Why real estate must get smart

The fourth industrial revolution is here, and digital twins are a big part of it. Not only do they boost productivity and reduce operational costs, but they also have a huge role to play in addressing the current climate crisis.

The UK was the first G7 country to set a net-zero emissions target by 2050, however, other countries have shown greater ambition. The Nordic countries are leading the way in this regard with Finland committing to be carbon neutral by 2035 and Norway by 2030.

The built environment is currently contributing to 40% of the UK’s carbon emissions as well as up to 11% globally and this propels real estate firmly into the spotlight. Engineers have warned that the construction sector needs to decarbonise more urgently and in line with the national emission reduction targets of 68% by 2030 and 78% by 2035.

If we are to succeed in our net-zero targets, then technology such as digital twins will be at the forefront of our efforts.

Digital twins in the context of the built environment

The construction industry has not yet caught up with other industries in the use of digital twins, but this is finally beginning to change. A digital twin can be characterised as a virtual replica of a physical object and the connection of the two via sensors that transmit real-time data. 

One of the biggest benefits of digital twin technology is that we can gain valuable and often unseen insights into what is happening ‘under the hood’. 

A digital twin of a building responds to real-world data with predictions through simulation, artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analysis. They can often be confused with a BIM model but here lies the difference, a BIM model is static and represents a ‘snapshot in time’ of a building whereas a digital twin behaves like the real building, responding to operational conditions and building occupancy which produces an invaluable asset. 

Twinview’s digital twin platform connects data that is often inaccessible and kept siloed, helping a building owner to understand how their building is performing in terms of energy consumption and even predicting how much energy will be expended in the future based on current consumption levels. 

Having access to such insights can provide building owners with the data needed to implement methods to reduce their carbon footprint and move the built environment closer to Net Zero. 

Twinview is a browser-based digital twin platform for the property sector connecting building systems’ data to a 3D model viewed on a single dashboard. Twinview becomes your first step to achieving Net Zero by providing continuous live data and an optimised building performance whilst reducing costs and improving the user experience. Book a demo today.