Facilitating Level 3 framework for developing a Collaborative Digital Platform

Purpose The implementation of the European Union's Level(s) framework at Level 3 – focused on in-use performance – is hindered by fragmented tools and a lack of integrated digital workflows. To bridge this gap, this study proposes and develops a prototype Collaborative Digital Platform (CDP) designed specifically to address Level 3 requirements by integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twin and Artificial Intelligence (AI) components. Design/methodology/approach Employing a Design Science Research methodology, the study conceptualizes, architects and demonstrates a functional CDP prototype. The platform is built using a modular, openBIM-based architecture to enable the merging of static design data with dynamic operational data streams. Findings The developed prototype successfully demonstrates the technical feasibility of integrating BIM, simulated IoT sensor data and a rule-based AI interface within a unified dashboard. It provides a proof-of-concept workflow for visualizing key Level 3 indicators – specifically operational energy use, carbon emissions and indoor environmental quality – in near real time. The findings highlight the platform's potential to support data-informed monitoring and enhance transparency for sustainability reporting. Practical implications The study provides a replicable architectural template and a functional prototype, demonstrated via a tutorial residential building case study. This foundational work offers a concrete starting point for developers and researchers aiming to build digital tools for Level(s) compliance and establishes a basis for future pilot deployments, empirical validation and the development of automated compliance-checking features. Originality/value The primary contribution of this research is a novel, problem-specific digital architecture designed explicitly to operationalize the reporting requirements of the EU Level(s) framework at Level 3. While the constituent technologies are established, their purposeful synthesis into a cohesive platform blueprint addresses a distinct gap in translating policy-led sustainability assessment into practical, integrated digital workflows.