海角视频

The digital twin is an exciting emerging technology within the built environment.

Within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, a physical asset can be a building, an infrastructure, or any other built asset. By using digital data, a digital twin can be used to visualise how a building will perform and interact with users in the long term. As a result, performance can be improved, efficiency can be increased, and potential issues can be identified.

Cristina Savian

Cristina Savian works as a consultant for 海角视频 as an expert on digital twinning. Her experience and knowledge position 海角视频 as a leader in digital twin services. We speak to her to find out more about this rapidly emerging technology.

How have digital twins become an important part of the built environment?

We are in the business of building physical assets. Using digital twins, we can now create a digital equivalent to help manage and improve the physical one. There is a significant difference between digital twins for manufacturing and those for the built environment. It is more difficult to create a digital representation for built assets due to their long lifecycles and fragmented processes – but the benefits are huge.

When it comes to digital twins for the built environment, due to its very long and fragmented lifecycle, a digital twin means different things to different people 鈥� depending on the stakeholders and what digital element you are working on.

How do digital twins help us?

They are a digital representation or replica that provides valuable insight and information to improve the performance of a building. They are data-driven 鈥� this is a key point for us all to understand! Using a virtual replica, we can manage a building’s entire lifecycle and improve performance across all stages. As a result, operating costs can be reduced, efficiency can be improved, and faults can even be predicted before they occur.

As construction professionals, we are responsible for creating assets that are efficient, productive and resilient. The use of digital twins is one of the tools we can use to accomplish this.

Digital twins are data-driven 鈥� this is a key point for us all to understand

Cristina Savian

What are some of the main misunderstandings or misconceptions about digital twins?

In reality, digital twins are not physical objects, but rather the concept applied to our built environments.

It takes a thought-out business case to create a digital twin of any asset. We don’t just create digital twins for the sake of it. We hear so many times ‘we need to create a digital twin’. The question is, why? What do you need it for? The danger is that everyone wants one because it’s the latest must have new thing. However, we shouldn’t encourage people to invest in something that doesn’t create value.

People don’t ask themselves 鈥榳hy鈥� enough. In order to make things work effectively, we need to write a business case and set clear goals. If the aim is to reduce energy consumption by 10%, you create a digital twin to the level of fidelity and frequency that is justifiable i.e. it cost less to make than the benefits it produces.

As experts, we have to understand what clients want to accomplish and guide them to achieve it in the most effective way possible.

It takes a thought-out business case to create a digital twin of any asset

Cristina Savian

Are there challenges in the digital twin process?

Digital data is crucial. We need to consider the final outcome at the start of a project. However, our procurement model has not always been set up to make it easier to access the appropriate data. The request for digital requirements does not have a standard procedure, so this is a challenge. The balance is difficult; too much data will never be able to be analysed to the right extent, too little data will not meet the needs or may be too expensive to collect later in the process.

Digital twins offer the greatest opportunity when they have just the right amount of data to maximise return on investment. Too much data defeats their purpose, but too little misses their potential. Managing and accessing digital data is a very complex and challenging question for our industry.

What does the future look like for digital twins in the built environment?

We do know that data will always be at the heart of everything we face. A digital twin is created by combining people, processes and technology. Technology tends to be the most advanced, and the process can be optimised 鈥� but as construction is not a data-driven industry, people would be the biggest obstacle in implementing digital twins for our built assets.

About Cristina Savian

Cristina Savian is a leading figure in the global adoption of digital twin technology. She is the founder of BE-WISE, an agency that provides advisory and consultancy services in the built environment.

It was almost by accident that Cristina became the go-to person for insights into digital twins. Shortly after founding BE-WISE, 鈥淚 thought it would be an insightful evening to share my research on digital twins in the built environment because there was very little information available at this point about digital twins. After the UK government released the that same week, everyone started to get interested. Overnight, so many people asked me about it, and ever since, my name has been closely associated with digital twins.鈥�