Digital twin technology has made a significant impact on commercial architecture and design. Acting as virtual replicas of physical assets, digital twins allow architects, engineers, and designers to simulate real-world conditions, improving planning, efficiency, and collaboration.
While the immediate benefits of digital twins in design are widely recognised, the long-term potential for managing built assets remains under explored. As the technology matures, its relationship with Building Information Modelling (BIM) is transforming not only how commercial buildings are designed but also how they are maintained and operated throughout their lifecycle.
BIM and digital twins both aim to provide detailed, data-driven insights into a building’s performance. However, the real power of these tools is revealed when digital twins are applied to manage existing buildings, long after the design and construction phases have concluded.
By integrating real-time data and building management systems, digital twins create dynamic models that reflect the ongoing operations of a building. This opens up significant opportunities for improving asset management, sustainability, and operational efficiency in ways that extend beyond traditional methods.
The Role of BIM in Digital Twin Development
Building Information Modelling (BIM) has already become an essential tool in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. By providing a 3D model that includes all design and construction data, BIM improves coordination and reduces errors during the construction phase. This makes BIM a strong foundation for creating digital twins, which add an additional layer of functionality by extending the model into the operational phase of a building’s lifecycle.
While BIM is primarily used during the design and construction phases, digital twins transform static BIM models into living, dynamic systems that continuously reflect real-world conditions. This allows for ongoing monitoring of the building’s performance, with data updated in real time from sensors and other sources. By merging the data-rich environment created by BIM with digital twins, the potential for lifecycle management becomes far more powerful.
Opportunities for Asset Management
Digital twins offer a vast array of untapped opportunities for long-term asset management in commercial buildings. By building on the data stored in BIM models, digital twins provide valuable insights that help manage the performance, maintenance, and sustainability of a building throughout its lifecycle.
1. Seamless Transition from BIM to Operations
In many cases, the data contained in BIM models is underused once a building is constructed. Digital twins bridge this gap by allowing companies to transfer data seamlessly from the construction phase to operations. Facility managers gain immediate access to crucial building information, including structural details and mechanical systems, without needing to recreate the data from scratch.
This continuous flow of information means that digital twins are always aligned with the actual state of the building, ensuring that management decisions are based on the most accurate and up-to-date data. Unlike traditional facility management systems, which often rely on manual updates, digital twins ensure that every change is reflected in real time, making them a crucial tool for lifecycle management.
2. Predictive Maintenance and Asset Performance
Digital twins go far beyond providing a static representation of a building’s systems. With data from sensors embedded in HVAC systems, electrical infrastructure, and plumbing, they enable real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance. By analysing patterns of equipment usage, digital twins can predict failures before they occur, reducing unplanned downtime and lowering operational costs.
Digital twins integrated with BIM data offer detailed insight into how different building systems are functioning, allowing for more efficient maintenance schedules and optimising the performance of mechanical assets. This not only extends the lifespan of the equipment but also contributes to more efficient use of resources, which in turn helps to meet sustainability goals.
3. Energy Efficiency and Sustainability
Energy optimisation is a key advantage of digital twins, particularly in the commercial real estate sector, where sustainability is a growing concern. By tracking data on energy consumption, airflow, and daylight levels, digital twins help building managers reduce energy waste and optimise building performance.
By continuously monitoring energy usage, digital twins make it possible to simulate alternative strategies for heating, cooling, and lighting, adjusting based on occupancy levels, time of day, and external weather conditions. This creates opportunities for reducing the building’s environmental impact and meeting energy efficiency certifications like LEED or WELL standards. Digital twins offer a way to ensure long-term energy optimisation, making buildings more sustainable while reducing operational costs.
4. Space Optimisation and Adaptability
With the rise of hybrid work models, companies are increasingly focused on the efficient use of office space. Digital twins, in combination with IoT sensors, allow organisations to monitor how spaces are used in real time, providing valuable data on occupancy levels and foot traffic patterns.
This insight makes it easier for companies to optimise layouts, adjust seating arrangements, or introduce flexible workspaces that better meet their employees’ needs. Facility managers can also simulate new office configurations to improve the overall use of space. Digital twins enable quick adaptability to changing demands, making them an ideal solution for long-term workplace planning.
5. Improving Safety and Risk Management
Digital twins offer significant benefits in terms of safety and risk management, an area that is still under utilised. By integrating data from BIM with real-time information from sensors, digital twins can help identify potential hazards before they become serious issues.
For instance, digital twins can be used to simulate disaster scenarios, such as fires or structural failures, allowing facility managers to assess risks and test evacuation plans. The ability to monitor the structural health of a building in real time means that any signs of deterioration can be addressed before they pose a danger to occupants. This proactive approach to safety and risk management ensures a higher level of building resilience.
Data Integration
To fully unlock the potential of digital twins, integrating data from multiple sources is crucial. This means linking BIM models with real-time sensor data, building management systems, and energy monitoring platforms. By creating a unified data ecosystem, digital twins provide a holistic view of how the building is functioning, allowing for informed decisions that improve efficiency and performance.
As digital twin technology continues to evolve, it will be capable of digesting more complex datasets from various sources, making it even more powerful for asset management. The integration of BIM models, IoT data, and smart building technologies ensures that digital twins will play a central role in the future of commercial real estate.
Future Opportunities for Growth
The potential applications for digital twins go beyond individual buildings. As cities become more connected, digital twins could be integrated into smart city initiatives, enabling better urban planning, resource management, and emergency response systems. By linking digital twins of individual buildings to city-wide networks, entire urban environments could be monitored and optimised for greater efficiency.
In the immediate future, the focus should be on maximising the value of digital twins by ensuring ongoing data integration and expanding their role beyond design. The combination of BIM and digital twins offers a powerful solution for sustainable, adaptive, and resilient buildings, ensuring that commercial real estate assets can meet the evolving demands of the 21st century.
The Future of Asset Management with Digital Twins
Digital twins, when used alongside BIM, offer far-reaching potential for managing built assets, extending well beyond the design phase. By integrating live data with BIM technology, companies can enhance predictive maintenance, improve energy efficiency, and create more adaptable, resilient spaces. As digital twins continue to transform the way we manage and operate commercial buildings, they promise to revolutionise asset management and help create smarter, more sustainable built environments.
