The new Universidad Industrial de Santander (UIS) Campus in Málaga, Colombia, represents a remarkable example of how advanced materials, structural engineering, and digital construction technologies can work together to deliver innovative and efficient solutions.
The project incorporated folded High-Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HPFRC) elements using Resilia® technology, creating lightweight and structurally efficient forms with a distinctive architectural appearance. However, innovation at this scale required more than advanced materials alone. It demanded a rigorous understanding of structural behavior and effective collaboration between all project stakeholders.
To support these objectives, the project team leveraged two key applications within BIM Concrete Studio:
✓ Model Manager
✓ FRCsection Tool
Challenge 1: Analyzing Complex Folded HPFRC Sections
The folded concrete elements used in the project exhibited highly irregular geometries that could not be easily evaluated using traditional sectional analysis methods.
The design team needed to understand:
- Ultimate section capacity.
- Serviceability performance.
- Crack development and post-cracking behavior.
- Deformation capacity.
- Structural ductility.
- Transportation and handling stresses.
- The influence of HPFRC tensile behavior on overall structural performance.
Solution: FRCsection Tool
The FRC Cross Section Tool was used to perform advanced nonlinear sectional analysis.
The software automatically discretized each complex geometry into finite elements and evaluated the complete mechanical behavior of the section, considering:
- Nonlinear concrete compression behavior.
- Nonlinear concrete tension behavior.
- Fiber-reinforced concrete post-cracking response.
- Reinforcement contribution.
- Material constitutive models across the entire loading process.
This allowed engineers to accurately assess the structural response of the folded HPFRC elements throughout their full life cycle.
Moment-Curvature Analysis
A key aspect of the project was the use of Moment-Curvature (M-φ) analysis.
Rather than evaluating only ultimate strength, engineers were able to study:
✓ Section stiffness evolution.
✓ Cracking progression.
✓ Yield behavior.
✓ Rotation capacity.
✓ Ductility performance.
✓ Structural reserve beyond cracking.
This provided valuable insight into how the folded sections would behave under both service and ultimate loading conditions.
Column Analysis Using M-N Domains
For column-type elements, the design team used the M-N Domain (Interaction Diagram) functionality.
This enabled the evaluation of:
✓ Axial force capacity.
✓ Bending moment resistance.
✓ Combined compression-bending behavior.
✓ Safety margins under different loading scenarios.
The nonlinear interaction diagrams provided a comprehensive understanding of the structural performance of the columns, including the contribution of the HPFRC material and the post-cracking response.
Challenge 2: Collaboration and Construction Tracking
The project involved multiple stakeholders, including designers, engineers, contractors, precast manufacturers, and construction teams.
Managing geometric information, project quantities, production planning, and construction progress required a centralized and easily accessible platform.
Solution: Model Manager
The Model Manager served as the project’s digital collaboration hub.
Using IFC-based workflows, stakeholders could:
✓ Visualize the complete project in 3D directly through a web browser.
✓ Review and interrogate model information without specialized BIM software.
✓ Access quantities directly from the IFC model.
✓ Verify dimensions and project data.
✓ Share information among different project participants.
The platform became a single source of truth for project information.
Concrete Quantity Tracking
Beyond visualization, Model Manager enabled the team to monitor:
✓ Concrete volumes by element.
✓ Concrete volumes by construction phase.
✓ Material requirements.
✓ Production planning.
The project team could accurately estimate and validate the amount of concrete required throughout the construction process.
Delivery and Construction Progress Monitoring
Model Manager was also used to support construction management workflows.
The team could:
✓ Plan concrete deliveries.
✓ Schedule concrete truck trips.
✓ Monitor placement activities.
✓ Track installed elements.
✓ Mark elements as completed directly within the model.
This provided a visual representation of project progress and helped improve coordination between production and construction teams.
Results
By combining advanced material technology with digital engineering tools, the UIS Málaga project demonstrated how integrated workflows can accelerate innovation in construction.
FRCsection Tool delivered:
- Advanced nonlinear structural analysis.
- Moment-Curvature evaluation.
- Ductility assessment.
- M-N Interaction Diagram analysis.
- Accurate modeling of HPFRC behavior.
- Validation of complex folded concrete sections.
Model Manager delivered:
- IFC-based collaboration.
- Quantity extraction and validation.
- Construction progress tracking.
- Concrete delivery planning.
- Centralized project information management.
- Enhanced communication across stakeholders.
Impact
The UIS Málaga Campus is more than a successful construction project.
It demonstrates how innovative materials such as Resilia® HPFRC, combined with digital tools like Model Manager and FRC Cross Section Tool, can create a fully integrated workflow where material performance, structural engineering, BIM processes, and construction execution are connected from day one.
Most importantly, these innovations have become part of a landmark educational institution that will serve future generations of engineers, architects, and construction professionals in Colombia.