Background
The test rig supports holistic investigation of complex building envelopes. “Complex building envelopes” refers to envelope components that either incorporate new materials (for example, bio-based materials) or provide functions that go beyond the traditional functions of building envelopes (space enclosure, thermal, moisture, sound, and fire protection, daylighting, and ventilation). This includes multifunctional façades that, for example, integrate novel ventilation, solar shading, or energy-conversion functions or show previously unknown interactions with the space and its occupants. As a rule, complex building envelopes (envelope components and envelope-integrated building services systems) combine several of these factors.
Project Objective
The overarching goal of Twin²Sim is to strengthen on-site R&D capabilities through testing and experimental infrastructure for building envelopes, envelope- and component-integrated systems, building services systems, and spaces as hardware (test facility) coupled with software (digital twin). This opens up new research potential and creates a foundation for stronger collaboration between the scientific community and industry, for transferring research results to regional companies, and for their innovation and utilization of results. Specifically, the project pursues the following objectives:
- Structured and robust project management and dissemination/transfer through collaborative project management to ensure funding-compliant use of funds, communication with the funding agency, and the delivery of scientific publications and the transfer of project results to companies
- Concept and planning of the test facilities and test rooms, as well as the digital twin, by defining test scenarios and designing the test facility and digital twin to prepare construction and commissioning
- Construction of the facility, metrological commissioning, calibration against known reference test specimens, ongoing construction supervision, documentation, and calibration for real in-situ tests and initial validation of the digital twin
- Model development, simulation, and validation during the planning and validation phase through selection of simulation software, digital-twin model development with measured data integration, and numerical investigations
- Calibration and validation of the test facility using prototypes and known systems (reference systems) through measurements on the test rig with reference test specimens, prototypes, and known systems, including plausibility checks, uncertainty analysis, and data analysis to validate the physical test facility and the digital twin
Duration
Funding and Construction Period:
Jan. 26, 2022 to May 31, 2023
Research Operations: Ongoing