible by crew leaders on site, via a mobile
app, and in the office. The real-time data was used
to make recommendations and adjustments to thecompaction process.

As the largest and most well-respected Chineseowned construction company, Beijing Urban
Construction Group (BUCG) has had the distinct
honor of constructing many of the nation’s namesake
land development projects, including the National
Stadium, the National Theater for the Performing Arts,
the National Museum, the National Indoor Stadium,
the Olympic Basketball Stadium, the Olympic Village,
and Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport.
For its innovative approaches and steadfast reputation
for meeting project goals, in 2016 BUCG was awarded
the contract for the expansion of the Ibrahim Nasir
International Airport on Hulhule island in the Maldives,
which is part of the Indian Ocean island group.
Scheduled for completion in 2019, the expansion
will include a new 3800 meter-long and 65-meterwide runway, a fuel farm, a cargo complex and a newterminal. The new runway will also open the airport to
the Airbus A380 jetliner, the world’s largest passenger
airline. The fuel farm, or fueling area for the planes,
will have a storage capacity of 11.8 million gallons
and a cargo complex with the capacity to handle
120,000 tons.

In addition to requiring mass excavation, fine gradingand precise runway paving and compaction, theMaldives Airport expansion also requires extensive
land reclamation work. To complete the runway,
four million cubic meters of sand must be removed
from the inner lagoon adjacent to airport, which was
also dredged in 2012 during a previous expansion.
Revetment work is also needed to absorb the energy
of incoming water, using asphalt and sand bags witha geotextile filter. BUCG hired several subcontractors
for the dredge work and to complete the gas and utilitylines for the fuel farm, and a Building Information
Modeling (BIM) consultant was hired to create a BIM
implementation plan.
Facing tight parameters on this project and looking tostreamline data flow and communication across thebuild, team leaders at BUCG reached out to Trimble
and MAG Science & Technology Co, Ltd for help.
After completing a site consultation and a detailed
recommendations report, BUCG implemented
several Trimble office software and field solutions.
Trimble technology partners from Germany, Australia
and Shanghai also supported the implementationand training efforts with MAG supported onsite
installations and services.

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 3 of 4 - Pages(6, 3)

10/04/2019 2:55:34 PM

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Improved collaboration, information
sharing and scheduling across the project
General manager from MAG Building Division, Mr.Guan
Shuan explains that they started by implementing
Trimble Connect to enable a much more integrated
data workflow across the jobsite. Trimble Connect
is a cloud-based platform that powers informationand data exchange between owners, architects,
subcontractors, engineers and trades that traditionallyleverage different software and hardware tools. Withbuilt-in connections from Trimble Connect to theseother industry-leading project tools, users haveunified cloud-based access to all drawings, project
documentation and 3D constructible models for the
project, through the Trimble Connect mobile app or
web-based service.

“On a project of this size, it’scommon for people to use different
methods, like email, social media
and mobile apps, like WeChat, forcommunication and information
sharing,” said Mr. Guan .
The team is using Vico Office to generate 4D
schedules and estimates directly from 3D models,
which are also uploaded to the cloud through Trimble
Connect. The BUCG team likes that model elements in
Vico Office can easily be turned into schedule tasks bylocation using the schedule planner application, andthat those tasks are dependency-linked and optimized
to create a Flowline plan. They believe model-based
estimating and the ability to plan and create detailed
and accurate estimates and schedules have been
critical in keeping this project on track.

“We wanted a centralized database for capturing all of thisproject information, and that is what Trimble Connectdelivers. You can have all of your drawings and 3D models
in the same location, and everyone has access to the samedata. Data is connected from the office to the site, so there’s
a level of clear transparency on the jobsite, on the quality andon the schedule.”
MR GUAN SHUAN,
General manager from MAG Building Division

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 4 of 4 - Pages(4, 5)

10/04/2019 2:55:38 PM

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Improved collaboration, information
sharing and scheduling across the project
General manager from MAG Building Division, Mr.Guan
Shuan explains that they started by implementing
Trimble Connect to enable a much more integrated
data workflow across the jobsite. Trimble Connect
is a cloud-based platform that powers informationand data exchange between owners, architects,
subcontractors, engineers and trades that traditionallyleverage different software and hardware tools. Withbuilt-in connections from Trimble Connect to theseother industry-leading project tools, users haveunified cloud-based access to all drawings, project
documentation and 3D constructible models for the
project, through the Trimble Connect mobile app or
web-based service.

“On a project of this size, it’scommon for people to use different
methods, like email, social media
and mobile apps, like WeChat, forcommunication and information
sharing,” said Mr. Guan .
The team is using Vico Office to generate 4D
schedules and estimates directly from 3D models,
which are also uploaded to the cloud through Trimble
Connect. The BUCG team likes that model elements in
Vico Office can easily be turned into schedule tasks bylocation using the schedule planner application, andthat those tasks are dependency-linked and optimized
to create a Flowline plan. They believe model-based
estimating and the ability to plan and create detailed
and accurate estimates and schedules have been
critical in keeping this project on track.

“We wanted a centralized database for capturing all of thisproject information, and that is what Trimble Connectdelivers. You can have all of your drawings and 3D models
in the same location, and everyone has access to the samedata. Data is connected from the office to the site, so there’s
a level of clear transparency on the jobsite, on the quality andon the schedule.”
MR GUAN SHUAN,
General manager from MAG Building Division

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 4 of 4 - Pages(4, 5)

10/04/2019 2:55:38 PM

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Maldives Airport Expansion
and Runway Paving Project
Improving jobsite safety andoperations− at every experience level
the team also used the Trimble GCS900 Grade
Control System on one dozer, one excavator andone motor grader. The machine control technology
surfaces, grades and alignments inside the cab. The
system uses construction total station technology
to accurately position the blade or bucket in real
improving productivity.
For grading work, the team was able to train acompactor operator to use the GCS900 system on
ectively, in a short amountof time. This was important because the teamʼsmost experienced operator was set to retire in threemonths and it would have been costly to keep him
on board. The GCS900 system was also used on the
excavator extensively to lay communication lines, oilpipelines and other critical utilities.

“Without the GCS900 system wewould have had to put people in thewater to take measurements andmonitor where we were digging,”
said Mr. Fenglin Zhang from BUCG.
“Instead we were able to keep
everyone safely away from the
excavation because operators
could watch the screen andciently and directly inaccordance with the design.”
Currently the Maldives Airport expansion and paving
project is running on time and on schedule and is on
track to be complete in 2019.

Trimble: Transforming the Way the World Works
Trimble provides the tools and support to let you integrate planning, design, site positioning, machine control and asset
ts. Contact

Maldives Airport Expansion and Runwayce
Software and Field Solutions.
Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG)

guidance, compaction and paving control reduce rework and keep project on scheduleand budget.
© 2018, Trimble Inc. All rights reserved. Trimble, the Globe & Triangle logo, are trademarks of Trimble Inc., registered in the
countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. PN 022482-34034(09/18)

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

022482-4108_Maldives_Airport_Expansion_CST_A4_0319-TEST.indd Spread 1 of 4 - Pages(8, 1)

Solutionsce Software solutions:Trimble Business Center,
Trimble Connect, VisionLink,
ce.

Field Solutions: Trimble SPS985,
Trimble GCS900, Trimble
CCS900, Trimble PCS900
Base stations
Monitoring Solutions: NetRS+ T4D software and the TX8 for
3D scanning

United States and in other

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

10/04/2019 2:55:13 PM