Automating constructability analysis of low voltage network designs using GIS queries
Léon olde Scholtenhuis
Organisation || Siers Infraconsult B.V.
Project type || M.Sc. Thesis
Candidate || Luc Roetenberg
Project duration || May 2025 – November 2025
Thesis availability || Download
The existing electricity network in The Netherlands needs to be expanded and upgraded as a result of the energy transition. The increasing demand for work in the subsurface utility (SU) sector has put additional pressure and workload on utility contractors. To expand the network as quickly and efficiently as possible, grid operators are using a relatively new strategy known as the neighbourhood-focused approach (Buurtaanpak in Dutch) where the network of an entire district is upgraded and expanded within short timeframes. At the same time, contractors are increasingly responsible for both the design and construction phases of a project.
It is therefore important for contractors to consider constructability early in the design phase, in order to prevent problems and delays during construction. However, in practice constructability is often assessed implicitly, based on individual knowledge, experience, and communication between professionals. This makes the process error-prone and can lead to variation in constructability between projects. There is thus a need for a more systematic and reproducible approach to assessing constructability in utility projects.
Example of limiting environmental factors during electricity network installation.
In other parts of the construction sector, digital technologies are already successfully used to provide such systematic support. These are mostly BIM-based and focused on the building sector. However, these do not fully address the spatial challenges that affect constructability in utility projects.
In this research, a GIS-based tool was developed that uses spatial data from a national spatial dataset (BGT) to identify conflicts between a utility design and environmental constraints. The tool checks for physical conflicts (such as trees, infrastructure, and pavements), non-physical boundaries (such as private land), and workspace limitations for open excavation (trenching) and impact ramming (pipe jacking) construction methods.
After testing and evaluation, the tool is considered valuable in early design phases by providing a uniform and objective assessment of constructability conflicts along a utility network design. This supports informed decision making and communication between disciplines. The study demonstrates that the spatial analysis capabilities of GIS can effectively support the identification of constructability conflicts for utility projects.
Output of the tool: clash points are filled in based on the object and clash type that is found.