Defining the Digital Twin: Industry Experts Unite to Address Common Misconceptions
IES and The B1M, the top construction video channel, collaborated earlier this month to host an exclusive session exploring digital twins, one of the major technological trends in the sector. In order to address the crucial question of what, precisely, qualifies as a digital twin and what does not, experts from the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector convened for the session.
Despite the fact that the term "Digital Twin" has become extremely popular in the AEC industry recently, there is still a great deal of misunderstanding about what a Digital Twin is and what benefits they provide. Mike Keeley, Associate Director, Digital at Turner & Townsend; Richard Fletcher, Executive Board Member at IES; Dan Rossiter, Built Environment Sector Lead at BSI; Emma Hooper, Head of Information Management Strategy at RLB Digital; and Fred Mills of The B1M joined together in this live event to dissect some of the most prevalent misapplications and misunderstandings of the term. clearing things up and elucidating the benefits this technology offers for decarbonizing the built environment.
Defining the Digital Twin
Richard Fletcher claims that a dynamic physics-based performance model, often developed in the building's design phase and calibrated with actual metered and sensor data, is the source of a performance digital twin, like those produced by IES. There is a two-way information flow between the model and the actual building. This enables the building to function in accordance with its digital twin, or vice versa; depending on the use case, there may be a slight variation in these two scenarios. A Digital Twin that functions and reacts like the actual building allows one to verify that it is operating as intended or to test potential future scenarios virtually to see how they might impact the building's performance.
Dan Rossiter cited the BS ISO/IEC 30173 standard, which attempts to formalize some of the fundamental ideas that make up a digital twin, along with some important terminology and definitions, from a BSI perspective. Positively, his definition and Richard's explanation of the IES performance digital twin were extremely similar. A digital twin, according to Dan, is an electronic copy of a target entity that has data connections to allow for conversions at the right rate of synchronization between the digital and physical states. He emphasized that this is in line with the most recent definitions of digital models and digital innovation provided by government agencies like the Department of Business and Trade and the Department of Science, Innovation, and technology. Digital twins and shadows are related concepts in which the twin is a two-way connection and data flow, and the model is a static object. A shadow is a one-way connection.
How do digital twins differ from BIM and other types of building models?
A prevalent misperception holds that energy models, compliance, and BIM are all equivalent to digital twins. That is not the case, though. These are static models that represent a snapshot in time, whereas digital twins need to have a continuous bi-directional data flow to accurately represent and behave like the real building.
"It is all about information models," said Emma Hooper, providing some excellent clarification and guidance on this subject. We discuss models frequently, and most people automatically think of 3D models, but that is not the only type that can exist. She clarified that a model can be used to connect data in order to create a digital representation of a facility. While geometrical data is not required, it can be used to create a 3D model. Above all, she recommended that models be updated in accordance with the physical facility, including when a boiler needs to be replaced or refurbished. If the static model is maintained current, it can serve as the basis for a digital twin, allowing you to enhance the performance aspect and establish a two-way flow of data via actuators from the physical to the digital asset and vice versa.
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So why are digital twins so misunderstood and underutilised in the building sector?
Dan Rossiter compared it to the effects of a magpie. In spite of his warning that "it is really important to find the right place to use [a digital twin] and know what kind of data you want to collect," he asserted that people are drawn to novel and exciting things. In the case of buildings, he pointed out, the target entity of a digital twin will probably be the interior environment or the energy performance of a building. The internal environment is constantly changing, but the geometry and doors remain unchanged. Digital twins are most useful when it comes to a building's operation, he clarified. "Where the confusion lies is that people tend to think of a Digital Twin as BIM with extra bells on."
How do digital twins play a critical part in decarbonising buildings today?
Buildings should be used as efficiently as possible, according to Richard Fletcher, and this can be achieved primarily through the use of digital twins. According to recent research, the well-known performance gap may arise from in-use energy consumption that is five to ten times greater than compliance estimates made during the design phase. Richard said, "It comes down to: is your building operating as intended?" “ A structure is made to comply, but perhaps system optimization, but when people are involved, things can change, and decisions are made that may not be in line with the goals of the building. He explained that Digital Twins can determine where the operation has fallen once the building is occupied and can then be used to optimise the operational performance and align it with the design intent. He clarified, "After you have completed this, you can look at a potential decarbonization roadmap." As part of the process, there may be several shallow and extensive retrofits, as well as consideration of renewable energy sources and grid decarbonization. "By ensuring that the various scenarios modeled in the decarbonization plan will have that exact effect when applied to the building, a digital twin helps you understand which interventions are going to have the greatest impact and can de-risk investment decisions."
What are the most common misconceptions/grey areas associated with digital twins in construction?
Mike Keeley raised a very good point when he said that the amount of enabling work needed to create a digital twin is underestimated. "It is a voyage," he declared. "A Digital Twin does not just come out of a box; you cannot buy one." "Rush into a solution and consider the problem you are trying to solve first," he advised the audience. He elaborates, saying, "You can work backwards to a solution if you define that." A digital twin frequently enters a project too late, so it is important to plan early and then progressively build the information management foundation for one. He also advised taking the organization's goals and vision into consideration, as this will help you create a digital twin strategy that is in line with the business vision.
What are the key considerations that clients should be thinking about when specifying a digital twin to ensure it aligns with their business needs?
"In the end, it is all about information management," said Emma Hooper. Information is a very valuable resource that must be carefully planned, examined, obtained, and used, just like any other resource. She suggested that organizations should begin managing information and data internally rather than focusing on individual projects. "Recognize your company's needs and thoroughly examine your processes before attempting to determine which processes would benefit most from a digital twin." She also emphasized that information should be examined in terms of its connections and tags, and that these processes are carried out without the aid of technology. "Many organizations are being led by lots of propriety ways of organizing their information and connecting it, and this does not necessarily help the industry because we will end up with even more interoperability problems than we have at the moment," she said, advising organizations to do their homework on the open standards that are available, such as those provided by BuildingSmart. The industry is one large organization in the way, she emphasized, when it comes to information. that we communicate with one another and share information, but if it is all organized differently and in disparate formats and languages, it cannot communicate with one another.