Tunnel Karavanke

Slovene and Austrian public corporations in charge of highways (DARS in ASFiNAG) selected the 7,9 km long second tube of Karawanks tunnel as a national pilot BIM-project. Consulting for the definition of BIM goals and requirements was provided for both contracting authorities. Based upon the Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR) we created the BIM Execution Plan (BEP), which covered both design and construction stages.

3D models were created for excavation, tunnel support, portals (architecture and structure), geotechnical structures, and a highway bridge over the river Sava. As a result of extremely complex geology, new workflows were devised that helped create a world-class complex 3D terrain and lithology model which was used for tunnel support design.

Due to the international nature of the project, the number of different participants was very high, so the coordination of both 3D models and large amounts of data played a crucial role in the successful implementation of the BIM project. The high level of development of the models (LOD 350) also enabled 4D and 5D BIM analyzes (term and cost planning). During the implementation of the project, additional support and control were offered to the contractor with 3D BIM models and further analysis.

Project type Second tube for Karawanks tunnelLocationSlovenian-Austrian borderSection length7,820 mInv. value€350,000,000Year(s)2014-2018 design; 2018-2024 executionServicesDesign stage: • Consulting for Employer's Information Requirements (EIR) • BIM Execution Planning (BEP) • Establishment and management of a Common Data Environment (CDE) • BIM 3D modeling (excavation, tunnel support, geology, architecture, geotechnical structures, communal infrastructure, landscaping, bridge) • BIM-coordination • BIM 4D (time) and 5D (cost) modelling Execution stage: • BIM Support for contractor • 3D models update • BIM-coordination • BIM 5D (cost) and 6D (facility management) modelling InvestorDARS d.d., ASFiNAG GmbH