Getting In on the Ground Floor of the Digital Twin Phenomenon

As technology becomes more advanced and AI gains momentum, AEC professionals are gradually realizing the potential digital twins offer for their clients’ facilities. 

More than a typical BIM model, a digital twin is a virtual space that unifies design, construction, and operational data. 

A growing number of AEC firms and building owners are recognizing the benefits of implementing digital twins to streamline processes and optimize performance. 

A panel at the Blueprint conference in Las Vegas this week, including Kenon Chen, EVP Of Strategy and Growth, Clear Capital; Troy Harvey, CEO & Co-Founder, Passive Logic; and Danielle O’Connell, Senior Director of Emerging Technology, SKANSKA USA, discussed its capabilities.

A digital twin is a digital model of an intended or actual real-world physical product, system, or process (a physical twin) such as a building, that serves as the effectively indistinguishable digital counterpart of it for practical purposes, such as simulation, integration, testing, monitoring, and maintenance, according to Wikipedia.

The digital twin exists throughout the entire lifecycle (create, build, operate/support, and dispose) of the physical entity it represents. 

The digital twin can and does often exist before there is a physical entity. The use of a digital twin in the creation phase allows the intended entity’s entire lifecycle to be modeled and simulated.

A digital twin of an existing entity may be used in real-time and regularly synchronized with the corresponding physical system.

“It seems like a complicated process, but if the building is intelligent enough to tell you what’s going on inside of it, it can create less work for the building to be maintained, not more,” Harvey said.

O’Connell said about 95% of the data from a building goes unused, but by working with the owner ahead of time to see what kind of data they need, it can be provided.

“Every stakeholder has their own list of needs,” Harvey said. 

She said the types of data that are requested range from low-hanging fruit such as a few basic things on an xls file such as how to fix something in the building if it’s broken and what model number for parts and materials were used.

Chen said more sophisticated requests could be how were items installed in the building and who installed them. 

Some 360-degree photos and captions are also taken during the process, O’Connell said, so the owner can have records of what is behind the walls.

O’Connell said healthcare and industrial asset classes are using digital twins the most.

“A lot of clients are asking about them,” she said.

Harvey said “We’re just on the ground floor with this technology. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.”