Digital Twins will change our relationship with buildings post lockdown

Digital Twin technology will be catalysed in the wake of the coronavirus, transforming the way we construct, design manage and occupy buildings. That is the key finding of a new white paper from Cityzenith, which includes contributions from a number of global practitioners and technology experts.

Digital Twins are virtual replicas of physical building assets which use Internet of Things technology to connect to the data in and around the building’s physical assets. The technology is applied across the building’s lifecycle and can be useful in managing change in buildings, for example in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown.

As is the case with smart cities technology, the authors argue that digital twin technology has a role to play in managing and tracking the virus so that we can continue to return safely into our urban environments and workplaces. Building owners need to fully understand these impacts and data points as it will have a profound impact on their future and present values and income, claims the report. Landlords, occupiers and governments will have to demonstrate safety within buildings and cities.

Because people won’t use buildings in the same way again, the report argues that there will be a shift towards mapping and managing buildings using a range of technologies.