Digital Ecosystem to enable Circular Buildings – The Circular Twin Framework Proposal

Abstract

Implementing Circular Economy principles in the built environment is of utmost importance to reduce raw material extraction and generated waste. A transition is essential, especially as it is responsible for about 40% - 60% of global raw material extraction and 33% of total waste in the European Union. This paper shows the methodological approach to generate a digital Building model to enable Circular Economy in the early design stage, by coupling Generative Design methods, enabling automated variant generation of Digital building models, to Building Information Modelling-objects, and assessment-algorithms to evaluate the environmental impact and circularity. By visualizing the assessments of the generated variants of (so-called) Circular Twins in a Virtual Reality environment, including user interaction with a voice-controlled virtual Agent, the digital Circular Twin ecosystem enables the early implementation of the goals of the circular economy and sustainability in Architecture, Engineering and Construction.

Keywords

• digital twin
• bim
• circular economy
• sustainability; sustainable building; circular building; virtual reality