The digital twin market can be divided into numerous sectors. One of these is construction and design. Among the top adopters of digital twin technology, providers are working hard to build digital twin solutions for their customers. Across the board, end users in the market use digital twins for various use cases. This article outlines the top ten digital twin providers within the construction and design sector, the customers they are working with, and their use cases.
How do digital twins operate in Construction and Design?
Digital twins have numerous different use cases in construction and design. Companies use the technology to create virtual replicas of construction projects and sites before, during, and after development. Companies can better understand construction operations by utilizing more intelligent and analytical BIM models through 1-1 mapping, realistic physics, and instantaneous data feedback characteristic of twins, improving and optimizing processes in real-time.
Digital twin providers develop solutions for these construction companies and offer a variety of solutions to improve operational efficiency. A key benefit of using digital twins in construction is its predictive capabilities to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions remotely, mitigating risk, improving safety, and removing bottlenecks that might slow construction time. As a result, construction companies save time and money by implementing digital twins. The benefits of digital twins come at the start of implementation and throughout the project lifecycle.
An example is the University of Liverpool, which uses a digital twin to improve energy efficiency. Harnessing a platform known as IES Live, the education institution has saved around £25,000 with energy reductions of 23% between April and December 2023. The digital twin was implemented after a refurbishment, showcasing the potential of digital twins to improve operations post-construction. On the design side of the industry, digital twins are increasingly used by architects in the design process to simulate digital representations of projects. Likewise, what is known as a digital replica ( 1-1 digital replica developed in 3D) is widely used to review the designs drawn by designers. The next part of the article will highlight the top providers working in the market to develop these solutions.
Top 10 Construction and Design Digital Twin Providers
1. Trimble
Trimble is a leading provider of digital twin technology for the construction industry. Its products for developing twins include Trimble Connect, Tekla, Quadri, and Agile Assets. Trimble is one of the leading companies in the construction space, having worked with Cold Spring Construction to develop digital twins and others to develop more efficient construction processes. Likewise, Trimble has worked with authorities such as the Norweigan Public Roads Administration to build a digital twin of a highway in southeastern Norway before it was built in 2020. Trimble has many digital twin case studies to flaunt and is a leader in the sector.
2. Bentley Systems
Known for its suite of digital twin services, such as Bentley iTwin, Bentley Systems is a leading software provider to construction and design companies. Notably, Beca, a leading consultancy firm, used Bentley iTwin IOT to gather and visualize data on a church in New Zealand to monitor potential structural movements and ensure safety. Furthermore, Stantec used iTwin to create a digital twin of the Elephant Tusk Bridge in Colorado using sensory data to monitor it. These are just two examples of Bentley Sytem’s construction and design work; check out more on their website.
3. Twinzo
Twinzo is a startup based in Petržalka, Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Twinzo has designed a unique digital twin solution that enables you to monitor a digital twin via an app. Twinzo also works in the construction and design market, developing use cases such as a digital twin of office blocks for leading European office development companies. The Twinzo Twin monitors the flow of employees in the physical offices and metrics such as table occupancy. Twinzo has raised $2.4 million from four investors.
4. Granlund
Granlund, based in Helsinki, Finland, is a civil engineering company that builds innovative solutions for its customers to make facilities smarter and more efficient. It also works in the design and construction industry, creating digital twins. One case study was the development of a digital twin for the National Museum of Finland. The twin enabled stakeholders to maintain the museum remotely, increasing operational efficiency. Other digital twin projects carried out by Granlund are numerous, with noteworthy use cases being property maintenance.
5. Siteaway
Based in Austin, Texas, Siteaway is a leading digital twin company. Siteaway provides digital twin solutions through its Siteaware Build to Plan platform. Build to Plan gives construction customers a complete support system during project development, giving users insights into potential issues in the design process, development, and completion. Siteaway has worked with various companies, such as Andres, Skanska, and Granite, to name but a few.
6. DBM Vircon
DBM Vircon is a leading construction company building digital solutions in Queensland, Australia. DBM specializes in creating construction modeling and digital engineering. As part of this specialism, the company is actively developing digital twins. DBM Vircon has collaborated with mining and metal development companies and operates across several continents around the globe.
7. Matterport
Without the leading 3D design company, Matterport, this list would not be complete. Through Matterport’s industry-leading hardware, such as the Matterport Pro2 camera, users can scan real-life environments and create digital replicas. Construction companies use Matterport to develop digital twins, and these digital replicas provide the foundation of twin development. Corgan used Matterport hardware and software to map Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in a $1.6 billion project. Corgan integrated Matterport with Autodesk Revit and Navisworks to build fully realized digital twins of the terminal.
8. IES
Global consultancy firm IES is another major digital twin construction and design company. Working across several sectors to develop twins, IES has created numerous digital twins through various software solutions such as VE: New Design & Retrofit and iSCAN: Optimal Building Operation. Companies use these solutions individually and jointly to create digital twins. Case studies of IES in action include the development of digital twins for energy optimization and even the creation of twins of grasslands to improve their environmental impact. IES has worked on major construction projects, such as the development of Heathrow Terminal 5, using its cutting-edge technology stack.
9. Invicara
Invicara is a leading digital solutions provider for the construction and design sector. Founded in 2012, it has developed leading digital twin platforms for end users such as Twinit. However, Invicara has gone one step further, recently announcing its new open-source platform, Digitaltwin-Factory, at Digital Construction Week in London. Digitaltwin-Factory enables users to build digital twins at a low entry cost. Invicara has been leading by example over the last decade in how to develop cost-effective digital twins for the construction sector.
10. CSIRO
Research services firm CSIRO is at the forefront of digital twin development in the construction and design industry. In April this year, CSIRO collaborated with WT to build a digital twin using survey data for the construction industry. The digital twin was created using CSIRO’s Terra platform. CSIRO is working with leading organizations globally to build fully functioning digital twins.
Conclusion
In this article, we have explored the various providers of digital twin technology working in the construction and design space, outlining the multiple use cases and impact of these twins. For more information on the companies mentioned in this article, check out our intelligence platform for the latest insights and data.
