During the past few decades there has been much development and increased professional use of tools to simulate some of the processes that are involved in the analysis of heat, air, and moisture (HAM) conditions in individual constructions that form the building envelope or whole building. This manuscript presents a review of the development and application of hygrothermal analysis methods to simulate the coupled transport processes of heat and moisture for one- or multidimensional cases. As the vast majority of hygrothermal models available in literature are not readily available to the public outside of the organization where they were developed, in this analysis we consider only the 14 hygrothermal modeling tools that are generally available to the public. Finally, the results produced by two hygrothermal models, WUFI and hygIRC, for the prediction of exterior superficial temperatures on facades are compared and analyzed.

Digital twins (DTs) are one of the latest technology trends in all industries. However, DT development in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is still in its infancy. Digital twins have been proposed as tools that can be applied to several challenges in various areas of the built environment. However, their widespread use is hampered due to the slow pace of digitization of the AEC industry, in addition to the absence of a formalized standard for digital twins’ implementation. We began this study by systematically reviewing publications related to DT applications in the AEC industry in four databases, resulting in 229 publications after applying the proposed criteria. The systematic review highlighted the lack of standardization for DTs in the AEC industry. Additionally, this study assessed the current status of DTs and analyzed the evolution of the concept of DTs in the AEC industry. We also proposed a conceptual framework for DT development for construction assets, using the existing BIM information management standards (i.e., ISO 19650) to promote a better interoperable digitalized built environment.