Digital Twins Happy Hour Zurich: Recap of round 1 

The way we communicate, plan and build cities has changed. At the first Digital Twins Happy Hour in Zurich, we met with fellow enthusiasts across industries to talk about innovative use cases of digital twins in urban planning, real estate and beyond.

The case for high-resolution 3D models with drones

Nomoko CEO and founder Nilson Kufus opened the event with a short introduction to 3D digital twins, highlighting some of the challenges we face today – and the solutions that are on the horizon thanks to drone-captured 3D models.

One of the main takeaways of his input: Accurate, up-to-date, and high-resolution data is one aspect, but it also needs to be easy to access and use. Nilson showed how Nomoko is preparing to tackle this in the near future, giving attendees an exclusive sneak peek into our upcoming endeavor of bringing high resolution photogrammetry onto the web. Join us at the next event for more exclusive nuggets!

A fresh look at building rights thanks to 3D

Our first guest speaker of the evening, Marcel Muri (KEEAS AG), talked about the use of 3D digital twins in urban planning, with a specific view to building rights. Using the case of Unterägeri’s 3D model as an example, he showed how working with hands-on, 3D prototypes makes it easier to align different stakeholders.

In this context, 3D models turn out to be a game changer: by (literally) showing what is possible, the discussion shifts from people’s individual agendas back to how things will look and feel in the physical world. The world around us exists in 3D, so it makes sense to plan and build in 3D, too.

The digital architect – real estate development today

Our second speaker, Veronika Harder (HHP), explored the possibilities of digital twins further, asking: How can real estate development profit from data, algorithms and simulations? The possibilities are manifold. Think for instance of machine-readable planning and building laws, which can simplify and streamline strategic planning.

But digital twins also change the entire design process. Provocatively, Veronika suggested that today, an architect’s job is to simply check what a machine has generated. And indeed, there are things that computers can do better. With digital twins, for instance, it is possible to visualize, simulate, and evaluate hundreds of variations in order to identify the best one. Ultimately, real estate development today is a cooperative process between humans and machines, leading to exciting new possibilities.

Insights, networking, and great food

With inspiring talks, engaging discussions and a tasty apéro riche, our first Digital Twins Happy Hour in Zurich was a great success. Whether you could make it on April 20 or not, join us for the next edition: sign up to our newsletter to be the first to receive the next invite!