Hydraulic computer models are an essential part of a city's water policy. They allow to estimate the magnitude of floods and to investigate “what-if scenarios”. In addition, they determine the dimensions when designing water infrastructure in detail.
The city of Antwerp, in cooperation with Aquafin, possesses very detailed hydraulic models for nearly its entire territory. In these, every sewer pipe and every manhole is included. But making, adapting and using such a model requires a lot of expertise and a lot of time.
Highly detailed models are useful for an executive design, but for many other urban applications this approach is inefficient and very time consuming. Calculations for the necessary dimensions for water infrastructure are too often postponed and therefore brought up too late in the planning and design process. Moreover, these models are decoupled from decision-making relating to other surface and underground infrastructure. Without this spatial reality, the current models are useless to planners and designers.
That is why the city of Antwerp will draw up a conceptual hydraulic model for the city together with Aquafin, in which the water infrastructure is simplified to the bare essentials. Such a model computes faster and is therefore easier to handle, while also taking the spatial component into account. Planners and designers will be able to do a number of hydraulics checks more efficiently. This way, water can be included from the start in every planning and design process.
