Visualize, Realize, Optimize – what Value Digital Twins really bring for the Building Industry

A digital twin for buildings is a virtual replica of a physical built asset, created using advanced visualization techniques like BIM or 3D point clouds, and updated with real-time data. Essentially, it acts as a dynamic, data-driven mirror of the real-world building.

There are several stages of a digital twin:

• The Static Twin: Only a static visualization
• The Detailed Twin: Linked with additional data
• The As-Built Twin: Reflects the actual implementation
• The Sensored Twin: Updated with real-time data from IoT sensors
• The Responsive Twin: Reflects responsive action in the physical twin
• The Adaptive Twin: Simulates scenarios semi-automatically
• The Intelligent Twin: Makes decisions fully autonomously

While the static, detailed and as-built twin are already common use in BIM projects, they are still just preliminary stages of a real digital twin. The intelligent twin is more of a future vision that still requires further development and discussion. However, the sensored, responsive and adaptive twin are already operational stages of a full digital twin for the building industry that can be handled by advanced digital twin solutions.

Addressing Industry Challenges

The building industry urgently needs innovative solutions to address the diverse challenges it faces. Cost pressures are enormous, with 46%* of real estate firms cutting expenses or planning further reductions. At the same time, the requirements for meeting sustainability-related regulations are increasing. 59% of real estate firms report that they don’t have the data, processes, or internal controls to comply with these regulations. These challenges must be overcome with fewer resources. That’s why 61% of real estate firms are considering outsourcing operational capabilities. Technology can play a big role here, but 61% of global real estate owners are still dependent on legacy infrastructure.

The building industry, therefore, needs innovative technical solutions that can better connect and evaluate data, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. Full digital twins, as described above, can fulfil these requirements.

Digital Twins Visualize Buildings and Data

The visualisation capabilities of digital twin platforms are not limited to displaying a 3D model. Platforms like dTwin by Nemetschek connect BIM models with point clouds generated by 3D laser scanners and 360° photogrammetric data. This enables users to choose their preferred data sources and view a complete, holistic representation of a building. But there’s more: connected with real-time data from IoT sensors, digital twin platforms can visualise this data in 3D, for example, through heatmaps. This allows operators to easily identify areas where energy is being wasted.

Digital Twins Make Data Understandable 

Many companies already collect vast amounts of data about their buildings. However, this data is often siloed and unconnected. Digital twin platforms unlock the potential of this data by collecting it from any source, format, or device, and putting it into context. This enables the connection of data from IoT sensors, technical systems, building management systems, and facility management systems, providing insights that siloed data cannot. This makes it possible to create comprehensive dashboards and reports, such as those required for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting.

Digital Twins Optimize Buildings

The real power of digital twins goes beyond visualisation and data aggregation. They can monitor, simulate, predict, and optimise. Digital twin platforms can identify problems and anomalies by analysing and comparing the large volumes of available data. They can simulate various scenarios and incidents, helping to find the best solutions. Additionally, they can evaluate a building’s past and present to predict its future. Ultimately, this leads to better, data-driven decision-making and improved building performance. 

These benefits can be realised through various use cases, including:

• Energy management: A digital twin can identify inefficiencies and suggest optimisations.
• Predictive maintenance: A digital twin can predict when equipment is likely to fail, enabling proactive maintenance before issues arise.
• Space utilisation: A digital twin can track real-time occupancy levels and usage patterns to optimise floor plans and reallocate space.
• Remote inspections: Building managers can remotely access a digital twin to monitor building systems and track performance from anywhere.
• Green building certification: Digital twins track environmental performance, including energy consumption, water usage, and carbon emissions.
• Risk management: Digital twins can simulate emergency scenarios, such as fires, floods, or structural failures, to test evacuation plans and improve safety.
• Smart building automation: Digital twins can feed real-time data into building automation systems, allowing dynamic control of lighting, temperature, and ventilation based on occupancy patterns.

Digital Twins for buildings are not only adding value to building management. Platforms like dTwin by Nemetschek are connecting all systems and data in one, improving numerous crucial use cases. The technology is already here.