Digital twins, virtual representations of the real world, are increasingly being used in the built environment. Bba indoor environment wants to contribute to improving these models with its 'soft expertise'.
By: Dimitri Reijerman
Mark Verlinde, who works as a technical specialist at bba, explained during the Digital Building of the Future 2022 conference more about the role that 'humans as sensors' play within such a model and emphasized that careful consideration should be given to how data should be weighed and interpreted correctly.
Within the consultancy bba indoor environment, Verlinde is fully engaged in digital twins within his company's field of expertise, optimizing indoor air quality, the thermal indoor climate and light and view. "Within the bba indoor environment, I am closely involved in installation technology matters," he says. "Smart digital buildings and installation technology are also an extension of each other."
“Within Bba indoor environment, we are looking closely at the rise of digital twins. This allows you to make simulations of buildings. Initially, there were still digital design tools, but we wanted to extend these digital twins to the management phase. The big question is: how can we reproduce the indoor climate in a digital twin. The pitfall is that you opt for a technical approach with only limit values. For example, the CO2 level may be so high in a certain space. But, certainly in many spaces, you need to interpret data better.”
That's where the human factor comes in, says Verlinde: "We were also co-driver of the Healthy Offices Program of Requirements (PvE) project. In the PvE, we already list these standards with different classes. These also need to be included in the models. An important part of the Healthy Offices program, and the labels that are attached to it, is questioning the user."
In Verlinde's view, it is essential to take the human factor into account: "You should not only set and interpret limit values, but also listen to the end users. Because people are also sensors. This input must be included in the model, the digital twin."
Users can already be surveyed using standardized methods: “You do this periodically with a questionnaire that you distribute anonymously within an organization. This gives you good feedback on what people think about it. You have to do this periodically to see whether the indoor climate is improving or deteriorating. You also have to find a zero line, because it is undeniably true that a company with a toxic work atmosphere will get more negative results, and vice versa.”
During his lecture at the Digital Building of the Future conference, Verlinde addressed the question of how to make good use of the findings of end users of a building: “The question now is how to get this information into the model,” he says. “Initially, you can use it to verify your digital model well. But more is possible.”
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