Journal of Information Technology in Construction
Journal of Information Technology in Construction
ITcon Vol. 31, pg. 266-300, http://www.itcon.org/2026/12
Digital twins in civil engineering
| DOI: | 10.36680/j.itcon.2026.012 | |
| submitted: | June 2025 | |
| published: | March 2026 | |
| editor(s): | Kumar B | |
| authors: | Patricia Peralta (corresponding author)
Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany patricia.peralta.abadia@tuhh.de Muhammad E. Ahmad Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany muhammad.ekbal.ahmad@tuhh.de Thamer Al-Zuriqat Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany thamer.al-zuriqat@tuhh.de Carlos Chillón Geck Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany carlos.chillon.geck@tuhh.de Heba Al-Nasser Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany heba.al-nasser@tuhh.de Kosmas Dragos Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany kosmas.dragos@tuhh.de Alexander Chmelnizkij, Dr.-Ing. Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany alexander.chmelnizkij@tuhh.de Kay Smarsly, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Institute of Digital and Autonomous Construction, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany kay.smarsly@tuhh.de | |
| summary: | A plenitude of digital twin reviews have been published in recent years, most of which, however, focus on project-specific digital twin implementations or specific application areas within civil engineering. The architecture, including the composition of internal elements, and schemas of digital twins have not been studied yet in a universally applicable and systematic manner. In this study, a multivocal review of digital twins in civil engineering is conducted, combining a systematic literature review and a gray literature review to capture both peer-reviewed literature and industry practices. To achieve a shared understanding of digital twins in civil engineering, a systematic survey of definitions, schemas, system architectures, and internal elements of digital twins is conducted. Drawing from the results of the review, (i) a definition, (ii) a pattern for a schema, and (iii) a reference architecture for digital twins are proposed, serving as a blueprint for facilitating digital twin implementations in civil engineering. | |
| keywords: | digital twins, definitions, schema, system architecture, reference architecture, multivocal literature review | |
| full text: | (PDF file, 1.741 MB) | |
| citation: | Peralta, P., Ahmad, M. E., Al-Zuriqat, T., Chillón Geck, C., Al-Nasser, H., Dragos, K., Chmelnizkij, A., & Smarsly, K. (2026). Digital twins in civil engineering. Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon), 31, 266-300. https://doi.org/10.36680/j.itcon.2026.012 | |
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