From BIM to Digital Twins: the impact of information technology on building design processes

Professionals within the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) have likely realised how inefficient the construction sector is and how it often fails to design the right thing and then building it right. Contributing to that is the widespread inefficient production and management of information. Design firms, for example, can spend as much as 80% of their time producing, changing or updating documentation as opposed to working on the development of better buildings. However, it is essential to say this inefficiency is the result of various uncontrollable factors, such as sector supply chain fragmentation, the lack of formal information management and the fact that most design firms are small practices fighting for survival. Thus, this built-in inefficiency creates a vicious circle that prevents firms from moving forward.
It is not only inefficiency that should drive improvements in the sector. Significant changes in worldwide demographics in the last century has taken its toll on the environment. Global warming and climate change is here and will remain for the foreseeable future requiring an immediate change in the attitude of all professionals within the AECO sector. Designing buildings that are environmentally friendly and energy-efficient will not suffice. Building resilience is crucial and must be embedded in our buildings and cities. For that to be achieved, designing, constructing and operating buildings requires advanced and novel approaches that are and enable efficiency on what and how the sector does things.
For significant changes to happen, the sector must embrace computing as an ally. This is already happening as we see projects all over the world being supported by Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM has become a path significantly contributing to moving the AECO sector to the next generation of professional practice. Information modelling and management tools are much more accessible, thus enabling a whole new approach to designing, building and operating buildings. Also emerging are digital twin technologies which link synchronous to asynchronous communication channels. Such integration is critical for understanding building use and user behaviour.
However, although considerable progress has been achieved in technological terms, much confusion exists about the process and people dimensions of BIM. Therefore, the aim of this chapter is to explain these issues in the context of UK AECO sector.