This White Paper was created in collaboration with Autodesk.
Stormwater is far more than a drainage problem—it represents a multibillion-dollar liability that threatens municipalities, hinders new development, and creates a compliance crisis that is reshaping infrastructure spending. This change is underpinned by shifting climatic patterns that are resulting in more severe rainfall, intense flooding, combined sewer overflows, and increased pollutant runoff. At the same time, population growth and urban development are amplifying the crisis. Every new building, parking lot, and road replaces absorbent land with impervious surfaces, which accelerates runoff and overwhelms aging systems designed for a different era. According to the European Commission Joint Research Centre, human-built areas are projected to double by the end of the century. For these reasons, engineers are now tasked with designing more resilient stormwater and drainage solutions to mitigate the mounting challenges.
As software becomes increasingly connected and data driven, stormwater infrastructure design is shifting from a static calculation exercise to an iterative, data-rich design discipline. Previously, engineers relied on spreadsheets or outdated software to size drainage features. After being sized in this format, the hydraulic designs would then be manually translated and exported into a larger site design. This process was both labor intensive and prone to errors. Newer workflow platforms and connected software enable engineers to reduce handoffs and iterate in real time between hydraulic design and site design.
Autodesk, a leading global software solution provider, offers an array of software solutions to support the planning, design, construction, and operation of all types of water infrastructure assets. This paper focuses on site- and development-scale drainage design workflows, for which Autodesk’s solution consists of Civil 3D and InfoDrainage. This integrated workspace embeds drainage design directly into the 3D building information modeling environment, where site decisions are made. The solution features visualization tools, compliance and reporting capabilities, and built-in hydrologic and hydraulic analysis of green infrastructure elements like ponds and swales.
Bluefield Research interviewed Autodesk customers using InfoDrainage to better understand how they incorporate the tool into their day-to-day projects.
