Before we start, it's important you know the difference between BIM and digital twins.
BIM is the process used to create a fully coordinated digital model which then, at the end of the construction process, can be handed over to the building owners and operators and used as the property's digital twin.
Back in 2008, a BIM ‘maturity wedge’ was published, setting out the differentiating factors between each level of BIM. Since then, the construction industry has evolved significantly.
At the time that the wedge was published, 2D CAD was still being used by most people in the industry. In 2011, the UK government set a mandate which led to BIM taking the spotlight and those that were still using 2D CAD to rethink their approach. The workforce also started to get younger, leading many sceptics to be persuaded by their digitally savvy colleagues.
Level 2 of the wedge is now well on its way to ‘maturity’ – so what’s next?
Following the Grenfell disaster in 2017, the Government have pushed the use of digital information to the forefront of their agenda. This is especially prominent in the ‘golden thread’ referenced in Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review into building and fire safety regulations.
Meanwhile, digital twin technology is also gradually being embraced. Alongside all the IoT technology that has been developing over the last decade, the potential is huge.
In the government’s Level 3 plan, a strategy was laid out which included a number of ‘key measures.’ These measures included creating new ‘open data’ standards to enable easy data sharing, training public sector clients in the use of BIM, operational methods and contractual processes. A new kind of cultural environment also needed to be formed, through co-operation and an emphasis on learning and sharing.
Twinview is one of the first digital twin platforms for the property sector. This is the next step and we’re just getting started.
