A model broken in customs, an award-winning innovation: the story behind Entrepose Contracting’s holographic model

A constraint, a quick decision

With the deadline approaching, the team responsible for the model ruled out producing another conventional physical version. Instead, it proposed an alternative: a digital model that presents the facility in an entirely different way.
With support from a specialist partner in digital display and holographic technology, the solution was developed in just a few weeks. The model was delivered on schedule — in a different format, but one that remained equally clear and accessible for the client.
The objective was not to showcase technology for its own sake. It was to honour a commitment to the client without compromising the presentation’s clarity. This level of commitment, deeply rooted in Entrepose Contracting’s culture, made all the difference.

Revealing the unseen: the benefits of holographic technology

Whereas a conventional scale model presents a fixed view, the holographic version opens up the entire facility.
It displays the storage tanks from multiple angles and incorporates animations, camera movements, close-up views of key areas and cutaway sections. Certain parts of the facility can also be hidden to reveal its internal structure.
The model features several technologies designed by Entrepose Contracting, including LNG tanks, spherical tanks, floating-roof tanks and horizontal cylindrical tanks, covering products ranging from LNG and ammonia to oil.
The internal configuration, technical interfaces and assembly principles of these complex structures can therefore be viewed and understood much more easily.

Three applications, one shared benefit: faster understanding

At trade exhibitions and during client meetings, the model provides a more tangible and engaging way of presenting Entrepose Contracting’s storage expertise than a static image.
Internally, it shortens the learning curve. New employees can quickly understand the dimensions, components, and main operating principles of a storage tank without needing complex design software.
From an engineering and construction perspective, the project also points towards a potential future application. With further development, the model could be used to illustrate construction sequencing, providing project teams with a valuable training and communication tool.

Why the jury recognised the innovation

The Major Projects Division Innovation Award recognised a solution that addresses a practical requirement: making complex industrial structures more accessible, understandable and engaging for a wide range of audiences, including clients, visitors, new employees and technical teams.
It complements the physical model with an adaptable, reusable and scalable communication tool. Once a 3D model has been created, the concept can be applied to other storage technologies or industrial structures, with the potential to evolve towards fully immersive virtual-reality models in the future.

A broken model could have been nothing more than a setback. At Entrepose Contracting, it became a presentation tool that showcases technical expertise and makes projects easier to understand. Proof that useful innovation sometimes arises from the unexpected—provided you know how to turn it to your advantage.