Digital twin-enabled management for relocatable modular buildings
Hanyang University ERICA, South Korea, August 19, 2025
The researchers at Hanyang University ERICA’s School of Architecture & Architectural Engineering developed a digital twin-enabled facility management system (DT-FMS) for relocatable modular buildings (RMBs). The DT-FMS integrates BIM, IoT and GIS to create a live digital replica that supports real-time monitoring, logistics simulation, lifecycle performance analysis and reuse planning. A case study on a relocatable modular school in South Korea demonstrated improved module distribution, higher reuse potential, better management efficiency and potential reductions in operating costs and energy use. Organized into physical, digital and service layers, the platform enables data-driven decisions across design, transport, setup, operation and circular-economy reuse.
Researchers at Hanyang University ERICA’s School of Architecture & Architectural Engineering have developed a digital twin-enabled facility management system (DT-FMS) tailored to relocatable modular buildings (RMBs). The model links BIM, IoT and GIS to support real-time monitoring, lifecycle performance analysis and logistics simulation for modular units. A case study using a relocatable modular school in South Korea showed better module distribution, reuse and overall management efficiency, suggesting potential cuts to operating costs and energy use. Details of the study appear in Volume 176 of the journal Automation in Construction, published 1 August 2025.
The DT-FMS creates a digital reflection of modular projects so managers can see and test conditions before moving or changing physical parts. The system combines robust 3D building models from BIM, live sensor streams from IoT and location and mapping data from GIS. This integration enables continuous tracking and analytics across design, transport, setup, operation and reuse phases.
Relocatable modular buildings are built from prefabricated modules that can be transported and reassembled. They are known for lower cost, reduced environmental impact and cleaner, safer on-site conditions. Yet the industry faces major hurdles in logistics, coordination and long-term asset management that limit wider adoption. The DT-FMS targets those hurdles by making distribution, reuse and relocation decisions easier and more data-driven.
The system is arranged into three management layers:
BIM provides comprehensive 3D modelling and structured building data. IoT feeds real-time sensor measurements for status, occupancy, energetics and equipment condition. GIS supplies maps, geolocation and spatial analytics that, when combined with BIM and IoT, support effective logistics of modular units and location-based decision making. The combined model also runs logistics scenarios to plan transport routes, staging and reconfiguration across sites.
The research team tested the DT-FMS on a relocatable modular school system in South Korea. The digital twin helped planners decide how to distribute modules, when to reuse or reconfigure units and how to schedule moves. The result was improved management efficiency for the school, with reported potential for lower operational costs and improved energy performance across repeated project cycles.
The research team frames the DT-FMS as a tool for circular economy practice in modular construction. By tracking module condition and location and supporting reuse and reconfiguration, the system aims to minimize waste and extend the useful life of modular assets. This approach could reduce material demand and lower lifecycle impacts for projects that repeatedly deploy modular units.
Separately, Hanyang University announced a research collaboration with a network testing company under an MOU in June 2025. The partnership is focused on AI-driven radio access networks, 5G and 6G research at the university’s Beyond-G Global Innovation Center. The company will provide wireless lab test solutions, including a NITRO Wireless test and optimization suite and a 6G testbed, and the university will act as an academic partner on 6G research. The Beyond-G center was selected in 2024 for a national Global Innovation Research Center support program that provides over KRW 5 billion annually for 10 years and aims to build an international research network for next-generation communications.
The DT-FMS addresses a practical gap between modular construction theory and on-the-ground logistics. If implemented widely, the system could speed project cycles, improve reuse rates for modules, lower lifecycle costs and support greener practices. Pairing digital twin facility management with ongoing advances in communications testing and 6G research could also enable faster, more reliable data exchange between sites and central control systems in the future.
A DT-FMS is a software and data framework that creates a working digital replica of physical buildings and systems. It connects real-time sensor data, building models and maps to help managers monitor status, predict needs and run logistics or performance simulations.
BIM provides the 3D model and structured building data, IoT supplies live sensor readings and device states, and GIS gives geographic context. Together they let users see where modules are, how they perform and how best to move or reuse them.
The school case study showed improved decision making on module distribution and reuse, better management efficiency, and indications of reduced operational costs and energy use when compared with conventional management practices.
Yes. By tracking module condition and location and enabling planned reuse and reconfiguration, the DT-FMS can help minimize waste and extend module lifecycles, supporting circular use of building assets.
| Feature | What it does | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| DT-FMS | Unifies BIM, IoT and GIS into one operational platform | Enables end-to-end asset visibility and simulations |
| Physical layer | Tracks modules, resources and people in real time | Improves coordination and on-site safety |
| Digital layer | Provides modelling, integration and analytics | Supports data-driven planning and forecasts |
| Service layer | User controls, monitoring and decision tools | Makes management actions practical and traceable |
| Logistics simulation | Runs transport and reuse scenarios using GIS | Reduces wasted moves and optimizes staging |
| Circular economy support | Tracks module lifecycle for reuse and reconfiguration | Reduces waste and extends asset value |
| Related communications research | Academic partnership and lab test contributions for 5G/6G | Improves connectivity and test environments for future systems |
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