With the help of Tekla software, EXA Engineering Srl constructed the Terminal Del Golfo Extension Project

Terminal Del Golfo Extension Project

The new Terminal del Golfo located in the port of La Spezia (Italy) will have a port area of more than 120,000 square meters with about 770m of operational quays. The terminal is divided into four functional macro-areas: the operating areas consisting of the docks and the handling areas, which represent the heart of the terminal; the access gate with the customs functions, the technical services area and the personnel area.

The infrastructure of the Terminal is designed to have a high production standard, with integrated logistics systems that can control the management of goods, the safety of people and the impact on the environment in every phase of the work.

In fact, eco-compatible solutions have been provided: cold ironing system for ships at berth; SSG, RTG and RMG electrically powered cranes; strengthening of the intermodal connection with the back-port area of S. Stefano di Magra, with the objective of reaching 50% rail traffic.

The general design of the new terminal is the result of territorial and legislative constraints, as well as of continuous dialog with the client and its operators: the flow of goods on the quays becomes the driving force behind the arrangement of the stacking and the railway yard, along directions parallel to the new front quay.

The internal layout leads to the rationalization of the working spaces, identifying noise-free activities towards the city: with the aim of connecting the new terminal with the city, the decision has been taken to separate the port activities from the administrative and personnel service ones.

The tree-lined buffer zone provides a wide breathing space for the district and surrounds the administrative buildings, with the aim of giving back to the area a final step towards complete requalification.

The terminal is divided into four functional macro-areas: the operating areas consisting of the docks and the handling areas, which represent the heart of the terminal; the access gate with the customs functions, the technical services area and the personnel area.

Special challenges

The creation of a BIM model covering an area of more than 12 hectares containing buildings, infrastructures, networks and services is in itself a challenge. In order to provide our customer with a complete and exhaustive design and then have a total control in the execution of the works, we wanted to represent in detail each element contained in the new terminal, from metal piles (over 13,000 tons of steel), reinforcement bars (about 3,700 tons) to services such as networks, cable ducts and manholes inspection.

In order to simplify the creation of the model, this has been divided into different WBS (construction units) all georeferenced with regard to a precise point appropriately detected on site. Their combination was then obtained in a single model which, although lacking the details present only in the WBS models, had the purpose of controlling and eventually correcting the clashes between the different entities that, as a whole, enter into communication with each other.

A particular challenge for us was the representation of the cables and hydraulic networks that cover over 50 km of linear development: in order to ensure proper positioning of the pipes, each point of conjunction between two or more lines and each manhole was marked with a georeferenced layout point.

To complete our design, we finally inserted the ifc (or step) models of some of the mechanical and architectural parts directly obtained from external suppliers or, in case we did not have the three-dimensional elements available, we modeled simplified parts connected with reference tables.

What made the project successful?

EXA Engineering had the privilege of developing the entire project, starting from the preliminary phase and dealing with both the structural aspects and the architectural and, in part, plant engineering aspects. This has made it possible to control the balance between functionality, aesthetics and structural efficiency, with the result of creating an efficient and structurally adequate terminal but at the same time being aesthetically pleasing.

About the projec