INTEGRATION OF DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY FOR ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY IN BUILDING LIFECYCLE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

A Digital Twin (DT) can be defined as a virtual replica of a physical entity that imitates the state of its physical counterpart in real-time. It consumes real-time data from a physical entity, such as performance metrics, and links the two entities for synchronization and feedback between the digital and physical worlds, which adapt throughout the physical entity’s lifecycle. DT can be used for various applications, including real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and optimization of processes in various areas. Sustainable construction is a prominent area that has recently drawn a significant research interest in DT. Since there is a lack of systematic reviews on this consideration, the present study aims to explore the recent efforts to utilize the DT concept in sustainable construction. Within the broad area of the construction industry, this study primarily focuses on each phase of the building lifecycle where DT can be adopted to enhance sustainable performances. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify the latest scholarly publications on the Digital Twin concept and its potential applications across each phase of the building lifecycle to improve sustainability. The findings of the study mainly reveal that the DT technology is emerging as a powerful tool to improve sustainability performances throughout a building’s lifecycle. However, a limitation was identified in research literature and case studies related to integrating DT technology to improve sustainability in the demolition phase. One of the main contributions of DT to sustainable construction is enabling real-time monitoring and analysis at each phase of the building lifecycle. This allows for optimizing energy and resource consumption, which leads to reducing carbon emissions in each phase. Predictive maintenance, enhanced collaboration among stakeholders, efficient management of manpower, machinery and equipment are the other key areas where DT has contributed to sustainability throughout a building’s lifecycle.