Our Challenge

The challenge aims to devise solutions that leverage digital twin technology towards sustainability. In the European Union (EU), buildings account for 40% of energy consumption and contribute to 36% of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, construction and demolition waste make up over one-third of all waste generated in the EU. As Europe strives to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, the emphasis on intelligent construction and management becomes paramount. This is where Digital Twin (DT) technology, which offers high potential, comes into play. It aids in tracking, optimising, and predicting the performance of buildings and infrastructure. During the challenge, student teams are expected to: • create a methodology for including sustainability indicators within urban digital twins, and develop the assessment and visualisation technique for sustainability monitoring - it can be centred around energy, mobility, facilities management, human health and comfort, democratic data governance, waste management, citizen participation and many other domains; • develop mock-ups and protocols (by those with high problem-solving and social science skills) or applications (by those with high IT skills) to showcase the innovation; • use real-world case studies from Dublin (Ireland) and Kaunas (Lithuania); • produce a poster and a short video, highlighting their key findings and the proposed solution.