The construction industry is a complex sector that involves various stakeholders such as engineers, architects, designers, contractors, representatives, building owners, and municipalities. The presence of many parties involved requires clear communication between all groups, as seamless data management and exchange are essential for decision-making and breaking down silos. So what could help solve this challenge?
Digital Twins in Architecture & Construction
A digital twin in construction is a valuable tool used in all stages, from design to maintenance. It improves collaboration between teams and allows real-time tracking of construction activities, making the process more efficient.
Due to its advantages, digital twin technology is a valuable solution that can be used for planning, budgeting, design, and construction phases.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes twin solutions special and what benefits a digital twin for construction & architecture can provide.
Digital Twin in Construction: What Is It?
Conceptually, digital twins are virtual representations of physical buildings and spaces. This digital representation technology is created based on advanced simulation models, as well as real-time data obtained from sensors, IoT devices or BIM models.
The value of digital twin in architecture & construction is that it provides insights into the construction process and gives project teams access to critical building intelligence in a highly immersive and real-time manner. This approach improves decision-making and helps optimize construction projects.
Using a digital twin or Interactive Materplann App provides a number of valuable benefits, including:
- Increased productivity
- Streamlining of construction workflow
- Clear communication and faster collaboration between parties
- Quick access and exchange of data
The capabilities of digital twins allow for increasing productivity and profitability while reducing errors and accident rates. In addition, incorporating a digital twin for construction projects helps companies reduce their virtual design and costs, which can also lead to more winning bids.
How It Works
The digital twin solution uses various technologies, including sensors, Internet-of-things devices, cameras, and 3D laser scanners. There are a few essential steps to create a digital twin for a construction project:
- Step 1. Capturing
With the Interactive Masterplan App, you can easily capture digital twin models using just a smartphone or tablet, making it simple to create virtual environments for both internal and external spaces. The app’s advanced scanning capabilities provide accurate 3D representations of the site, enabling teams to make more informed decisions throughout the construction process.
- Step 2. Editing
Next, you can customize the digital twin to better visualize the design phases and construction progress. Use editing tools to place notes on the virtual models and add measurements or custom areas. These tools allow you to incorporate real-time monitoring data linked to specific physical assets. Files can then be downloaded and attached to various devices and systems, enhancing collaboration.
- Step 3. Sharing & Cooperation
Digital models can be shared with remote teams, reducing the number of physical site visits, which is a valuable benefit for construction businesses due to lowered travel costs. More importantly, this digital technology enables more efficient cooperation and coordination between all parties involved in the construction project, ensuring smooth communication and improved decision-making.
Digital Twins: Main Features & Capabilities
Digital twin technology or Interactive Masterplan Application is an effective tool for all parties involved, be it a construction company, an owner, or a real estate agent. It allows for detailed visualization of objects, simplifies many operations, and enables remote collaboration.
Working on different platforms, the digital twin solution provides a wide range of capabilities, including:
- Multi-angle view of the surrounding area
- Filtering of objects by budget, size, and amenities
- Access to detailed information about each object
- Detailed study of selected zones of the masterplan
- Information on accessibility
- Exchange of data about objects via email and social networks
- Panoramic 360° view of the streets and virtual tours of objects
- Filling out request forms for potential buyers
By bringing together all the necessary information about projects and infrastructure in one place, the Interactive Masterplan Application is a comprehensive solution that saves time and provides accurate results due to flexible filters. In addition to maps and panoramas, users have access to 360° virtual tours and detailed descriptions of each object.
For example, the interactive map functions include:
- Display of all projects
- Visualization of infrastructure elements
- Project filtering
- Calculation of routes and distances
Additionally, the application combines the demonstration of the exterior of buildings and the interior of apartments. Users can rotate the 3D model, apply filters, and select the angles of interest, taking advantage of various benefits, such as a fully interactive rotating view, day and night lighting modes, virtual tours, and much more.
A digital twin in architecture and construction allows you to research projects in detail, assessing the advantages and features of objects from all sides. At the same time, the use of the Interactive 3D Masterplan based on Unreal Engine provides the most complete immersion in the project. Users can freely move around the territory, explore the smallest details, apply filters, and select the objects they like, getting an unrivaled experience of interaction.
Digital Twins: Key Benefits for Construction Projects
Better Construction Resource Management
Digital twins enable companies to allocate resources more efficiently, improve procurement processes, and reduce supply chain delays. This helps align current progress with future results.
Clear Communication with Stakeholders
Twin technology facilitates clear communication, allowing parties involved to quickly obtain information regarding the construction process, as well as report various issues, thanks to the ability to export and exchange data.
Improved Decision-Making
As a proactive planning tool, the digital twin solution enables owners and clients to provide feedback before the construction team starts the process. Also, the digital twin allows engineers to perform extensive assessments, and architects to anticipate aesthetic concerns. With the capabilities of digital twins in construction, many aspects such as design risk assessments and surveys are significantly improved due to the effective exchange of reports and photos regarding site conditions and potential problems.
Comprehensive Progress Tracking & Monitoring
With digital twins, managers can remotely monitor the progress of work. Since documentation of the process is key for a new project, with solutions based on digital twin technology, contractors and building owners can be confident that construction is proceeding according to agreed plans and standards. Comprehensive monitoring facilitates the handover of work from the construction team to facilities management upon project completion.
Accurate Assumptions & Forecasts
The digital twin allows the 3D model to be annotated with notes and audiovisual content, allowing managers to create virtual punch lists. The technology also enables faster, more accurate subcontractor estimates without the need for a physical site visit.
Enhanced Safety Monitoring
With the remote inspection feature, project managers can enjoy enhanced control over compliance with safety procedures. Also, with accurate virtual measurements of hard-to-reach or hazardous environments, it becomes possible to reduce risks to the crew during the construction process.
Handover Deliverables for Owners
Another advantage of the digital twin for owners is the digital handover package, which allows the asset to be managed from day one by collecting conditions data and augmenting the model with embedded data from a variety of sources.
How VisEngine Can Help
VisEngine’s Interactive 3D Masterplan App opens up new possibilities in the field of construction project documentation and collaboration. Using compatible hardware, you can create detailed digital copies of premises of any scale, as close to reality as possible. The result is an interactive photorealistic model created using advanced architectural visualization technologies and artificial intelligence.
Companies can integrate digital twins with other software solutions with the ability to export to various formats, optimizing their workflows.
Using the Interactive Masterplan App for your projects, you can enjoy the following benefits:
- Prompt and accurate documentation of key project stages
- Reduced need for on-site visits with the remote access feature
- The ability to conduct remote quality control, take measurements, and minimize the number of personal visits to the site by collecting all the necessary data in one go
Frequently asked questions
Digital twins serve several purposes, including improved asset management, faster document flow, enhanced collaboration capabilities, improved security & monitoring procedures, as well as streamlined workflows, and reduced physical presence on site.
You can start introducing twins at any stage of the project. Contact us and our specialists will help you create digital twins using the capabilities of the Interactive Masterplan App.
Digital twin technology holds great promise in the construction industry, offering a range of benefits and innovations through the implementation of the latest advancements including AI and ML.
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