A landmark project for optimised management of rainwater in Paris

The Austerlitz basin is the major focus of a campaign to clean up the River Seine. As well as the obvious environmental benefits, the clean up will provide optimal conditions for open water swimming events taking place in the summer of 2024. Read on as ENSER looks back at this historic 100% BIM construction.

About the Bassin d’Austerlitz project

The ‘Bassin d’Austerlitz’ project involves the creation of a rainwater storage facility in the area around Austerlitz station. The facility is designed to prevent the discharge of wastewater into the River Seine in the event of a violent storm, and thus improve the quality of its water.

The objective: Make it possible to swim safely in the heart of Paris.

Technical details

• Two water intake structures on the left and right banks of the Seine
• Structures linked by a tunnel under the River Seine about 600m long
• Rainwater storage basin, with a capacity of 50,000m3, resting on a 1.5m thick floor

A design office specialising in civil engineering

ENSER is in charge of the execution studies (internal reinforced concrete structures of the storage basin, cover slab, technical floor). The French branch of the international design office is also responsible for the design of ancillary structures, such as access galleries.

"The size and complexity of this unusual project led us to develop our use of of BIM tools."

Stefano Bilosi, Civil Engineer and BIM Manager at ENSER

Identifying BIM requirements

The integration of BIM technology is central to the specifications imposed by the client in order to meet the various technical and organisational challenges of the project, including:

• Management of logistics and coordination between all stakeholders (design offices, network equipment, government bodies, etc.).

• Limiting potential delays and costly errors.

• Optimisation of the quantities of materials used (reinforced concrete, steel) thanks to dimensional simulations. Reduction of wastage in response to an ecological issue.

• Efficient infrastructure management over the long term.

Project phases

1. Receipt of field data (measurements) and launch of execution studies.

2. ENSER modelling of reinforced concrete structures on Tekla Structures (roof slab, raised access floor, spiral staircase, lower floor, etc.), involving a total of around ten models.

3. Collaboration between several BIM modellers on the same model via Tekla Model Sharing.

4. Production and delivery via Trimble Connect. 2D deliverables (from 3D models), including reinforcement plans.

5. On-site monitoring with models continually updated in line with feedback from the field.

6. Delivery of the building and all documentation to the end customer.

ENSER used Trimble for:

Reducing the risk of errors

• Enhances model accuracy.
• Allows you to anticipate problems, such as clashes, by visualising structures in 3D.
• Guarantees the accuracy of the results on dimensions (deliverables produced based on the 3D model).

Collaboration made easy

• Facilitates the use of several BIM modellers on the same shared model during modelling.
• Significant time savings.

Strengthening project agility

• Simplifies the modelling and production of the traditional deliverables expected at the end of the studies.

• Makes it possible to quickly adapt models throughout the project.

Better communication

• Improves communication between construction teams and end customer, without the need for BIM skills.

• Accelerates decision-making.

"Certain risks are inherent in the construction of underground structures. Trimble tools enable us to adapt models quickly and very accurately."

Stefano Bilosi, Civil Engineer and BIM Manager at ENSER