Aedifice, a prominent property development company, embarked on the Selo project, an 11-acre residential community located in Eden Terrace, Auckland, New Zealand. This development included 243 buildings spread across 210 lots, supported by an extensive utility infrastructure featuring over 5 miles of sanitary sewer, wastewater, and water supply pipes. To manage the complexity of this large-scale project, Aedifice collaborated with local engineering firm Civix, utilizing the advanced Allsite.ai platform, specifically Service AI 1.0, to streamline the design and construction process.

The Challenge

The Selo project presented several challenges due to its vast size and scope, particularly in designing an efficient underground pipe network. The requirements included:

• 555 storm drain pipes (2.7 miles)
• 385 sanitary sewer pipes (1.7 miles)
• 536 water supply pipes (2.6 miles)

The intricate design needed to adhere to strict engineering standards, such as proper pipe cover, minimum clearance between pipes, and minimum grades. Additionally, the design had to be cost-effective, balancing both capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) expenses while minimizing risks of structural conflicts, such as pipes being too close to retaining walls. Flood resilience was also a critical concern due to the area’s susceptibility to flooding.

Technology in Action:

To address these challenges, Civix employed Allsite.ai’s Service AI 1.0, an intelligent tool designed to automate and optimize engineering designs. Service AI 1.0 offered a comprehensive solution for the pipe network by:

• Setting all pipe invert levels to ensure compliance with engineering standards.
• Automatically designing the pipe network to minimize CAPEX and OPEX costs.
• Implementing built-in QA checks to detect potential design conflicts, such as pipes near retaining walls.
• Automatically sizing pipes based on specified catchments and performing a full flow analysis to ensure optimal performance.
• Generating detailed pipe long sections, capacity tables, and plan views that met Auckland City Council standards, eliminating the need for manual drafting.
• Calculating trench volumes and setting excavation methods (shoring or benching), improving communication between developers and construction teams.

• Insert Selo image 3 & 1

Additionally, semi-automated flood modelling was conducted using the Tuflow flood engine, ensuring the design was resilient against future flood events.

Client Feedback

According to the project’s Professional Engineer from Civix, “Using Service AI 1.0 and Allsite.ai, iterations of servicing design took less than an hour. Every pipe invert was designed with no overrides. I was amazed by its accuracy, creating a design superior to what a human could achieve—the design had lower construction and operational costs, delivering excellent results for the client.”

Benefit and Result

The implementation of Service AI 1.0 on the Selo project resulted in significant time and cost savings. Design iterations that would typically take days were completed in less than an hour. The AI-driven system optimized both construction and operational costs, ensuring precise pipe invert designs with no manual overrides needed. Built-in QA checks reduced design conflicts, and semi-automated flood modelling enhanced the site’s resilience, as demonstrated when the network withstood the 2023 Auckland floods without damage.