Digital twin construction with a focus on human twin interfaces

Despite the growing emphasis on digital twins in construction, there is limited understanding of how to enable effective human interaction with these systems, limiting their potential to augment decision-making. This paper investigates the research question: “How can construction control rooms be utilized as digital twin interfaces to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of decision-making in the digital twin construction workflow?”. Design science research was used to develop a framework for human-digital twin interfaces, and it was evaluated in a real-world construction project. Findings reveal that control rooms can serve as dynamic interfaces within the digital twin ecosystem, improving coordination efficiency and decision-making accuracy. This finding is significant for practitioners and researchers, as it highlights the role of digital twin interfaces in augmenting decision-making. The paper opens avenues for future studies of human-digital twin interaction and machine learning in construction, such as imitation learning, codifying tacit knowledge, and new HCI paradigms. • Control rooms are presented as versatile digital twin interfaces in construction. • The digital twin interface is strategically placed within key stages of the DTC workflow. • Digital twin interface designs are outlined based on user needs and data analytics. • Implementing the framework on a redevelopment project improved planning and efficiency, reducing costs and delays. • Digital twin interfaces are key in converting human decisions into machine-readable data