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Construction with digital twin information systems
Open accessAbstract
The concept of a “digital twin” as a model for data-driven management and control of physical systems has emerged over the past decade in the domains of manufacturing, production, and operations. In the context of buildings and civil infrastructure, the notion of a digital twin remains ill-defined, with little or no consensus among researchers and practitioners of the ways in which digital twin processes and data-centric technologies can support design and construction. This paper builds on existing concepts of Building Information Modeling (BIM), lean project production systems, automated data acquisition from construction sites and supply chains, and artificial intelligence to formulate a mode of construction that applies digital twin information systems to achieve closed loop control systems. It contributes a set of four core information and control concepts for digital twin construction (DTC), which define the dimensions of the conceptual space for the information used in DTC workflows. Working from the core concepts, we propose a DTC information system workflow—including information stores, information processing functions, and monitoring technologies—according to three concentric control workflow cycles. DTC should be viewed as a comprehensive mode of construction that prioritizes closing the control loops rather than an extension of BIM tools integrated with sensing and monitoring technologies.
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“Improved management and outcomes through digital twin integration”
From Advancing civil infrastructure with digital twins: a review of applications and challenges (2025) · cites this paper as Sacks et al. (2020)
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“4D BIM and location-based schedules have existed for some time, but the emergence of the digital twins (DT) paradigm brings further advancements (Sacks et al., 2020; Teizer et al., 2022).”
BackgroundBuilding the digital age: management of digital transformation in the construction industry
Nyqvist, R., Peltokorpi, A., Lavikka, R. H., & Ainamo, A. (2024) · Construction Management and Economics · doi:10.1080/01446193.2024.2416033 · Cited by 48
“2019, Sacks et al .”
Potentials of Augmented Reality in a BIM based building submission process
Schranz, C., Urban, H., & Gerger, A. (2021) · Journal of Information Technology in Construction · doi:10.36680/j.itcon.2021.024 · Cited by 44
“Based on the surveyed status quo, use-cases for the application of AR were defined (Gerger et al., 2020; Schranz, et al., 2020) not only for the actual submission process but also beyond this process.”
MethodThe Concept of Digital Twin for Construction Safety
Teizer, J., Johansen, K. W., & Schultz, C. P. L. (2022) · ASCE Construction Research Congress (CRC) · doi:10.1061/9780784483961.121 · Cited by 43
“As Sacks et al. (2020) point out in the effort to establish digital twin information systems, federated building models that represent as-designed and as-planned states of a project are not digital twins.”
BackgroundInfluentialDigital Twin for Safety and Security: Perspectives on Building Lifecycle
Khajavi, S. H., Tetik, M., Liu, Z., Korhonen, P., & Holmström, J. (2023) · IEEE Access · doi:10.1109/access.2023.3278267 · Cited by 53
“trace changes taking place at the construction site [78], [79].”
BackgroundBarkokébas, B., Al‐Hussein, M., & Hamzeh, F. (2022) · Journal of Construction Engineering and Management · doi:10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0002420 · Cited by 42
Pfitzner, F., Braun, A., & Borrmann, A. (2024) · Automation in Construction · doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2024.105451 · Cited by 42
Lian, Y., Geng, Y., & Tian, T. (2023) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app13031891 · Cited by 41
Digital twin construction with a focus on human twin interfaces
Soman, R. K., Farghaly, K., Mills, G., & Whyte, J. K. (2025) · Automation in Construction · doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2024.105924 · Cited by 41
“However, these primarily draw from the lean construction domain and do not resonate comprehensively with the Digital Twin Construction (DTC) workflow [19].”
InfluentialSupply Chain Vulnerability in Prefabricated Building Projects and Digital Mitigation Technologies
Luo, L., Li, Y., Wang, X., Jin, X., & Qin, Z. (2023) · IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management · doi:10.1109/tem.2023.3272585 · Cited by 39
“[59]proposedaconstruction informationsystemintegratingthreeDTstoproactivelyanalyze andmanageongoingdesign,planning,andproduction,which effectivelyreducestherepetitiveoperationscausedbydesign errors,designchanges,andrework.”
Martens, J., Blut, T., & Blankenbach, J. (2023) · Advanced Engineering Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.aei.2023.102076 · Cited by 39
Fakhraian, E., Semanjski, I. C., Šemanjski, S., & Aghezzaf, E. (2023) · Drones · doi:10.3390/drones7070478 · Cited by 42
Reference architecture and ontology framework for digital twin construction
Schlenger, J., Pluta, K., Mathew, A., Yeung, T., Sacks, R., & Borrmann, A. (2025) · Automation in Construction · doi:10.1016/j.autcon.2025.106111 · Cited by 38
Self-citationDevelopment of a digital twin operational platform using Python Flask
Bonney, M. S., de Angelis, M., Borgo, M. D., Andrade, L., Beregi, S., Jamia, N., & Wagg, D. (2022) · Data-Centric Engineering · doi:10.1017/dce.2022.1 · Cited by 43
“The idea of a DTOP is closely related to that of a digital twin information system, which is a concept that has been developed in the construction industry (Sacks et al., 2020).”
BackgroundSaback, V., Popescu, C., Blanksvärd, T., & Täljsten, B. (2022) · Nordic Concrete Research · doi:10.2478/ncr-2021-0020 · Cited by 35
“Although much has been published on the topic, there is still little or no consensus among researchers and practitioners regarding the features and scopes of a digital twin [40].”
BackgroundTransformation of construction project management toward situational awareness
Lappalainen, E., Seppänen, O., Peltokorpi, A., & Singh, V. (2021) · Engineering Construction & Architectural Management · doi:10.1108/ecam-12-2020-1053 · Cited by 36
“A situation in which one essential part of the project is missing does not lead to a better overall picture of construction projects (Sacks et al. , 2020).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Sacks, R., Brilakis, I., Pikas, E., Xie, H. S., & Girolami, M.
- Affiliations
- Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (IL)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Aalto University (FI)
- Corresponding author
- Sacks, Rafael
- Venue
- Data-Centric Engineering
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2020
- Volume
- 1
- ISSN
- 2632-6736 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W3107782157
- Cited by
- 609
- References
- 91
- Citations by year
- 2026: 133 · 2025: 129 · 2024: 128 · 2023: 106 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 40
- FWCI
- 29.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Data-Centric Engineering (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Cambridge University Engineering Department Publications Database (submittedVersion)
- Apollo (University of Cambridge) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Apollo (cc-by)
- Funders
- Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, UK Government
- UK Research and Innovation
- University of Cambridge
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/R034710/1)
- Innovate UK
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › BIM and Construction Integration
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering › Digital Transformation in Industry
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Construction Management and Sustainability
- Keywords
- digital twin, construction, building information modeling, lean construction, feedback control, construction information systems, construction monitoring, data acquisition, artificial intelligence in construction, civil infrastructure
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