Deploying BIM Technology On-Site

Q: What makes Consorcio IUYET an added-value civil engineering company?

A: Innovation, using BIM for infrastructure projects, combined with geospatial features, is part of our added value. These enable companies to make projections on-site for better decision making. This combination fills a huge gap in the construction sector. This is state-of-the-art technology used particularly in England and Scandinavian countries, nevertheless, we have been applying it in the country with the same standards but at a more competitive price for the Mexican market. In the beginning, people might be wary about the prices but these technologies generate greater benefits that can imply savings of up to 30 percent when building. This is due to exact quantifications that solve project deficiencies and allow for opportune interference detection. The system allows you to build virtually and detect all the issues that need to be addressed. This technology is around 10 years old and we have applied it here in different projects, including NAIM and the Mexico City-Toluca Interurban Train. One project that best illustrates the savings provided by our integrated technologies is the CETRAM project, which is the multimodal transfer station that will connect the Mexico City-Toluca Interurban Train with the city’s public transportation. We are integrating the existing infrastructure of a bus station and streets with incoming infrastructure from the train and Line 1 of the Metro through a new building called Oculus.

Q: What are some of the largest projects you are working on?

A: We are participating in the Mexico City-Toluca Interurban Train project, specifically on section three of the train, which starts at the end of the tunnel that crosses through the hill Cerro de las Cruces and finishes in Terminal Observatorio in Mexico City. The train is scheduled to be finished in 2022, besides the engineering, political elements also need to be taken into consideration. The new federal government has ordered a new station in the area of Santa Fe, which will imply changes to the project.

We are also participating in the Canal Nacional project, which is an 8.4km linear park. To provide context, Santa Lucia park in Monterrey is around 2.5km. This project will be a reference when it comes to mobility and security, which have been priorities for this administration. The project will run from Miramontes to Xochimilco. We are also participating in the Mayan Train with geospatial services we provide to ICA, and in the Cable railway in Iztapalapa in Mexico City. All of these projects resulted from our participation in public auctions.

Now we are also looking forward to participating in international projects. We were selected by the State of Mexico government as one of the companies to participate in a local program to expand its operations to the US.

Q: What are your views on the influence of politics on Mexico’s infrastructure development?

A: Unfortunately, in Mexico, politics trumps engineering. Many were confident that despite a change in the federal government, NAIM would not be canceled. Most of Mexico’s largest infrastructure projects can get more political than technical. The case of the airport was an unprecedented situation indeed and this creates uncertainty regarding Mexico’s rule of law. There is a need to strengthen law enforcement, on which every aspect of a country should be based. A clear example is the Mayan Train, which is being built by the Ministry of Tourism even though the Ministry of Transport and Communications has a specific railway department. The expected date of the train to be finished is 2022, but again politics come into play.

Q: How does Consorcio IUYET contribute to strengthening the infrastructure of existing buildings?

A: Our methodology for this is to generate a virtual model of the existing facilities to allow better operation and maintenance works