This article was republished from SEAB magazine (Jan-Feb 2025, Page 60 of PDF/Page 57), featuring an interview with Joe Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Esri Singapore.
Digital twin technology and its importance to architecture and construction
In this issue, Southeast Asia Building (SEAB) asked industry experts to share their knowledge about digital twin technology, discovering more about this innovative technology and its applications in architecture.
1. What is digital twin technology, and how does it work?
Digital twin technology is a buzzword now in a lot of industries. A digital twin is a virtual representation of the real world, including physical objects, processes, relationships, and behaviours. It serves as the foundational building block of a smart city initiative. This technology allows businesses to simulate, monitor, and optimise real-world environments in real time.
At its core, geospatial technology plays a pivotal role in creating and managing digital twins. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) connect data and systems, providing a unified view across the entire project lifecycle. GIS enhances data capture, integrates diverse information sources, enables advanced visualisations, and supports the automation of predictive insights. These capabilities foster improved collaboration and data-driven decision-making across teams.
Esri views digital twin technology through five principles, that emphasise the pivotal role of GIS in digital twin technology:
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Digital twin needs to have a purpose: A digital twin must serve clear objectives, such as improving efficiency, reducing costs, or enabling predictive maintenance.
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Many data models represent geography: Digital twins rely on various data models, including spatial data, to accurately represent the physical world. GIS is essential for managing and analysing these spatial relationships.
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GIS is a digital twin: GIS itself is considered a digital twin, as it provides a digital representation of geography, crucial for understanding and managing real-world environments.
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GIS is a platform for connecting and integrating digital twins: GIS serves as a platform that connects and integrates multiple digital twins, enabling cross-functional analysis and enhanced decision-making.
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GIS is a living twin - GIS updates in real-time as new data is collected, ensuring that the digital twin remains accurate and relevant over time. This means we will see more IoT sensors connected to the twins, more backend analytics, and increased involvement from research institutions to develop advanced modelling, truly making it a living, breathing twin.
By leveraging GIS and digital twin technology, industries can gain deeper insights into their systems, drive innovation, and make data-driven decisions that improve efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.
2. What are the advantages of using digital twin technology in architecture and construction?
Digital twin technology offers significant advantages in architecture and construction, driving efficiency, improving outcomes, and ensuring long-term sustainability. Key benefits include:
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Improved design accuracy: Enables highly detailed and precise modelling and simulation, providing stakeholders with an accurate, comprehensive view of the project at every stage. This enhances design accuracy, facilitates design reviews, and supports more informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.
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Enhanced collaboration: Provides a shared, real-time digital model, and digital twin technology that promotes better collaboration between all stakeholders - architects, engineers, contractors and clients. This reduces miscommunication and fosters a more integrated approach to project execution.
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Real-time monitoring and data integration: Enables continuous data collection and analysis during construction and beyond, allowing real-time monitoring of project progress, quality control, and seamless integration of data from various sources, thereby enhancing decision-making and responsiveness.
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Cost savings
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Optimised site selection: Provides data-driven analysis that helps identify optimal locations based on factors such as accessibility, infrastructure, and environmental impact.
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Simulation before construction: Enables virtual simulations that allow for testing and refining designs before physical work begins, minimizing costly mistakes and rework.
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Logistics and Just-in-Time (JIT) management: Optimises logistics, supply chain, and material planning, ensuring efficient resource management.
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Reduced time on-site: Enhances design accuracy and reduces errors, helping to speed up the construction process and leading to fewer delays and shorter on-site timelines.
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Predictive Maintenance: Enables predictive maintenance by analysing real-time data to identify potential issues before they escalate, extending the life of the infrastructure and reducing maintenance costs.
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Improved sustainability: Provides real-time data that quantifies environmental impacts, enabling more sustainable design and construction practices. This supports informed decisions on energy efficiency, materials, and environmental footprint.
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Enhanced project management: Facilitates real-time insights into project progress, resource allocation, and potential risks, enabling more effective project management and helping ensure that timelines and budgets are met.
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Increased safety, risk management, and scenario analysis: Offers an immersive, virtual environment to simulate potential hazards, assess risks, and test safety protocols, leading to safer construction sites and better risk management.
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Breaking down data silos: Integrates data from various systems and departments into a unified digital model, breaking down silos and ensuring all stakeholders have access to the same accurate, up-to-date information.
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Regulatory compliance: Facilitates adherence to building codes, zoning laws, and environmental regulations by providing accurate, up-to-date data and simulation capabilities.
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Stakeholder engagement: Improves communication with clients, investors, and other stakeholders by providing immersive visualisations and accurate data representations.
3. What are some of the challenges in implementing digital twin technology, and how can they be overcome?
Implementing digital twin technology in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector presents several challenges:
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Understanding the Data Lifecycle in the AEC Sector
A critical challenge in implementing digital twin technology in the AEC sector is understanding the data lifecycle. This involves comprehensively mapping how data is created, processed, and utilised at each stage of the AEC workflow. Ensuring smooth transitions between these phases is essential for creating an integrated and effective digital twin.
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Data as the Foundation of Digital Twins
Data is the most crucial pillar of a digital twin, as highlighted by the five guiding principles mentioned earlier. For a digital twin to be effective, it must support diverse stakeholders across the entire project lifecycle.
This requires ensuring that data from various stages of the lifecycle is accurate, accessible, and relevant to the different personas who rely on it. For a digital twin to be effective, it must seamlessly support diverse users and their specific needs across the project lifecycle.
However, a few fundamental challenges must be addressed to ensure that data serves this purpose effectively:
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A shift in mindset is needed to foster collaboration, data reuse, and sharing across stakeholders
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Data fidelity and currency must remain up-to-date and accurate.
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Proper data security classification is essential for mitigating risks.
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Data availability must be ensured across all stages of the lifecycle.
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Liability issues must be considered when sharing data between stakeholders.
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The initial investment required for implementing digital twin technology can be substantial. However, its true value is realised not in a single project, but when applied consistently across multiple projects, delivering long-term benefits.
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A skilled workforce is necessary to design, develop, and maintain digital twins. Investing in training and upskilling programmes can address this challenge.
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There is complexity in modelling and simulation, requiring careful model design, advanced computational techniques, and robust validation methods.
4. What factors do you believe are driving companies to adopt digital twin technology?
Several key factors are driving companies to embrace digital twin technology. First, the ability to optimise operational efficiency is paramount. Digital twins provide real-time data and predictive insights, enabling businesses to make informed decisions and enhance performance. By integrating spatial data through tools like Esri's GIS solutions, companies can achieve greater accuracy in their operations.
As sustainability becomes a top priority, digital twins allow organisations to simulate energy usage, track emissions, and assess waste, helping to monitor and reduce environmental impact. Additionally, digital twin technology enhances risk management by predicting maintenance needs and identifying potential issues before they occur. This proactive approach minimises downtime and reduces costs.
Another significant advantage is fostering cross-departmental collaboration. There is also a misunderstanding that digital twin is a single platform for data sharing. However, organisation can, in fact, use different digital twins for different purposes to reduce the complexity of implementation and sharing of data. This approach accelerates collaboration among teams across various functions and enable them to make data-driven decisions, while simplifying the design and implementation of digital twins. The key to success is to keep it simple, start small, and eventually integrate the different purpose-built digital twins together. Furthermore, this technology drives innovation and cost reduction by providing insights into asset management and operational optimisation. Companies can identify opportunities for improvement, streamline workflows, and boost overall efficiency.
At the core of digital twins is Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Esri’s geospatial solutions interconnect information, systems, models, and behaviours with spatial context, creating comprehensive digital representations of environments, assets, networks, and cities.
5. With the increasing adoption of digital twin technology, what changes do you foresee in the future of architecture and construction?
With the increasing adoption of digital twin technology, I foresee a "Technology Revolution" in the construction industry, bringing profound changes to both architecture and the construction process.
The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors will become commonplace, allowing for real-time data collection and analysis. This will be complemented by the wider use of blockchain technology to enhance data security, drones for aerial surveying, and 3D printing to enable more efficient and cost-effective construction methods. Over time, we can expect the introduction of autonomous machines on construction sites, further streamlining workflows and reducing labour requirements.
These advancements will result in smarter and more efficient buildings. By leveraging real-time data and predictive analytics, buildings will be able to adapt to changing conditions, optimise energy use, and enhance overall performance.
We will also see a shift from reactive maintenance to predictive, data-driven maintenance practices. This will enable timely interventions, preventing issues before they arise and reducing costs and downtime throughout a building's lifecycle.
Additionally, the widespread adoption of these technologies will foster greater collaboration among interdisciplinary teams. With shared data and insights, the construction process will become faster, cheaper, and less labour-intensive, leading to a more streamlined and sustainable industry.
Ultimately, this transformation will culminate in the development of a fully integrated digital construction ecosystem, where data and technology work in harmony to optimise every aspect of the building lifecycle—from design and construction to maintenance and eventual demolition.
Contact us to learn more about the role GIS plays in building smarter liveable cities or call 6742 8622 to speak with the specialist.