How Could an Architect use a Digital Twin?
Our continuing adventures to investigate practical use cases for digital twins. Waterstons Innovation: The Dots
Waterstons specialises in a few key sectors - all of which could be impacted by digital twins in different ways. As part of our digital twin series, we have gone and asked some of our sector experts about their views. Today’s article is about how Architecture and is written by Reece, one of our Business Consultants.
What is this? This is The Dots, our newsletter about exciting things we find in the world of innovation. We imagine innovation as connecting the dots; putting together a jigsaw. Our puzzle pieces are the pieces of interesting information we absorb in the world, our partners and their products. This newsletter is about these dots we find and connect.
Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)
In the AEC sector, the term 'Digital Twin' is increasingly prevalent. However, many questions remain, such as: What exactly is a Digital Twin, and what are its benefits? This article aims to answer these questions, explore current applications within the sector, and share Waterstons' vision for the future use of this concept.
What is a Digital Twin and what are the benefits to the sector?
The fundamental definition of a digital twin is a digital representation of a physical object or system. At Waterstons we see a digital twin for AEC as a dynamic, up-to-date replica of a physical asset or set of assets - whether it’s a building, a campus, a city, or a railway- a digital twin brings together design, construction, and operational data.
When looking at how AEC firms can leverage digital twins to their advantage, we categorize the benefits into five main areas.
Enhanced Design and Planning - facilitate a more comprehensive design and planning process. By creating a detailed digital model of a project, stakeholders can visualize and interact with the design in ways that traditional 2D drawings cannot match. This experience allows for improved collaboration between stakeholders which will reduce miscommunications, as well as optimising the design through iterative testing and simulating different design scenarios.
Streamlined Construction Processes - during construction, Digital Twins can offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency and accuracy via real-time monitoring to reflect the current state of a project. Along with enhanced quality controls which will help reduce the need for any re-works which are costly and waste resources.
Operational Efficiency and Maintenance – past the construction phase Digital Twins continues to provide value throughout the asset’s life cycle in the form of predictive maintenance for example. By continuously monitoring the assets’ performance Digital Twins can identify signs of wear and tear before they lead to failures. This is in addition to highlighting the best ways to utilise space and manage the energy usage of an asset.
Data-Driven Decision Making - the integration of Digital Twins into the AEC industry supports more informed and data-driven decision-making in the form of performance analytics and scenario planning.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact – Digital Twins contribute significantly to sustainability efforts in the AEC industry, they can be used to perform lifecycle analysis of a building/asset to help identify opportunities to reduce environmental impact. They can also aid in the efficient use of materials and resources, promoting sustainable practices.
Overall, the adoption of Digital Twins in the AEC industry offers a transformative approach to designing, building, and managing built environments. From enhancing design accuracy and construction efficiency to improving operational performance and sustainability, digital twins provide a comprehensive solution that addresses the industry's most pressing challenges.
Examples from the sector
Here we will explore how businesses that Waterstons work with use Digital Twins to their advantage. One of our Architecture clients Hawkins Brown uses digital twins. In this example, they use a digital twin to find a suitable shading option that provides solar protection during the summer period to avoid overheating, whilst maintaining good amounts of daylight access. This allows architects and engineers to test different shading scenarios in real-time simulations. By inputting parameters such as solar angles, building orientation, and local climate data, the Digital Twin predicts how different shading configurations will impact interior daylight levels and thermal comfort throughout the year.
In 2017, an engineering firm that works closely with Waterstons, Cundall, utilised Digital Twins to retrofit an existing school building with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. The results were impressive: a 67% reduction in whole-life carbon, a 72% decrease in upfront embodied carbon, a 52% reduction in annual energy consumption, and a 39% decrease in forest consumption. This project demonstrated how Digital Twins can effectively support real-time decision-making in design and construction projects to achieve lower carbon outcomes.
Technology and software used in Digital Twins
The successful implementation of digital twins in the AEC sector hinges on sophisticated software solutions. As a technology consultancy, Waterstons has great experience in working with many of the following software which can help firms get the most out of digital twins:
Autodesk Revit and BIM 360
Siemens NX
Bentley Systems' iTwin Platform
Microsoft Azure Digital Twins
ANSYS Twin Builder
Each of these tools offers unique capabilities that cater to different aspects of digital twin creation and management, providing AEC firms with the technology needed to optimize performance, enhance collaboration, and drive innovation. As the industry continues to embrace digital twins, these software solutions will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the built environment.
Conclusion
If you're interested in exploring the transformative potential of digital twins for your business, feel free to get in touch. Our team specializes in helping organizations take small, low-risk steps towards implementing this cutting-edge technology, whether you're looking to enhance operational efficiency, predict maintenance issues, or optimize overall performance, we are here for a discussion around digital twins which can help drive business forward.