The digital twin framework: A roadmap to the development of user- centred digital twin in the built environment

With the prompt digital revolution in architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), it is crucial to set the early practical steps for advanced digital technology namely digital twin technology. Although theoretical evidence on the potential of digital twins exists in AEC scope, the practical framework to the construction and operation of user-centred digital twin is yet to be investigated. Hence, this applied research investigates systematic methods and techniques for the construction and enablement of a user-centred digital twin paving the way to advanced digital applications in AEC centred on the user of the built environment. As a result, the framework unleashes a systematic roadmap to the creation and development of a city-scale digital twin centred on the human and capable of describing, analyzing, and assessing a built context per its users and usability manner. Further, the framework pours the foundations for a spectrum of digital twin applications in the scope of architectural design, building construction, infrastructure engineering, and facility management. The production of this research is foreseen to outline a systematic and transferable framework for the construction and enablement of a user-centred digital twin. • This research article develops a user-centred digital twin framework. • It examines the reconstruction of a city-scale built environment. • It develops Level 3 digital twin able to describe a built environment in real-time. • It investigates the implementation of human-centric digital twin applications. • It examines the potential of user-centred digital twin approach.