Dragana Nikolic

Purpose: In this paper, we review and discuss the contemporary research on large-scale digital twins (DTs) to identify the extent of socio-ecological and systems thinking in the context of the sustainable built environment. We unpack the techno-rationalist view that relies on technology for problem-solving and argue that DTs can facilitate a more nuanced assessment of sustainability challenges, including social equity, cultural preservation and ecological resilience. Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a content analysis-based review of studies drawing from Scopus and Web of Science databases using search strings to identify studies that develop complex, socio-ecologically aligned DTs at neighborhood and city scales. We excluded studies that focused on a single building or a technology, as well as those that were situated in physical sciences, such as energy fuels, chemistry or mathematics, to understand the extents of system complexity and interdisciplinary thinking, types of integrated data, DT maturity and underlying challenges for future research directions. Findings: The findings illustrate the early stages of the DT development with respect to complex systems. Despite the relatively few studies reporting more mature and complex DT models, we illustrate how large-scale DT developments remain largely domain-specific, with projects yet to be seen as interventions within larger complex systems. Originality/value: We contribute to the understanding of applying systems thinking in the development of socio-ecological urban DTs. We identify key considerations and propose a preliminary framework for creating purpose-driven DTs, aiming to foster more impactful questions regarding their purpose and value and to support interdisciplinary dialogue.

As part of the Creativity-Built Environment nexus, this chapter examines the potential of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to democratize design by making built environments and future proposals more accessible. It briefly reviews the state-of-the-art, synthesizing recent work on AR and VR in the built environment, and exploring the wider literature on how AR and VR technologies support creativity and design. It then discusses and critically reflects on frameworks and approaches for using AR and VR for creativity in the built environment and the practical challenges. There is potential for using these technologies within the built environment to understand long-term and systemic consequences, to collaborate across the diverse disciplines and to co-develop built environments with the sets of people that have interests in particular places. The chapter concludes by setting out future directions of research.

Digital twins have attracted much of the attention from the researchers and policy makers as a potent industry-agnostic concept to support ambitious decarbonization goals. Consequently, much of the latest research has focused on computational methods for building and connecting digital twins to monitor and measure energy consumption and resulting emissions from buildings. At the same time, it has been recognized that achieving a truly sustainable built environment goes beyond environmental sustainability and is much more complex, calling for approaches that transcend any single discipline. Initiatives such as the National Digital Twin in the UK and globally, begin to offer a long-term vision of interconnected, purpose-driven and outcome-focused digital twins, grounded in systems thinking. Such approaches recognize the economic, social and ecological layers as critical data components in these digital ecosystems for understanding the built environment as a whole. Yet, social and ecological sustainability will remain difficult to address without involving allied disciplines and those from the realms of sociology, ecology, or anthropology in a conversation about the critical data sitting at the intersections between human behavior and technological innovation. In this paper, we review and discuss the state of the art research on digital twins to identify the disciplines dominating the narrative in the context of a sustainable built environment. We unpack a techno-rationalist view that emphasizes the sole reliance on technology for problem-solving and argue that by going beyond energy consumption and carbon emissions, digital twins can facilitate a more nuanced assessment of sustainability challenges, encompassing social equity, cultural preservation, and ecological resilience

What is the future of virtual reality (VR) in the built environment? As work becomes increasingly distributed across remote and hybrid forms of organizing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to rethink how we use the set of collaborative technologies to move toward a sustainable world. We propose a new vision of VR as a discipline-agnostic platform for an interdisciplinary integration of the allied design, social, and environmental disciplines to address emerging challenges across the building sectors. We build this contribution through the following steps. First, we contextualize VR technologies within the changing digital landscape and underlying tensions in the built environment practices. Second, we characterize the difficulties that have arisen in using them to address challenges, illustrating our argument with leading examples. Third, we conceptualize VR configurations and explore underlying assumptions for their use across disciplinary scenarios. Fourth, we propose a vision of VR as a discipline-agnostic platform that can support built environment users in visualizing preferred futures. We conclude by providing directions for research and practice.

Being able to perform an effective design review is a fundamental skill that every design or construction student should possess. Performing a design review requires critical thinking, analysis, and communication skills. To support the acquisition of these skills, this study investigated the impact of a virtual reality game, the design review simulator (DRS), in a classroom environment. To assess the impact of the game, the authors performed a crossover experiment with 120 students. The students were split into groups and were asked to perform design reviews in two treatment conditions, 2D drawings or the DRS. A knowledge test was administered at the end of different treatments to collect quantitative data on the students' performance. Results from this research indicate that the DRS supported students in identifying a higher number of design mistakes. Furthermore, students that played with the DRS after performing 2D drawings reviews scored significantly higher in the knowledge test. The research results contribute to the growing knowledge base on the implementation of VR in the classroom and in supporting students in meeting learning objectives related to design review skills. In particular, the research illustrated that the benefits of VR found in the construction industry in terms of improved communication, user involvement, and feedback collection could be translated into the classroom environment.

Teaching construction planning and management is challenging, as construction projects are dynamic due to many varying and unforeseen factors. A growing number of construction-related simulations and games demonstrate the benefits of providing students with a realistic and interactive learning experience for knowledge applicable in real-world situations. Currently, the majority of construction simulation games focus on teaching managerial skills either at an organizational level, or very specific project-based activities. To encourage broader adoption of simulation games for construction planning and management education, this research effort outlines a framework for the development of the virtual construction simulator (VCS) game as an open-source, customizable, and expandable simulation for different learning scenarios. The VCS prototype uses a small pavilion case study to teach students the decisions involved in planning and subsequently managing the project construction affected by varying factors such as weather and labor productivity. The current prototype has been evaluated for its usability and effectiveness as a learning tool with over 200 students in undergraduate and graduate-level courses, demonstrating benefits in engaging students in learning the challenges and risks in efficient construction planning and management. The paper outlines the VCS development framework, the system architecture, and the functionality based on the defined learning objectives. Evaluation results and future development steps are also discussed.

Visualization of construction schedules has much improved through the development of 4D modeling tools that offer an effective method for schedule planning and management. While increasingly used by the construction industry, existing 4D tools are being continually improved. Many new tools are being developed, especially with the increased adoption of building information modeling (BIM). The ability to observe the animated sequence of the construction process and track the construction status of each building component is just one of many possibilities offered by 4D modeling applications. However, as with the proliferation of any new technology, one of the inherent challenges with 4D modeling tools is a lack of agreed-upon visualization standards for representing building elements and tasks. Specifically, each tool typically has its own standards for viewing and navigating the model and schedule. Interviews with AEC professionals and experts provide insights from the end-user perspective of the current visualization methods along with their recommendations. To start addressing some of these challenges, our team reviewed the current status and methods for visualizing construction schedules, building on the research efforts in the domains of information visualization and human-computer interaction. Based on the current experiences and feedback from AEC industry practitioners, a set of visualization guidelines for representing the construction process was developed which supports future efforts in 4D model use and development.

The growing use of digital technology in design and construction has brought a change in teaching dynamics. For example, serious games have shown great potential in enhancing the learning of dynamic construction concepts traditionally acquired through practical experience. One such example is the Virtual Construction Simulator 3 (VCS3) game, developed and implemented to engage students in an active learning environment by simulating the planning and managing of a construction project. Initial assessment of the VCS3 game has demonstrated benefits for both students' motivation and basic understanding of construction concepts. However, further assessment is required to demonstrate the benefits on higher order cognitive skills. This paper introduces the first step, the formulation of learning objectives for higher order cognitive skills in construction simulation gaming. Learning objectives from third- and fourth-year construction engineering courses, together with the previous VCS3 learning objectives, are analyzed and categorized. The learning objectives guiding the next phase of the VCS4 simulation game development are then presented from lower to higher level thinking skills. This initial step opens the next phase in the development and assessment of the VCS4.