Background and motivation

Universities are progressively adopting the "smart campus" concept, aiming to transform educational spaces with new technologies, to enhance the educational and research environment. Smart campuses are designed to improve the comfort, health, and productivity of students and staff, while being more energy efficient and sustainable. In addition to monitoring the environment through conventional sensors, "humans-as-sensors" approaches are utilized, for example through digital participation surveys, smartwatch applications, or data collected from Wi-Fi activities. Following the principle "Technology for Humanity", Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) trains engineers to unite technology and sustainability. To strengthen TUHH's position as a leader in digitalization and sustainability in the field of engineering and smart campuses, this projects seeks to implement the "TUHH-Twin" initiative, integrating a digital twin of the TUHH campus based on building information modeling (BIM) and IoT-based monitoring systems. Through a structured work program divided into four packages, this project will

• analyze the requirements that may constrain the collection of real-time monitoring data,
• design key components of the digital twin (DT) and the monitoring system,
• implement a prototype of the TUHH-Twin by constructing wireless sensor nodes and a BIM-based DT, and
• validate the prototype in a demonstration with test users.

Expected impact and results

Scientific strategic objectives include the ongoing development of the TUHH-Twin through research and student projects, involving students of all disciplines. Synergies with TUHH initiatives and IDAC courses, such as "Digital Twinning in Civil Engineering", "Scientific Working in Computational Engineering", "Engineering Informatics" and "Smart Monitoring", collaboration among the institutes, and potential publication opportunities in forums such as "IEA Annex 91: Open BIM for energy-efficient buildings" and the "Forum Bauinformatik" will further contribute to the visibility and significance of the project. In conclusion, the TUHH-Twin is expected to establish itself as a framework for interdisciplinary and applied research, promoting collaboration across engineering disciplines for a better campus life.