Valleybrook Homes, LLC retained Pennoni Associates (Pennoni) to conceptualize a development plan for 78 townhomes with walking trails, sidewalks, and stormwater improvements on a 143-acre, historic site in Chester Heights, Pennsylvania. The USD 200,000 project required Pennoni to provide design and pre-design services, including geotechnical surveys and zoning support, as well as grading, hydrology reporting, traffic permitting, and erosion and sedimentation control. To accommodate the vertical differences of over 45 feet with an average slope exceeding 12 percent while preserving the site’s historic nature and overcoming stakeholder opposition, Pennoni needed an efficient, interoperable conceptual design application.
Using SITEOPS, the team was able to use the topography to its advantage by grading the site while avoiding sensitive and historic areas. SITEOPS enabled Pennoni to provide the client, planning agency, and the community with a thoughtful use of the land through its comprehensive design. The interoperability of Bentley software enhanced collaboration and information mobility enabling Pennoni to present a 3D model of its successful development plan to all stakeholders and the public.
Outcome
The flexibility and interoperability of Bentley SITEOPS optimized decision making and allowed Pennoni to streamline the design, increasing the client’s ROI and significantly reducing project delivery time. The ability of SITEOPS to accommodate re-grading and changes in layout saved client costs. SITEOPS accelerated and improved coordination and information mobility, eliminating inefficiencies and reducing Pennoni’s operating costs. Using SITEOPS to manage site earthwork as well as graphics was instrumental in reassuring the community and stakeholders of the project’s viability, which otherwise would not have been possible.
Software
Pennoni used SITEOPS, in combination with other software, to import AutoCAD files into SITEOPS and export files from SITEOPS to SketchUp, and then back to AutoCAD, to create 3D graphics that could be manipulated and accurately presented to the community for approval. The Grading Solver in SITEOPS proved invaluable to determine the proper elevation, balance, and grading for optimal site layout, while the Do Not Grade function enabled Pennoni to avoid the historic areas and eliminate them from the development plan. Using Bentley software streamlined the design and enhanced information mobility resulting in a comprehensive, successful development concept.
"Bentley’s SITEOPS program allows the client, public, and local agencies to feel the project rather than see it on a plan" 