If there was a tech conversation in commercial real estate in 2021, it typically included the words “digital twins”. These 3D digital models of real-world buildings were going to majestically change how buildings were managed. Unfortunately, they proved costly to create and required further investment for supporting technology and training to use. Those who did go through the process, and there weren’t many, ended up with a product best used to show off at board meetings or to investors, but with little functional value.

Technology may have finally caught up with them. Now, a building’s digital twin, regardless of asset type, can be used for any number of services from predictive maintenance and understanding of the actual costs to being fully autonomous. In essence, any action you wish to perform or understand regarding a particular building can be simulated through its digital twin. The new challenge for digital twins is getting out from under their old 2021 reputation.

Matthew Ball, who wrote The Metaverse Building, The Spatial Internet, believes digital twins should be divided into five levels.

• Level one is an accurate digital model, essentially a digital diorama. This is the 2021 version that was a novelty, it offered little utility as it captured the building at a single fixed point in time.
• Level two, the digital twin is freed from its moment-in-time status and, through the Internet of Things (IoT) along with other simulators, give real-time status. It can now create a live reproduction of its current environment.
• Level three takes the current information and uses AI to predict what is likely to happen, given any change in the model.
• Level four is prescriptive. It can provide actual recommendations, again relying on AI and other technologies.
• Level five becomes autonomous. Its ability to be both prescriptive and predictive at such a high velocity of speed and accuracy that a human being could never keep up.

As you can see, at levels three, four, and five we have utility. It can have significant impacts on an individual building level in terms of cost savings, tenant comfort levels and carbon capture. But it starts to get serious at level five, where it can autonomously analyze vast amounts of data for all buildings in any given city. This is where true change begins.

Despite the potential of this technology, a 2023 study by Astute Analytica found that only 15% of real estate firms reported adopting digital twin solutions at that time. That may soon change as those within the tech sector project this to turn into $20.2 billion industry by 2032, with North America being a leading region in terms of adoption​.

According to early adopter’s, new tech is now making them look like wise for their early investments. Their advice to those looking to create their own digital twin:

1. Assess Building Infrastructure and Goals
2. Gather Detailed Building Data
3. Choose the Right Platform and Technology
4. Develop a Scalable Data Model
5. Integrate Advanced Analytics and AI
6. Test and Validate
7. Monitor and Maintain
8. Leverage Insights for Building Operations

The question becomes, is your building ready to meet its twin?