Options for and Challenges of Employing Digital Twins in Construction Management

The notions of smart construction and smart or digital cities include many modern concepts that are advocated today, especially in countries with advanced economies, and depend on using information technology and the Internet of Things as a basis to automate processes and activate digital systems to manage activities and services related to the operation of buildings and urban structures. In light of the spread of digital technology and modern managerial approaches, the concept of a digital twin is being used on a large scale with the current trend and direction to digitalize activities providing many economic, social and technical advantages. A digital twin is a system in which a virtual representation of a real entity or physical system is used continuously by being fed with data and deriving outputs in the form of decisions and actions that are generated through the processes of machine learning, simulation, development and lifecycle management. This study aims to review the literature on construction project management through the lens of digital twins and ways to use them in the field to improve operational results. The authors propose a framework for analyzing and supervising the development of digital twins that uses three main stages: the commonly encountered Building Information Modeling (BIM); the existing monitoring and actuation digital twins; and an envisioned third stage that makes use of artificial intelligence, complex visualization instruments and advanced controls with the capability to exact change within a construction project on the building site.