{"id":110686,"date":"2022-05-11T13:26:32","date_gmt":"2022-05-11T12:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=110686"},"modified":"2023-06-05T18:31:04","modified_gmt":"2023-06-05T17:31:04","slug":"driving-the-next-generation-of-digital-twins-in-architecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/digital-construction\/driving-the-next-generation-of-digital-twins-in-architecture\/110686\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving the next generation of digital twins in architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Real-time 3D platforms like Unreal Engine<\/a> are making it easier to create digital twins in architecture than ever before<\/h2>\n

The idea of the digital twin<\/a> is still a relatively niche concept in the AEC world, but more and more industry leaders are starting to explore the benefits. A digital twin is a virtual 3D clone of a real-world entity<\/a>, such as a building or city, but with the added benefits of live, real-time data.<\/p>\n

Feeding live data from the physical world into the digital replica enables you to analyse and optimise the structure, which is incredibly useful across various aspects of the AEC pipeline<\/a>, particularly for real estate developers, building owners and city planners. Having a digital twin that moves and functions just like the real thing offers instant feedback on your processes, whether you\u2019re looking at energy usage, speed or efficiency.<\/p>\n

Until recently, the main barrier to creating digital twins in architecture was sheer complexity. As little as five years ago, you would have needed a full stack developer to build a digital twin, but now it can be done by anyone with just a small amount of computer knowledge. Real-time 3D<\/a> platforms like Epic Games\u2019 Unreal Engine<\/a> are using data visualisation to make the whole process more accessible.<\/p>\n

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Image: \u00a9 Image courtesy of WSP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Data visualisation sits at the heart of the digital twin, giving context to complex data in a spatial environment. Unreal Engine acts as a digital window to a complex back-end database, creating an immersive, interactive and user-friendly interface. This means that the data can be easily navigated and understood by anyone.<\/p>\n

Digital twins enable real-time insights<\/h3>\n

The ability to glean real-time insights on the performance of a building, city or other structure is the key benefit of creating a digital twin. Currently, there is a visibility gap between having a space that you operate and understanding exactly how well your assets are performing.<\/p>\n

Digital twins plug that gap, giving you a real-time window on exactly how the space is being used. This enables real-time decisions that can have a positive impact on performance, whether that\u2019s energy efficiency, passenger flow or how easy it is for employees to do their jobs.<\/p>\n

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Image: \u00a9 Image courtesy of Vouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A digital twin can either be used to look at historic data to see how a space has operated in the past or to view current data to see how a space is currently being operated. This is incredibly useful across many different use cases, from managing on-site security to pinpointing machinery that is broken and needs to be replaced. The next step for digital twins is predictive simulation, where insights can reveal how a facility could run in future, based on historic and current data from the twin\u2019s real-world counterpart.<\/p>\n

There are already a number of organisations that are making use of Unreal Engine-powered digital twins. One example comes from Buildmedia, which created a virtual doppelganger for Wellington City Council<\/a> to provide the authority with an overview of its city-wide assets. The interactive city twin uses real-time data to provide transportation statistics, air traffic visualisations, cycle sensor data and carpark availability. This helps decision makers to visualise future buildings and infrastructure and how they would operate within the realistic city model.<\/p>\n