Digital Twins and Healthcare AEC/O Projects
The healthcare sector demands precision, efficiency, and adaptability. Buildings must support evolving medical technologies, strict regulatory requirements, and patient-centered designs. Digital Twins play a crucial role in optimizing these complex environments by providing a dynamic, data-driven approach to facility management.
What is a Digital Twin?
A Digital Twin is a virtual representation of a physical asset—whether a building, a room, or an entire hospital system. It connects real-time data, historical records, and predictive analytics, allowing stakeholders to monitor, analyze, and optimize building performance.
Why Digital Twins Matter in Healthcare AEC/O
Hospitals are among the most intricate built environments. They integrate:
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Medical equipment and infrastructure that require constant monitoring.
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Energy-intensive systems such as HVAC and lighting.
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Strict operational protocols for safety and hygiene.
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Long-term asset management with lifecycle planning.
A Digital Twin consolidates these elements, helping facility managers make data-driven decisions that enhance performance, reduce operational costs, and improve patient outcomes.
dRofus: The Backbone of Healthcare Digital Twins
dRofus is not a Digital Twin platform itself, but it plays a foundational role in making Digital Twins work. It serves as the single source of truth for project data throughout the building lifecycle. By integrating with BIM tools, IoT devices, and facility management systems, dRofus ensures that the Digital Twin remains accurate, structured, and useful.
Key benefits of using dRofus in Digital Twin projects:
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Centralized Data Management: dRofus aggregates all project data, ensuring a structured, reliable database that integrates with Digital Twin solutions.
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Lifecycle Data Tracking: Information from planning, design, construction, and operations is continuously updated, ensuring long-term accuracy.
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Seamless Collaboration: All stakeholders—from architects to facility managers—access the same data, reducing errors and miscommunication.
Case Study: Glasblokkene Trinn 2, Bergen, Norway
The Glasblokkene Trinn 2 hospital project exemplifies how Digital Twins transform healthcare facility management.
Challenges Faced:
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The client, Helse Bergen HF, required a single, unified asset database for the hospital’s entire lifecycle.
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Teams needed real-time collaboration across multiple disciplines.
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Traditional construction methods often led to data fragmentation and outdated documentation.
How dRofus Enabled a Digital Twin Solution:
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Golden Thread of Data: dRofus acted as the master asset database, ensuring every project phase remained connected and up to date.
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On-Site Data Integration: Contractors updated information directly into the system, syncing it with BIM models and engineering files.
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Lifecycle Intelligence: The data captured during planning and construction now supports ongoing facility management, integrating with building control systems.
This approach resulted in cost savings, improved project control, and a more efficient operational model. The success of Glasblokkene Trinn 2 underscores how dRofus strengthens Digital Twin adoption in healthcare.
The Future of Digital Twins in Healthcare AEC/O
Digital Twins are not just about visualizing data; they drive proactive decision-making. As hospitals adopt more IoT-connected sensors and AI-driven analytics, the value of structured, accessible data will only grow.
For organizations looking to implement a Digital Twin, the first step is getting their data in order. That’s where dRofus excels. With a structured, federated data environment, dRofus ensures that Digital Twin solutions have reliable, actionable data to work with.
Take Action
If your healthcare project is considering a Digital Twin approach, start by evaluating your data management strategy. A structured, connected data repository—enabled by dRofus—ensures that your Digital Twin is not just a concept, but a powerful tool for efficiency, compliance, and long-term success.
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