Digital twin application in heritage facilities management: systematic literature review and future development directions
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
ISSN: 0969-9988
Article publication date: 28 March 2023
Issue publication date: 25 July 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the theoretical and practical links between digital twin (DT) application in heritage facilities management (HFM) from a life cycle management perspective and to signpost the future development directions of DT in HFM.
Design/methodology/approach
This state-of-the-art review was conducted using a systematic literature review method. Inclusive and exclusive criteria were identified and used to retrieve relevant literature from renowned literature databases. Shortlisted publications were analysed using the VOSviewer software and then critically reviewed to reveal the status quo of research in the subject area.
Findings
The review results show that DT has been mainly adopted to support decision-making on conservation approach and method selection, performance monitoring and prediction, maintenance strategies design and development, and energy evaluation and management. Although many researchers attempted to develop DT models for part of a heritage building at component or system level and test the models using real-life cases, their works were constrained by availability of empirical data. Furthermore, data capture approaches, data acquisition methods and modelling with multi-source data are found to be the existing challenges of DT application in HFM.
Originality/value
In a broader sense, this study contributes to the field of engineering, construction and architectural management by providing an overview of how DT has been applied to support management activities throughout the building life cycle. For the HFM practice, a DT-cum-heritage building information modelling (HBIM) framework was developed to illustrate how DT can be integrated with HBIM to facilitate future DT application in HFM. The overall implication of this study is that it reveals the potential of heritage DT in facilitating HFM in the urban development context.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study was supported by the grant from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University: Start-up Fund for New Recruits (Project ID: P0040305).
Authors’ contribution statements: Huiying (Cynthia) Hou: Conceptualisation; Methodology; Formal analysis; Investigation; Data curation; Writing-original draft; Editing; Supervision; Project administration; Funding. Joseph H.K. Lai and Hao Wu: Writing-original draft, Editing. Tong Wang: Editing of the first draft of the paper.
Citation
Hou, H.(C)., Lai, J.H.K., Wu, H. and Wang, T. (2024), "Digital twin application in heritage facilities management: systematic literature review and future development directions", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 31 No. 8, pp. 3193-3221. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-06-2022-0596
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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