How “Digital Twins” Could Transform Design and Construction

A digital twin is a digitized model of a real-life asset that is duplicated with both imagery and data on a real-time basis.   Updates occur from the early design concepts through demolition of the asset by the end user.  The concept has been used in aerospace, automotive and healthcare industries for many years, and is now gaining traction in the construction industry.  When applied to construction, the digital model typically starts with multi-dimensional BIM or building information model.  The real-life asset is always the construction project, as it progresses from a dream to an operating asset.  The digital twin is created when BIM is connected with one or more commercially available databases to receive, organize and store data tracking development of the asset.  This collected data is reflected in the BIM and by both tags and links tied to libraries of data stored in the associated databases.

The database(s) supporting digital twins receive data through multiple sources. One source of data is through the “Internet of Things” or IoT collected by various field devices including drones, rovers, cameras, or other automated devices.  [See, “How the Internet of Things or IoT is Monitoring Construction Activities”, posted 6/14/23].  A second source of data is through stakeholders who post or tag data within the database(s) to link with components identified within the BIM.  A third source is data that artificial intelligence or other shared resources that autonomously post to the database associated with BIM.  [See, “Have Robots Become Common Place Throughout Construction, and Other Industries”, posted 9/6/23].  The next source is limited only by the multiple sources of technology that continue to be developed at a rapid pace.  A digital twin receives data from both autonomous and human resources to continually stay up to date with the status of the construction project.  In theory, the digital twin should always be an identical virtual reality version of its real life counterpart!

The concept of a digital twin in construction is not new.  When the term BIM was first coined in 1992, many clients intended to update models on a routine basis.  This made sense, because a BIM that was continually updated would provide an as-built record of the project.  However, manually updating BIM required a significant investment of time, effort, and expense.  Given these practical considerations, very few contractors kept BIM updated on a routine basis.  Those few contractors who did keep BIM updated unwittingly created an early Neanderthal form of a digital twin.

What is new is how BIM is updated with imagery and data.  Today’s digital twin contemplates the inclusion of a far broader scope of data than just duplicate imagery.  In theory, a digital twin should be a historical record of the asset constructed.  Aside from providing a duplicate image of the construction in place, the digital twin contemplates direct links to data and information relating to each portion of the duplicated image.  The contemplated digital twin would include an entire history of the data relating to the optical image.  [See, “The 8 Dimensions (yes 8) of Building Information Modeling”, posted 1/24/24].  A user could click on a link attached to the digital image and immediately access a library of materials including: plans, specifications, RFI’s, ASI’s, CO’s, and all other data relating to the image in a single click.  No further searches for data would be required beyond the data found within the contemplated digital twin.  

Digital twins are winding their way into design, construction, and facility management.  In 2021 the global marketplace for “digital twins” was $6.75 billion.  The marketplace is expected to grow to $96.49 billion by 2029.  A growing portion of this marketplace will include digital twins in the construction industry.