Vol. 2 No. 1 (2025)

Articles

The Application of Digital Twin for Indoor Air Quality Management: A Case Study in Hong Kong

Published 2025-01-31

  • Chiu Kit Lo

Chiu Kit Lo
Vocational Training Council image/svg+xml

Abstract

With the advocacy of the development of smart cities, buildings are also evolving to become smarter and more user-friendly. Employing cyber-physical technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Digital Twin (DT) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), can effectively monitor and control the built environment. DT is an emerging tool that connects the building to its digital replica so that the building’s situation can be monitored and presented to users effectively. This paper proposes a DT framework for building management to discover the applications of DT for indoor environment monitoring and control. A case study of a DT-driven indoor air quality (IAQ) system is completed to demonstrate the implementation of DT in the built environment. The system demonstrated the key features of DT, including monitoring, simulation, control and prediction, and showed their roles and functions in IAQ management. Finally, the difficulties and limitations, i.e. sensor selection and installation, of implementing the DT system in the built environment are presented after the case study.

Keywords

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Control, Sustainable Building, Building Management, Digital Twin, Case Study

PDF

References

  1. Nexusintegra. “The 6 Features of Smart Buildings,” https://nexusintegra.io/features-smart-buildings/ (accessed 27 Jun 2023).
  2. I. Tripathi, T. M. Froese, and S. Mallory-Hill, “Applicability of BIM-IoT-GIS Integrated Digital Twins for Post Occupancy Evaluations,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 9, article no.1103743, Jun 2023.
  3. J. Nie, W.-s. Xu, D.-z. Cheng, and Y.-l. Yu, “Digital Twin-Based Smart Building Management and Control Framework,” DEStech Transactions on Computer Science and Engineering, May 2019.
  4. S. H. Khajavi, N. H. Motlagh, A. Jaribion, L. C. Werner, and J. Holmström, “Digital Twin: Vision, Benefits, Boundaries, and Creation for Buildings,” IEEE Access, vol. 7, pp. 147406-147419, Oct 2019.
  5. C. K. Lo, C. H. Chen, and R. Y. Zhong, “A Review of Digital Twin in Product Design and Development,” Advanced Engineering Informatics, vol. 48, article no.101297, Apr 2021.
  6. M. Grieves, “Digital Twin: Manufacturing Excellence through Virtual Factory Replication,” White paper, vol. 1, pp. 1-7, 2014.
  7. R. Piascik, J. Vickers, D. Lowry, S. Scotti, J. Stewart, and A. Calomino, “Technology Area 12: Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing Road Map,” NASA Office of Chief Technologist, 2010.
  8. Q. Qi et al., “Enabling Technologies and Tools for Digital Twin,” Journal of Manufacturing Systems, vol. 58, pp. 3-21, Jan 2021.
  9. V. Qiuchen Lu, A. K. Parlikad, P. Woodall, G. D. Ranasinghe, and J. Heaton, “Developing s Dynamic Digital Twin at a Building Level: Using Cambridge Campus as Case Study,” International Conference on Smart Infrastructure and Construction 2019 (ICSIC) Driving Data-Informed Decision-Making, pp. 67-75, Jul 2019: ICE Publishing
  10. H. H. Hosamo, H. K. Nielsen, A. N. Alnmr, P. R. Svennevig, and K. Svidt, “A Review of the Digital Twin Technology for Fault Detection in Buildings,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 8, article no. 1013196, Nov 2022.
  11. L. Hou, H.-L. Chi, and Y. Tan, “Digital Technologies for Construction Management,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 8, article no.1017547, Oct 2022.
  12. N. E. Klepeis et al., “The National Human Activity Pattern Survey (NHAPS): A Resource for Assessing Exposure to Environmental Pollutants,” Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 231-252, Jul 2001.
  13. T. M. Stafford, “Indoor Air Quality and Academic Performance,” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, vol. 70, pp. 34-50, Mar 2015.
  14. C. Sekhar, “IAQ and Sustainability - A Balancing Act,” HVAC&R Research, vol. 15, ed: Taylor & Francis, pp. 987-989, Feb 2011
  15. W. H. Organization, “Air Pollution: Indoor Air Pollution,” https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/air-pollution-indoor-air-pollution, Nov 9, 2014.
  16. J. Huang, P. Jones, and X. He, “Masks, Ventilation and Exposure Time: A Web-Based Calculator of Indoor COVID-19 Infection Risk,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 8, article no. 986923, Nov 2022.
  17. G. Gourlis and I. Kovacic, “A Holistic Digital Twin Simulation Framework for Industrial Facilities: BIM-Based Data Acquisition For Building Energy Modeling,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 8, article no. 918821, Sep 2022.
  18. P. Cureton and E. Hartley, “City Information Models (CIMs) as Precursors for Urban Digital Twins (UDTs): A Case Study of Lancaster,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 9, article no. 1048510, Mar 2023.
  19. A. Tugengol’d, V. Dimitrov, L. Borisova, M. Grankov, and R. Voloshin, “Autonomous Maintenance of Digital Equipment,” Russian Engineering Research, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 510-515, Jul 2019.
  20. G. Baruffaldi, R. Accorsi, and R. Manzini, “Warehouse Management System Customization and Information Availability in 3pl Companies,” Industrial Management & Data Systems, Feb 2019.
  21. Y.-C. Lin and W.-F. Cheung, “Developing WSN/BIM-Based Environmental Monitoring Management System for Parking Garages in Smart Cities,” Journal of Management in Engineering, vol. 36, no. 3, article no. 04020012, Feb 2020.
  22. C. Sekhar and W. Bahnfleth, “IAQ 2020: Indoor Environmental Quality Performance Approaches Transitioning from IAQ to IEQ: May 4–6, 2022| Athens, Greece,” Science and Technology for the Built Environment, vol. 28, pp. 791-791, May 2022.
  23. S. Kaewunruen, P. Rungskunroch, and J. Welsh, “A Digital-Twin Evaluation of Net Zero Energy Building for Existing Buildings,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 1, article no. 159, Dec 2018.
  24. I. A. F. No, “4 (revised) Sick Building Syndrome,” United States Environmental Protection, 1991.
  25. A Guide on Indoor Air Quality Certification Scheme for Offices and Public Places, H. The IAQ Management Group Hong Kong, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.iaq.gov.hk/media/65346/new-iaq-guide_eng.pdf
  26. Standard 62.1-2016 - Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, R. a. A.-C. E. American Society of Heating, 2016.
  27. S. J. Emmerich and S. J. Nabinger, “Measurement and Simulation of the IAQ Impact of Particle Air Cleaners in a Single-Zone Building,” HVAC&R Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 223-244, Feb 2011.
  28. A. A. Heidari and H. Eskandari, “Impact of Inlet and Outlet Opening Height Variation on the Air Quality and Ventilation Efficiency in the On-top Wind Catcher Buildings: A CFD Simulation,” Science and Technology for the Built Environment, vol. 28, no. 10, pp. 1420-1438, Jan 2022.
  29. S. Kaewunruen and N. Xu, “Digital Twin for Sustainability Evaluation of Railway Station Buildings,” Frontiers in Built Environment, vol. 4, article no. 77, Dec 2018.
  30. U. S. E. P. Agency. “Introduction to Indoor Air Quality.” https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/introduction-indoor-air-quality#sources (accessed August 9, 2020).