Bentley Systems Q&A: Building Sustainable Infrastructures

Bentley Systems is helping to advance the future of infrastructure by providing software solutions that enable the design, construction and operation of more sustainable and resilient infrastructure assets around the world.

As the demand for modern, resilient infrastructure continues to grow, the company is also focused on addressing the industry's skills gap by equipping the next generation of engineering professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to tackle increasingly complex global challenges.

As Chief Sustainability and Education Officer at Bentley Systems, Chris Bradshaw leads the company’s sustainability and education initiatives, overseeing efforts to prepare future engineering talent while advancing sustainable outcomes across the infrastructure sector.

His role focuses on strengthening Bentley’s impact beyond its own operations, helping users of the company’s software create infrastructure projects that balance economic, environmental and social priorities.

Central to this approach is Bentley’s concept of its “handprint”, the positive contribution its technologies make in enabling more sustainable and resilient infrastructure outcomes worldwide.

Drawing on extensive experience across infrastructure, technology and sustainability, Chris works to ensure Bentley’s solutions and educational programmes support both the development of future industry leaders and the delivery of infrastructure that serves communities for generations to come.

Chris shares his knowledge with Sustainability Magazine.

What does sustainable infrastructure look like at Bentley Systems? 

True sustainable infrastructure is designed, constructed and operated with carbon-intelligence and resource circularity at its core. 

It looks like smart city networks that balance rapid urbanisation with human health, water systems that prevent precious resource loss and transit networks optimised for low-carbon footprints. 

Practically, this is realised by utilising infrastructure digital twins. 

By visualising and simulating the lifecycle of an asset before construction begins, engineers can calculate embodied carbon, evaluate low-impact design alternatives in real time and dramatically reduce the consumption of raw materials, ensuring sustainability is built into the asset's DNA.

How does technology and public engagement improve sustainability outcomes? 

Technology and public engagement act as force multipliers when combined. 

Digital twin platforms act as a single, open source of truth that integrates disparate engineering, environmental and operational data. 

This capability allows teams to automate carbon reporting, track supply chain emissions and optimise performance dynamically. 

However, technology is only half of the equation. 

By opening these highly visual digital twins to the public and stakeholders, we democratise complex data. 

This level of transparency shifts public engagement from a compliance tick-box to an active partnership. 

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It enables local communities, regulatory bodies and investors to see the immediate and long-term impacts of policy decisions, like new public transit lines or renewable energy developments. 

This in turn fosters trust, drives social equity and accelerates approvals for vital green projects. 

What is Bentley Systems doing to enhance sustainability? 

Bentley is transforming the software ecosystem into a primary mechanism for global climate action. 

Because infrastructure accounts for nearly 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the greatest leverage we have is equipping the world’s engineers with the tools to change those metrics. 

Bentley is integrating advanced carbon analysis and tracking capabilities directly into design and analysis engines, allowing users to seamlessly calculate Scope 3 and embodied carbon during the design phase.  

We are also investing heavily in the future workforce. 

Through programmes like global digital twin challenges in partnership with academic networks, we are putting our digital twin technology into the hands of young university students to solve localised, real-world sustainability challenges. 

We are cultivating a new generation of bold, digitally-native professionals who will build a decarbonised future. 

How can resilient infrastructure address climate change risks? 

We are living in an era where climate change is no longer a future projection. It is an active operational disruptor. 

Extreme weather events, unprecedented thermal cycles and shifting water tables are putting massive strain on both ageing legacy systems and new assets.  

Resilient infrastructure addresses these risks by fundamentally shifting our industry from a "reactive" posture to a "predictive" one. 

Continuity of operations is essential to the survival of society, and data-driven resilience is the key to maintaining it. 

By deploying digital twins paired with real-time IoT sensors and predictive AI, operators can stress-test physical networks against simulated climate disasters, such as severe coastal flooding or extreme storms. 

This enables infrastructure asset owners to anticipate failures, strategically harden vulnerable nodes and proactively adapt existing systems to withstand the extreme conditions of tomorrow.

What is the importance of leaders combining engineering expertise with digital intelligence? 

Bridging the gap between physical engineering and digital intelligence is a leadership imperative of our era. 

Traditional engineering expertise tells us how to build safely according to historical standards; however, climate change has rendered those historical playbooks obsolete. 

Digital intelligence provides the forward-looking, real-time insights required to navigate this new reality. 

When leaders combine these two disciplines, they unlock the ability to future-proof assets at scale. They can accelerate transition timelines. 

For instance, using digital twins in the energy sector to compress complex refinery ramp-ups from months to mere days.  

Leaders who embrace this hybrid approach can leverage data-driven insights to optimise material usage, reduce risk and maximise efficiency. 

We believe that leaders who combine engineering heritage with digital foresight today are the ones who will successfully safeguard our environment and preserve essential public services tomorrow.