The 2010 Formula 1 season reached its climax on November 12–14 in United Arab Emirates, on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina circuit. The structural design of the spectator stands and other structures of the most spectacular circuit in the F1 world were made with the Finnish Tekla Structures Building Information Modelling (BIM) software.

The Yas Marina circuit was completed last year, only a month before the F1 circus arrived at the site. The organisers of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix won their race against time not least thanks to efficient building information modelling by the engineering office Ingenieur-Contor Weckmann GmbH (ICW), the company responsible for the design.

ICW was responsible for designing and modelling the spectator stands for the whole circuit, as well as other structures such as the media centre and service buildings. The company also modelled the supporting structures for the roof that protects the spectators against the scorching sun of the United Arab Emirates.

The tight schedule demanded that ICW’s engineers work in close cooperation with the structural steel fabricators, the architect, and the site. In this way, all structures could be fabricated, transported to the site, and erected in time. Yas Marina was the first project ICW implemented using Tekla software and the company found that it gained significant benefits from using the software.

According to Torsten Weckmann, who previously worked for ICW, the information model helped to improve productivity in the project.

“I would estimate that using Tekla Structures in the Yas Marina project increased our productivity by more than 30%,” said engineer Torsten Weckmann, who works as the area manager for Middle East at engineering office Joachim Stahlbau GmbH.

Information included in Tekla Structures for detailing and steel fabrication, for instance, made the work faster and the results more accurate. As there was no need to correct design errors at the site, the steel structures fabricated in Germany could be erected according to the schedule.

Design work on several continents

ICW managed the whole structure-related information flow using a Tekla web application. The working method employed enabled efficient co-operation between parties to the project all over the world. Using the web model does not require the Tekla Structures software, as the model can be viewed directly in an Internet browser.

“Using the web models, we were able to handle the diverse structural information coming from different continents and time zones. We could also present the progress of the work to our client who did not have Tekla Structures,” Weckmann explained.

“To make the work faster, at peak times more than ten detailers worked on the same server, using the software in multi-user-mode. This saved us a lot of time and money. We estimate that using BIM in the project cut down the overall cost by approximately 20%,” he continued.

“The Yas Marina project is a good example of the possibilities offered by BIM. ICW demonstrated that in competent hands, the Tekla Structures software and its proper use bring significant benefits, even though one did not have previous experience of the software,” said Laura Virros, director of the Project Delivery business area at Tekla.

Monaco circuit used as a model

The cost of the Yas Marina circuit was approximately EUR 900 million. It was designed as an Arabian version of Monaco. The track combines several long straight stretches with tight curves and runs through twenty-one turns. It traverses the man-made island off the coast, passes the marina, and continues through the Yas Hotel. The circuit has four grandstand areas. The Yas Marina circuit is the largest sports venue in the world with fixed lighting. It is one of the few F1 circuits where the race takes place in the evening.

The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, a well-known designer of F1 circuits. Its steel structure was fabricated by the German company Stahlbau Queck. The prefabricated structures were shipped by container ships to Abu Dhabi. Temperatures of over 40°C, the desert sand, and high humidity made the work difficult.

Yas Marina is the biggest ever individual project realised by Queck. The structural design was implemented by the German engineering office Ingenieur-Contor Weckmann GmbH (ICW). These three companies have worked together on several F1 projects in the past.

The Yas Marina Circuit

Location: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Spectator capacity: 50,000

Opening time: October 2009

Building cost: EUR 893 million

Circuit architect: Hermann Tilke

The F1 Grand Prix track

Length: 5,554 m

Curves: 21

Track record: 1:40.279 (Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing, 2009)