The 6D information model tested in Kera brings opportunities for assessing regional carbon neutrality.
xD Visuals Ltd is a startup company specialized in developing the digital twin platform called xD Twin. The platform is designed for projects in the built environment and serves to facilitate the management of digital planning and construction of cities, regions, and individual projects. In the fall of 2022, the company participated a tender competition organized by the City of Espoo. The competition sought to identify new emissions-free, resource-saving or biodiversity-promoting products and services to be tested and experimented within the Espoo city.
During the experiment xD Visuals Ltd and experts from the City of Espoo implemented the xD Twin and its features in the Kera district in Espoo. In addition to the traditional 3D model, three other dimensions were experimented: a time dimension (4D), dimension of resource utilization (5D) and a dimension of information about buildings' compliance with sustainable development (6D). The 6D digital twin of Kera was enriched with substantial amount of current state data, area plans, and implementation schedules. The experimentation with the 6D digital twin also resulted in the ability to calculate the carbon balance of the Kera area. Further, through the time dimension, the evolution of the area's carbon balance could be assessed over time, which would facilitate predictions regarding when the area achieves complete carbon-neutrality.
Nevertheless, the technology, tools, and methods for measuring and managing the regional carbon balance are still new and evolving, Jarkko Sireen, the CEO of xD Visuals Ltd highlights, that the most significant benefit of the collaboration with the Espoo city was the opportunity to test this novel 6D solution within a real project with actual data. "It was very encouraging, that after the experiment, we could confidently conclude that the method works. However, the greatest advantages still lie ahead, as the positive results of the experiment pave the way to implement the solution in the other projects too”, says Sireen
In the future, Sireen hopes that the City of Espoo will continue to leverage the results of the experiment and adopt proven solutions in other similar projects. Additionally, Espoo could promote the topic nationally and internationally by presenting the results in various seminars and collaborative forums. "Espoo played a pioneering and enabling role in this regard. It could also encourage the other cities to contribute to a similar kind of carbon balance management initiatives through 6D digital twin platform," summarizes Sireen.
What could the green transition mean for the development work in your company?
Building a carbon-neutral society requires bold thinking and new approaches. Espoo has the ability to take up this challenge. Join us in developing future solutions in Kera, Otaniemi and Kiviruukki! The Implementation Pathway for Environments that Accelerate Sustainable Growth KETO project boosts cooperation between businesses, schools and research organisations, and creates concrete development environments that promote the green transition and digitalisation. The project is run by the City of Espoo, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Aalto University and Omnia, together with several business partners. Project is funded by European Union’s REACT-EU ERDF and is part of the European Union’s response to the covid-19 pandemic.
