Uniquely integrates multidisciplinary design and pedestrian simulation for rail and transit stations

EXTON, Pa. – Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twins services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, today announced the general availability of OpenBuildings Station Designer, a new multidisciplinary application for the design, analysis, visualization, and simulation of new or operating rail, metro or other transit stations. Advancing beyond generic BIM applications, OpenBuildings Station Designer was developed specifically for rail and transit station modeling, with asset-specific content and workflows. OpenBuildings Station Designer streamlines and automates design collaboration design between architectural, mechanical, electrical, and structural disciplines sharing modeling, clash resolution, and documentation capabilities.

OpenBuildings Station Designer incorporates LEGION, the industry-leading simulation software, acquired by Bentley late in 2018, for fully modeling pedestrian traffic to optimize footfall, wayfinding, crowd management, safety, and security. With the integrated capability to model and simulate pedestrian scenarios, OpenBuildings Station Designer helps designers to improve the functional use of space, passenger throughput, and the pedestrian experience.

By virtue of Bentley’s open modeling environment, OpenBuildings Station Designer enables iterative digital workflows spanning OpenRail and OpenRoads to assure comprehensive and coordinated engineering modeling of transportation assets and modes. Within Bentley’s OpenRail Connected Data Environment (CDE), the Components Center cloud service contributes to station project quality and integrity through pre-populated digital components which include signaling equipment, escalators, turnstiles, public address systems, signage, kiosks, and more.

OpenBuildings Station Designer breaks down barriers among stakeholders and increases the value and fitness-for-purpose of design deliverables through its:
• included LEGION pedestrian simulation;
• integration with OpenRail for rail design;
• integration with OpenRoads for roads design;
• clash resolution;
• multi-discipline documentation;
• ready-to-use catalogs for functional spaces and equipment; and
• enlivened visualizations.

Santanu Das, SVP for Bentley’s design integration business unit, said, “OpenBuildings Station Designer reflects our goal of advancing BIM through digital twins, by including within its multi-discipline design scope the integral simulation of pedestrian traffic outcomes. With such insight, the designer can anticipate pedestrian bottlenecks and modify the layout to improve the station efficiency and safety, ultimately improving the passenger experience. Accordingly, we expect OpenBuildings Station Designer to also benefit existing rail and transit stations for renovations and upgrades, increasing their capacity and throughput.”

Mike Nicholson, associate for Steer Group, said, “For over a decade Steer has successfully been delivering a wide range of pedestrian modeling studies around the world utilizing LEGION. We are now looking forward to using the full BIM capabilities of OpenBuildings Station Designer.”

About Bentley’s Open Modeling Environment
Sharing digital components through Components Center and connecting automated and iterative digital workflows across disciplines for design integration are the foundation of Bentley’s open modeling environment. Bentley’s open modeling applications are also “open” to analytics and simulation from among Bentley’s portfolio of analysis tools including RAM, STAAD, PLAXIS, LEGION, LEAP, SITEOPS, and AutoPIPE.

Comprising MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications specialized for asset types and solutions, the open modeling environment advances collaboration, enabling clash resolution and production of multidiscipline deliverables from any application. Bentley’s growing list of open modeling applications include OpenBuildings, OpenPlant, OpenRoads, OpenRail, OpenBridge, OpenSite, OpenFlows, and OpenUtilities.

OpenBuildings Station Designer streamlines multidisciplinary design between architects and mechanical, electrical, and structural engineers with a shared set of modeling, clash resolution, and documentation capabilities.

 

OpenBuildings Station Designer incorporates LEGION Model Builder, Bentley’s leading application for fully modeling pedestrian traffic.

 

OpenBuildings Station Designer helps designers improve the quality of station and facility design and optimize the functional use of space and the pedestrian experience.

 

OpenBuildings Station Designer was developed specifically for rail and transit station design, with asset-specific content and workflows.

About Bentley Systems
Bentley Systems is the leading global provider of software solutions to engineers, architects, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators for the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure. Bentley’s MicroStation-based engineering and BIM applications, and its digital twin cloud services, advance the project delivery (ProjectWise) and the asset performance (AssetWise) of transportation and other public works, utilities, industrial and resources plants, and commercial and institutional facilities.

Bentley Systems employs more than 3,500 colleagues, generates annual revenues of over $700 million in 170 countries, and has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions since 2014. From inception in 1984, the company has remained majority-owned by its five founding Bentley brothers. Bentley shares transact by invitation on the NASDAQ Private Market.

Bentley, the Bentley logo, AssetWise, AutoPIPE, LEGION, RAM, STAAD, PLAXIS, LEAP, SITEOPS, MicroStation, OpenBuildings Station Designer, OpenBuildings, OpenPlant, OpenRoads, OpenRail, OpenBridge, OpenSite, OpenFlows, OpenUtilities, and ProjectWise are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. All other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.