Bridging the Gap is a collaboration project led by NTNU with partners from KLP Eiendom, NCC Bygg, Multiconsult, Pir2 AS. It investigates the development of digital platforms and particular digital twins in terms of organizational issues such as diverse practice perspectives of what is a digital twins based both on cultural and disciplinary perspectives. It considers standards as both influential but also unclear in terms of aiding digitalization as there are many and different disciplines use of different standards which has the potential to lead to information inconsistency. Collaboration and cultural issues are important as all practices across the industry must cooperate in order to create consensus in what are digital twins and what processes lead to good data exchange at different points of the lifecycle. The future is important and strategizing for digitalization today and for next 10 to 30 years needs consideration if buildings are to be represented both in a digital format and a physical format as building life-cycle is often calculated to be at least 50 years. The work centers around a case study Teknostallen which is a partially renovated and new building project completed in 2025. The building is highly technologically developed with aim of being BREEAM excellent and WELL platinum. The case study enables research to ground ideas being developed over the last 2 and half years.
The main goal has been to investigate how information from construction projects can be utilized in the building's use phase through increased use of digital platforms in general and digital twins in particular. The most important knowledge contributions from this work are:
• Collaborative digitalization: Future-oriented strategies require interdisciplinary collaboration and may involve new business models to overcome limitations in creating connections between the design and use phases. This often creates ambiguity around ownership of digital models throughout the building lifecycle.
• Adaptive capabilities: Uncertainty in technological trends requires flexible processes and skills to be able to respond to changing requirements.
• Human-centered approach: When people feel safe sharing ideas and concerns, trust is built and open dialogue is encouraged. This is crucial for managing complexity in large, multi-actor projects that deliver both physical and digital assets.
• Intelligent use of technology: Success with tools such as digital twins depends on applying information systems across lifecycle phases and asking the right questions for effective system responses.
• Standards and Workflow: Planning for common standards in both the design and operational phases is critical for interoperable workflows and managing lifecycle complexity.
• Facility Management perspective: Data strategies must balance technical efficiency with human-centered practices to ensure contextual relevance.
• Portfolio-level thinking: Digital twin initiatives should extend beyond individual buildings to portfolio-wide strategies that support circular economy goals.
• Research project impact on collaboration in the Teknostallen: Additional research activities and meetings with academic and industrial partners in Bridging the Gap had the unintended positive effect that industry partners better understood each other’s expectations in the Teknostallen project. This contributed to the high quality of delivery of both the physical building and the digital twin in October 2025.
The collaborative knowledge-building project Bridging the Gap has brought together academic insights and industry expertise to address one of the most pressing challenges in the built environment: digitalization throughout the building lifecycle. The collaboration with our industry partners – KLP Eiendom AS, Pir 2, Multiconsult and NCC Bygg – has been crucial to understanding different perspectives and anchoring the research in real contexts. Their openness to innovation and willingness to share experiences has enabled meaningful dialogue and co-creation, and contributed to a deeper understanding of how digital twins and data-driven strategies can transform both project delivery and facility management.
Bridging the Gap, in collaboration with KLP Eiendom AS, Pir 2, Multiconsult, NCC Bygg and NTNU, has provided insight into how digital twins and data-driven processes can improve project execution and facility management.
Bridging the Gap focused on four key areas designed to create impact and deliver meaningful effects, as demonstrated below:
1) Cultural changes in collaboration practices for process organization and information management:
Impact
• Examined frameworks for building lifecycle knowledge generation and cultural changes to improve collaboration.
• Identified a step-change in the last 5 years toward harmonizing disciplinary thinking as physical assets are paired with digital twins.
• Engaged with students and young researchers, prompting real-time reflection and learning within collaborative practices.
Effect
• Established key enablers for better collaboration, including:
a) Evaluation for Collaboration (EfS): Mutual evaluation of project participants for large construction projects.
b) Formation of an expert group for digitalization and operations linked to design meetings.
c) Applying organizational learning and adaptability through reflective engagement and open dialogue.
2) Identifying barriers, possibilities and benefits in digitization / digital twin for to FDV / FM and use
Impact
• Barriers: Identified the need for cultural and organizational capabilities beyond technology.
• Possibilities: Identified key capabilities for digitalization (agility, uncertainty management, standards integration, regulatory adaptation) for Teknostallen and the wider industry..
• Benefits: Strengthened alignment between circular strategies and digital twin frameworks.
Effect
• Barriers Addressed: Clarified capabilities to address cultural challenges in lifecycle
• Possibilities Realized: Provided a foundation for planning up to 2050 to prepare industry for future digitalization challenges.
• Benefits Delivered: Positioned digital twins as a core driver of FDV/FM innovation and lifecycle efficiency.
3) Systematize and (further)-develop frameworks / models for information, data capture and storage to FDV / FM and use
Impact
• Developed a framework to navigate standards, reducing complexity and clarifying gaps and overlaps.
• Elevated NS-EN ISO 19650 as a critical industry benchmark for holistic information management.
Effect
• Triggered a spin-off project with R&D funding to build competency and implementation strategies.
• Achieved active adoption: Eight major energy and infrastructure organizations implementing NS-EN ISO 19650.
4) Bridging the gap: FM needs of today and the future
Impact
• Recognized that focusing only on data was insufficient; shifted to a broader facilities management context considering diverse tasks and activities.
• Emphasized user and business needs as central to data application.
Effect
• Developed a process framework for applying data through:
a) Resource management
b) Knowledge and learning
c) Social relations and Technology enablers
d) Work activities
Further work continues in research, master programs and industry dissemination.
As the project aim to examine the development of digital twins from the perspective of FM feeding back to design and construction, WP1 takes a starting point of examining barriers, possibilities and benefits in digitization / digital twin for to FDV / FM and use both from the FM discipline and in the broader AEC perspective and examining these barrier, possibilities and benefits in the context of the reference project(s). WP2 will go deeper in terms of mapping the standards that are currently available for data handover and where they fit in terms of application of FM specific standards as well as standards linked to Digital Twins. WP3 will examine the collaboration process of coordinating data within the reference project(s) and defining a framework on how collaboration can occur for digital twin through feedback and feedforward loops which can be further systematized in LCA. WP4 will examine FM use and non use of data as well examining the scope of linking databases using in FM which will lead to strategizing for digital twins.
Research will be conducted through key research partners, engaging students within relevant courses and master thesis and through the research focused work of PhD/Research assistant- all in partnership with non-research organizations.
The research questions will lead to the following innovative solutions:
• Mapping of relevant standards for data handover and interoperability
• Identifying gaps in standards that need to move toward digital twins for FM linking to LCA
• Process framework on feedback and feedforward loops from operation to design for knowledge exchange and systematic participation (focus on LCA)
• Roadmaps for digitalizing FM (FM 2.0) toward 2030 and 2050
• Strategies for FM toward further digitalisation and digital twins
