Building industry ‘needs digital revolution to achieve net zero’

Digital tools that could accelerate decarbonisation of the built environment are being underused due to competition between companies, a new report has claimed.

The whitepaper, led by Glasgow climate technology firm IES, calls for a “new spirit of openness and collaboration between competing professional services” to achieve net zero in the urban environment.

The study, which set out to identify barriers to better building management, found that digital models are often not used to their full potential due to “siloed” ways of working between different parties working at different stages in building ‘lifecycles’.

The collaborative whitepaper – which includes voices from across the sector and an industry-wide survey of 243 professionals, building owners and occupiers – advocates for more open use of digital assets, and new mechanisms to overcome legal hurdles that currently impair their ability to accelerate the decarbonisation of buildings.

Dormant 3D design, compliance and BIM models that exist for the majority of current building stock could be “evolved” into performance digital twins that are usable across the whole building lifecycle, IES said. The new spirit of collaboration and openness is needed to “unlock” those models for use, the company added.

Significant questions relating to intellectual property, ownership, and legal ramifications were cited as reasons for models not being shared. 58% of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) consultants surveyed said that legal implications are the main barrier.

With the sector committed to driving down carbon emissions in both new build and retrofit projects, the use of these ‘sleeping’ models could unlock vast carbon savings and enable better outcomes for building owners, occupiers and designers, IES said.

Founder and CEO Don McLean said: “Whilst the government is backtracking on net zero policies, the built environment sector is making strides towards change. As an industry, we are united on the need to decarbonise the world’s buildings as efficiently as possible to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

“We’ve led the creation of this whitepaper to highlight the importance of utilising technology which supports whole-life performance modelling to meet net zero targets. The tools for change already exist but are not used to their full potential, which is where the Sleeping Digital Twins initiative comes in.”

He added: “We need a new approach, which begins with greater collaboration. A spirit of openness is needed to thaw engrained approaches and unlock the potential we have at our fingertips. There is clear appreciation for the need for better use of digital assets: 83% of AEC consultants and 66% of clients agree that better utilisation of energy models in building operation can help us achieve net zero goals. Now, we need to take the first steps towards creating this change.”

Sleeping Digital Twins: Exploring the appetite, benefits, and challenges of whole-life building performance modelling includes input from the UKGBC, CIBSE, Introba, Sweco, Gafcon Digital, HOK, HLM Architects, Perth & Kinross Council, the University of Birmingham, and the University of Glasgow.