By Colleen O’Hanlon, Corporate Content Lead
Bentley Systems has announced the finalists for the 2026 Year in Infrastructure Awards, highlighting infrastructure projects that are advancing digital engineering and helping solve some of the world’s most complex subsurface challenges.
The Subsurface Modeling and Analysis category recognises innovative applications of Seequent technology across industries including water, transportation, mining, and environmental management. The 2026 finalists demonstrate how integrated digital workflows can improve safety, reduce uncertainty, support sustainability goals, and enable better decision-making.
Seequent Chief Customer Officer Angela Harvey said it was inspiring to see the calibre and diversity of projects entered in this year’s awards.
‘With 46 submissions from around the world, the 2026 finalists showcase how subsurface innovation is helping solve some of the world’s most pressing infrastructure, environmental and resource challenges. These projects highlight the impact that better subsurface understanding can have on reducing risk, improving sustainability and supporting better decisions for communities around the world.’
The 2026 Subsurface Modeling and Analysis finalists are:
Mott MacDonald Singapore - 3D geological modelling of complex ground for Changi Airport T5
A longitudinal geological profile view of the Changi Airport T5 project site, shown with the structures.
Source: Mott McDonald Singapore
Changi Airport Terminal 5 is one of Singapore’s most significant infrastructure projects, forming part of a major expansion designed to strengthen the country’s position as a global aviation hub. Located on reclaimed land, the development presents highly complex and variable ground conditions, requiring a detailed understanding of the subsurface to support design and construction decisions.
To address this challenge, Mott MacDonald Singapore developed a high-resolution 3D geological model using OpenGround, Leapfrog and Seequent Central. The integrated workflow brought together large volumes of borehole, CPT and laboratory data into a single source of truth, enabling the project team to build and continuously update a detailed representation of the subsurface as new investigation data became available.
A key innovation was the use of an intrusion-based modelling approach to represent highly variable sand and silt interbeds within the reclaimed ground. This enabled a more realistic representation of geological complexity while remaining efficient to maintain as the project evolved. The connected workflow reduced interpretation and model update cycles from weeks to days, improved collaboration across disciplines, and helped provide greater confidence in critical design decisions.
By improving understanding of challenging ground conditions and reducing uncertainty, the project demonstrates how digital subsurface intelligence can support the delivery of large-scale infrastructure with greater efficiency, resilience and confidence.
Intertechne Consultores S.A. - supporting the safe decharacterisation of an upstream tailings dam in Brazil
The Intertechne project team demonstrated how digital subsurface modelling can reduce uncertainty, improve collaboration across disciplines and support the safe elimination of high-risk environmental liabilities.
Source: Intertechne Consultores S.A.
Located in Congonhas, Minas Gerais, this project focuses on the decharacterisation of an upstream-raised tailings dam, helping address one of the Brazilian mining industry’s most important safety challenges.
Following high-profile tailings dam failures in recent years, Brazil introduced strict requirements for the decharacterisation of upstream dams. The project team from Intertechne Consultores S.A. used Leapfrog, PLAXIS 2D and PLAXIS 3D to develop an integrated geological and geotechnical model of the structure, its foundations and surrounding area.
The workflow combined data from more than 300 investigations, including boreholes, CPTu testing and geophysical surveys, to build a detailed three-dimensional understanding of subsurface conditions. Seamless integration between Leapfrog and PLAXIS enabled engineers to rapidly update models as new information became available and assess the performance of proposed stabilisation solutions.
The project demonstrates how digital subsurface modelling can reduce uncertainty, improve collaboration across disciplines and support the safe elimination of high-risk environmental liabilities.
Mott MacDonald Czech Republic - helping shape one of Europe's most ambitious rail tunnel projects
Folded structures in the vicinity of Prague, modelled as a sequence of depositional layers.
Source: Mott MacDonald Czech Republic
CZ01 – Tunnel Beroun forms part of the planned new railway line Praha-Smíchov – Beroun project, a major infrastructure development that will improve rail connectivity between Prague and western Europe.
The project traverses a highly complex geological environment that includes faulted rock masses, karst features and highly variable ground conditions. Developing a robust geotechnical model capable of supporting design decisions across the project required the integration of large volumes of geological and geotechnical data.
Using OpenGround and Leapfrog Works, the Mott MacDonald Czech Republic project team created a connected digital workflow that brought together historic investigations, new borehole information and geological interpretations into a single source of truth. Custom analytics and visualisation tools further improved transparency and collaboration between stakeholders.
The resulting workflow reduced geological model update times by around 30% while helping optimise future investigation programmes and minimise unnecessary drilling. The project showcases how digital subsurface intelligence can support the delivery of large-scale transportation infrastructure with greater confidence and reduced uncertainty.
Celebrating innovation below ground
This year’s finalists highlight the critical role subsurface understanding plays in delivering safer, more resilient infrastructure. Whether protecting communities from flooding, supporting major transport projects, or reducing risk in mining, these projects demonstrate the value of combining geological expertise with advanced digital technologies.
Year in Infrastructure winners will be announced in Singapore on October 7.
Other 2026 finalists who used Seequent products, listed by company, project name and category include:
AYESA Engineering
Porto Metro 3.0: Optimised Integrated Digital Tunnel Design Workflow
Bridges and Tunnels
SUDOP PRAHA a.s.
Praha–Beroun Tunnel: Czechia’s Largest Rail Tunnel
Bridges and Tunnels
China Baowu Design Institute Baosteel Engineering & Technology Group Co., Ltd
City ‘Rust Belt Rebirth’ and Factory Construction Based on Bentley Technology
Cities and Facilities
PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk
Lumut Balai 2 Geothermal Power Plant – Transforming Clean Energy
Energy Production
CITIC Heavy Industries Co., Ltd
Digital Innovation for the lifecycle of Wind Power Equipment
Energy Production
South-to-North Water Diversion (Chongqing) New Energy Development Co, Ltd and POWERCHINA Zhongnan Engineering Corporation Limited
Chongqing Yunyang Jianquan Pumped Storage Digital Power Station
Energy Production
Port Polska
Port Polska
Project Delivery
SUDOP PRAHA a.s.
HSR Central Bohemia (RS 1 VRT Poricany – Svetla nad Sazavou)
Rail and Transit
PT Wijaya Karya (Persero) Tbk
Semarang-Demak Toll Road – Resilience at the Edge of the Sea
Roads and Highways
Torrens to Darlington Alliance (John Holland, Bouygues, Arcadis, Jacobs, Ventia) in partnership with the South Australian Government, Department for Infrastructure and Transport
River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project
Roads and Highways
Larsen & Toubro (L&T)
Integrated Digitalization & Sustainability at Navi Mumbai Airport
Water and Wastewater