The sequence of activities for digital twin implementation for building operations by industrial practitioners: A multiple case study analysis in Thailand

Addressing challenges in actual building performance management, such as rising PM2.5 levels and electricity costs, Digital Twin (DT) technology is gaining traction in Thailand's innovation-based economy, supported by the growing maturity of Building Information Modeling (BIM). While existing DT innovations often remain at the prototype stage, there's a clear need for practical building level implementation guidelines that facilitate their transition from prototype to product for building operations. This study conducts a multiple case study analysis of three real-world projects in Bangkok, Thailand, to clarify the tasks and outputs inherent in DT implementation. This study establishes a sequence of activities, clarifying: 1) main tasks, 2) key activities, and 3) critical documents for real-world practice. Key findings: 1) 23 activities in the project schedule are classified into design and execution phases, intertwined with multiple Operational Technology (OT) adoption processes and Operational Building Information Modeling (O-BIM) software development. 2) O-BIM Model Development, Integrated OT Backend Development, and Commissioning are the key activities to achieve OT interoperability. 3) Nine critical documents are essential for developing from conceptual design to an operable system. These practical guidelines will lead to the industrialization of DT implementation in smart operations at building and city levels.