Earthworks quantification with building information modelling for linear infrastructure

Earthwork is a crucial and expensive part of large infrastructure projects, contributing significantly to both project costs and environmental issues. However, it also provides ecological and monetary benefits by improving efficiency and visualisation in landscape design. Early-stage earthwork quantity estimations often deviate from actual as-built quantities due to incorrect building information modelling (BIM) tool assumptions and site data misinterpretations. This study introduces a new approach to earthwork design, focusing on infrastructure requiring landscape adjustments. It highlights the use of coordinate geometry points in BIM to maintain consistent ground slopes and emphasises manual contour adjustments and terracing methods to manage significant slopes effectively. The research approach enhances surface design accuracy in Civil 3D by identifying differences between initial and as-built surfaces, reducing the average uncertainty rate by 40%, and improving decision-making for civil engineering projects. By integrating BIM tools with digital inputs, the efficiency and accuracy of earthwork design for solar panels or other infrastructure with linear spatially distributed nature, such as roads, highways, electric power lines, railway lines, canals, pipelines, and fences, can be automated and enhanced, leading to better setup, surface creation, slope analysis, and compliance with guidelines. This method ultimately supports more sustainable and efficient civil engineering practices.