Major Brazil Utility BRK Ambiental used Generative Design to Transform WWTP Project Evaluation and Reduce Conceptual Design Costs by 80%

One of the biggest challenges for global water and wastewater utilities is their ability to rapidly assess cost and risk for capital projects - especially in new build, expansion, and rehabilitation of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). BRK Ambiental (BRK) presents a compelling case study of how to solve this challenge using generative design technology. BRK Ambiental is one of Brazil's largest private water and wastewater utility, addressing the essential needs of over 15 million people in more than 100 municipalities with a focus on sustainability and technological advancement. This abstract outlines how BRK, who owns over 300 WWTPs, adopted generative design technology in partnership with Transcend to transform their WWTP project evaluation processes. Problem: BRK Ambiental faced high costs and long timelines during wastewater project evaluations, which made adaptable master planning, new build, and upgrade strategies in an evolving regulatory landscape a major challenge. Manual design processes impeded their ability to effectively evaluate new technologies like energy-efficient blowers and advanced processes like MBBR and MABR. Solution: BRK Ambiental partnered with Transcend to transform their wastewater project evaluation process. By using Transcend Design Generator's (TDG) civil, mechanical, and process engineering outputs, BRK evaluated 8-10 more alternatives per facility to inform investment priorities. The partnership reduced design costs, improved facility operations, and ensured adaptability to changing conditions like population growth, stringent regulations, and rising energy costs. Outcomes: 1. Enhanced Cost Efficiency BRK's shift towards generative design was aimed at tackling operational inefficiencies, long project timelines, and the challenge of evaluating new technologies. TDG reduced BRK preliminary design costs by up to 80% and sped up the process from 2 months to 1 week, enabling more efficient project evaluation and execution. TDG enhanced BRK's ability to remain cost-competitive in WWTP concession contract bids and responsive to treatment demands in a rapidly evolving utility landscape. 2. Improved Decision-Making Advanced design analysis in TDG enabled BRK to evaluate and prioritize wastewater projects and new technologies, while remaining adaptable to changing conditions. By increasing the evaluated options per facility by 5x (from 2-3 alternatives to 10+), BRK improved its capacity to make informed decisions, aligning investments more closely with the utility's priorities of optimizing project outcomes while minimizing risk. The utility demonstrated the importance of using data and analytics to make more sustainable decisions. 3. Increased Operational Efficiency BRK used TDG to set dynamic benchmarks like expected chemical requirements and sludge disposal quantities, and compared them to actual parameters at a WWTP to identify ways to improve operations of existing facilities. BRK's workforce has not only improved its operational optimization but also embraced a culture of innovation and continuous improvement. The BRK and Transcend collaboration represents a successful partnership in collaborative innovation, where both parties brought unique strengths to the table. Transcend provided WWTP generative design solutions, while BRK offered in-depth industry knowledge and practical application. It highlighted how adopting advanced technologies, when coupled with a shared vision, can lead to significant benefits in water infrastructure management. This case study demonstrated how BRK adopted innovative solutions like generative design to significantly improve project risk management through cost efficiency, faster decision-making, and optimized operational performance. As the water sector continues to evolve, the lessons drawn from BRK's experience offer valuable insights for utilities around the world.