{"id":69163,"date":"2025-07-17T11:36:53","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T08:36:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/?post_type=showroom_cpt&p=69163"},"modified":"2025-07-17T12:01:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T09:01:28","slug":"water-supply-bim-register","status":"publish","type":"showroom_cpt","link":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/projects\/water-supply-bim-register\/","title":{"rendered":"Water supply BIM register"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Digitalization supports water supply BIM development<\/h1>\n

Digitalization project by BuildingSMART Finland establishes a foundation for creating human- and machine-readable shaft registers directly from water supply and infrastructure data models. Sweco was responsible for project management in this development initiative.<\/p>\n

The first data standardization project for water supply<\/h2>\n

The Digital Register project is part of the RYTV program (Standardization of Built Environment Information Modeling) led by BuildingSMART Finland under the umbrella of BuildingSMART Finland. The development initiative created a foundation for digital shaft registers derived directly from data models, which are essential for infrastructure and water supply projects.<\/p>\n

“In the RYTV program, we standardize data content for shared use among various stakeholders, and the Digital Shaft Register is the first development project for water supply in the program,” says Annina Lehikoinen<\/strong>, CEO of Rakennustietomalli Oy.<\/p>\n

According to Lehikoinen, the water supply sector lags in BIM modeling. For instance, detailed IFC models have been made in bridge design for 10 years. “The water supply BIM roadmap was completed in 2022, and digitizing the shaft register is one of the first steps in its implementation.”<\/p>\n

Digitalization enhances information flow<\/h2>\n

Register includes basic information about wastewater, stormwater, inspection, and drainage shafts such as shaft size, materials used, pipes, and location. Currently, shaft registers are mainly produced as PDF prints from design software.<\/p>\n

“The register is an excellent example of how information does not transfer automatically between stakeholders; the same data is recreated multiple times in different phases of a project,” Lehikoinen says.<\/p>\n

Information degrades with each handling, increasing the risk of human errors. “This is why the digital shaft register improves information verification, cost estimation, shaft production, and transferring data to systems like the water utility’s network information system,” explains Anton Gissek<\/strong>, Sweco’s water supply expert and project manager for the development initiative.<\/p>\n

Human- and machine-readable digital shaft register<\/h2>\n

Sweco’s responsibilities in project management included defining objectives, creating the project plan, coordinating the project team’s work, and reporting. “My primary task was to ensure clear division of labor and that the project progresses on schedule and within budget,” Gissek says.<\/p>\n

Lehikoinen states that Gissek quickly grasped Rakennustietomalli Oy’s operational methods and standardization practices. Design work was led by Eemeli Pesonen from Afry and Simo V\u00e4nsk\u00e4 from Arkance. Gissek emphasizes the expertise of the entire team in water network projects and modeling. “The designers did the actual work in the project, and Juha Hyv\u00e4rinen from JHy Consulting had the most robust experience in quality assurance.”<\/p>\n

The digital shaft register must be both machine-readable and visually comprehensible to the human eye. Therefore, the project began with defining the content and requirements of the shaft register. “The locations of different data fields and the units used must be standardized,” Gissek says.<\/p>\n

During the project, a broad range of industry stakeholders were consulted, including shaft manufacturers, designers, contractors, consultants, builders, and representatives of water utilities. The project was also discussed in BuildingSMART Finland’s Water Supply Group meetings. “We needed to determine what data transfer formats and modeling tools different stakeholders could use to handle shaft register data,” Gissek notes.<\/p>\n

Digitalization requires collaboration in the water supply sector<\/h2>\n

The project’s final report will be published in BuildingSMART Finland’s Wiki in early June 2025. Lehikoinen hopes the project acts as a launchpad for standardizing data related to water supply and creating the actual digital shaft register. However, there is still much work to be done.<\/p>\n

“The water supply sector requires a new kind of ownership and collaboration, as standardizing data involves more than changing internal practices within a single company. The entire industry must evolve together.”<\/p>\n

Gissek believes the digital shaft register will change practices in the water supply sector, streamline workflows, and support sustainability goals.<\/p>\n

“The carbon dioxide emissions from water supply projects will decrease as shaft production is streamlined and shafts are manufactured correctly the first time. By saving building materials, we conserve natural resources, money, and labor.<\/p>\n

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