Case study · Heart Center Bonn · EUR 250 million build

Digital construction control for the Heart Center Bonn.

How a digital twin creates transparency on a construction site that cannot stop for it.

Heart Center Bonn under construction, model and as-built overlaid

EUR 250m
Construction volume
2–5 %
Cost saved on quantity verification
50 %
Fewer physical site visits
10,000+
Deviations and findings identified

Industry: Mission critical
Period: construction phase, at intervals
Services: Reality capture, construction-accompanying documentation, scan-to-BIM, BIM field control
Result: Complete documentation of concealed installations

01 The problem

Large builds fail onthe same four things.

3D laser scanning, a digital twin and digital construction control helped during the construction of the 25,000 m² Heart Center Bonn to detect construction errors early, reduce cost and make progress transparent.

A project of this size runs many trades at once and has to be monitored efficiently, without slowing the build down.

No transparency about actual progress
On a large site there is often no clear view of what has actually been built and where the project really stands.
Deviations from the plan are found too late
Discrepancies between planning and reality are frequently noticed only once they have already caused a conflict or a delay.
Site inspections cost time
Many checks require a walk-through to verify progress, dimensions and execution on site.
Rework and delay cost money
Errors discovered late lead to expensive rework and can put the whole construction schedule at risk.

As-built floor plan of the Heart Center Bonn, derived from the scan

02 The approach

Scan against model. Every deviation, in writing.

Regular 3D laser scans and a digital twin document progress continuously. The decisive step is the comparison: as-built scans against the BIM planning models.

Deviations surface automatically, and the results are available to everyone involved on one central platform instead of in one team’s inbox.

Openings positioned incorrectly
Clashes between trades
Planning errors in building services

Section through the BIM model of the Heart Center Bonn

With qapture, we have better control over our project. This saves a lot of time, which we can instead use for contract negotiations, project follow-ups and proactive change management.

Ing. Dr. Otto Eichler Construction supervision, University Hospital Bonn