Autodesk Tandem and New Possibilities for Digital Twins in Architecture

Digital twins originated as an approach for manufacturing—a way to replicate, verify, and optimize production lines. The idea was to create a digital version of a physical space—including every object and system within it—that was constantly updated and updating via a two-directional flow of data with the physical version. The goal of a twin goes beyond the merely descriptive: it is a functional representation of a model, able to simulate, predict, and inform.

Now digital twins are catching on in AEC. The idea is that, at handover, in addition to a finished building, owners would also receive a digital version of the building that combines BIM and construction data with new data from IoT sensors and ongoing operations. Not only can owners use the twin to optimize operations and predict and streamline maintenance, but also to extract insights to enable better results on the next building. They can even use artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to monitor operations and make decisions autonomously.

Enter: Tandem, the new digital twin platform from Autodesk. Now in beta, Tandem enables you to start digital and stay digital for the entire lifecycle of a building—from initial concept through to teardown. With Tandem, owners and operators can turn complex data into actionable business intelligence, as Architosh reported. You can join the Tandem beta community to learn more.

Introductions

Robert Bray was part of the team that developed Tandem, and he led a series of classes at AU 2020 to introduce what’s possible. In Autodesk Tandem: Delivering the Value of BIM to Owners with a Digital Twin, Bray and co-host Tim Kelly detail the types of digital twins possible for architecture, how Tandem works, and how to get involved. And building owners of all kinds joined the roundtable session, Digital Twin for Building Owners, to discuss best practices and new possibilities to improve outcomes and reduce the cost of ownership.

Robert Bray introduces the possibilities of Autodesk Tandem in his AU 2020 Theater talk.

Focus on MEP

In Digital Twin: Bringing MEP Models to Life, David Fink and Alejandro Mata share great perspective on the evolution and history of digital twins and the lessons learned creating a digital twin for their office, with a special focus on MEP systems.

Industrialized approaches

Digital twins can help us shape the industrialized future of construction. Ankur Podder, Joseph Louis, and Colby Swanson share the details in their class, Process-Based Digital Twin for Industrialized Construction Efficiencies.

Optimizing manufacturing

Interested in learning more about digital twins in manufacturing, their original use case? Florian Wegmann walks you through the process to create and optimize a production line in his class, Why Is Virtual Commissioning and the Use of a Digital Twin Essential Today?

There’s always more to learn at Autodesk University. We’re ready when you are.