Imagine our urban neighborhood replicated in a live 3D model, or even in augmented reality, brimming with extremely accurate data – and in which we can create simulations to foresee the future of Belval and Metzeschmelz neighborhoods in terms of renewable energy, urban planning or mobility. Too good to be true? Not at all, it’s already a reality! AGORA has teamed up with the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) to develop and use digital twins, which from now on will form the focal points of AGORA’s digital transformation strategy.
“AGORA has been working with world-class research institutes as neighbours for the past 20 years, but this is the first time we have set up such a specialised collaboration with a university in the immediate vicinity”, says François Dorland, Managing Director of AGORA, with obvious pleasure. The development company is looking forward to benefitting from the LIST’s research capacities and technologies in order to make its digital transformation strategy a reality, centred around the use of digital twins.

“This technology will enable us to predict the future of our neighborhoods according to several scenarios which can be linked, manipulated and tested”, François Dorland continues. “I would even venture to say that from now on, digital twins will be the basis of everything we do. They are truly the cornerstone of a whole way of working and of shaping the urban planning of the future.”
A digital twin, a collection of data that can be viewed in the form of a 3D model, is constantly updated. The one for Belval is already very extensive because it forms part of a national data twin project undertaken by the LIST over the last few years. Among other things it brings together the precise and detailed data of everything that has been built on the site, and is continuously being enhanced. The digital twin for Metzeschmelz is under construction, and will integrate all the data from the plans currently being drawn up.
A small revolution
AGORA used to work with physical models and 2D plans to visualise its projects, but the digital twin makes these ways of doing things obsolete. Yves Biwer, administration director of AGORA and coordinator of Quartier Metzeschmelz, is thrilled by the new possibilities. “For designing the new Metzeschmelz neighborhood, for example, the digital twin will not only show us the whole of the existing situation, in other words the buildings that are already there, but also the situation in the subsoil, which will make it easier to plan the highways, roads and networks.”

So the digital twin will be used just as much in the site development context as for designing the infrastructure, and also for planning the sewerage systems. “This means that we will be able to identify precisely where there are pockets of contamination in the ground and at what depth, and we will be able to model and visualise the whole thing,” Yves Biwer emphasises. “So it will be possible to develop our specifications and proposals much more accurately than if we had done so using 2D tools.”
Using a digital twin enables planners to rapidly see if there are conflicts between different items, and consequently solve the problems. “The model can be built with different levels of detail depending on the simulation and modelling requirements”, adds Alexandre Londot, Operations Director at AGORA.

How does it actually work?
To understand better, let’s take a look at the digital twin of Belval. You can see the current state of the neighborhood in 3D; you can navigate from north to south, zoom in on a public space or a building, display data.
The digital twin of Belval is based primarily on aerial photos of Belval taken by a drone – so the neighborhood has been captured very accurately. As well as having generated an exact replica of the neighborhood in 3D, the LIST has translated it into virtual reality to make it possible to position sensors and walk around in this 3D model, in which simulations can be run. For example, a simulation of the rush-hour traffic depending on different factors means that consideration can be given to the best ways of reducing this traffic. It is also possible to simulate different positions for solar panels, see where the shadows are, etc. These are just two examples among many.

In a digital twin, the data from a myriad of sources are brought together in the same system “That poses a major challenge, namely interoperability”, explains Lucien Hoffmann, Director of the Environmental Research and Innovation department (ERIN) at the LIST. “These data have to be able to communicate among themselves, in an accurate model. The digital twin also provides precise data in real time because it is connected to sensors, for example smart meters measuring the energy consumption in Belval.”
A tool for interdisciplinary urban planning
The digital twin contains everything required to work as a team, even if the co-workers do not come from the same discipline, do not share the same reference framework, or if their perspectives and approaches differ. Moreover, at AGORA all the team members without exception will find their own niche in the digital twin. “It will be just as useful for the architects as it will be for the urban planners and engineers, and even for the communication team”, confirms Alexandre Londot. “It is not often that you have a tool that offers all the functions and is of use to everyone.”

Offering much more than just the planning that precedes the urban design and architecture stages, the digital twin enables planners to run simulations which sketch out the future of the neighborhood according to different models and hypotheses – meaning that planners can think more sustainably based on reliable data. “For instance, you can create simulations of solar energy, wind models, or of people moving around”, explains François Dorland.
As the topic of active mobility lies at the heart of Belval development, and even more so at Metzeschmelz, the LIST has conducted simulations of different traffic models using an autonomous shuttle, which is expected to start operating this September.
Thanks to the technology of the digital twin, AGORA can not only reproduce this project, but “could also create simulations of the management of the infrastructures and roads”, suggests François Dorland. “The possibilities are infinite, and provide substantial benefits in terms of time and quality.”

According to Lucien Hoffmann, the scenarios studied can produce results that are highly reliable when sophisticated calculation and forecasting models are used. “It is possible to rotate several models in parallel so you can also see what the variability is for a particular item of data”, he adds.
A tool for an ecologically responsible world
The digital twin is the ultimate tool in this era of ecological transition, for thinking about urban development in a sustainable and circular way. It is one of the most promising applications, with which we can rapidly evaluate the consequences of our projects on natural resources. Mobility, the use of the air, water, land and energy: all these elements can be modelled with a view to simulating the circular economy. The twin is an ideal tool for initiating the conversation about this subject, for simulating projects, for ensuring an equal understanding among all the partners, even for encouraging political actions.

The tool is so powerful that it also opens up new perspectives for research. “It can help us define new scientific questions and then test them”, says Lucien Hoffmann enthusiastically. “In other words, the tool’s intelligence allows us to access unprecedented territories, places we would never have imagined before we had this tool. Another important aspect is the potential for using artificial intelligence to process these huge volumes of data and extract the relevant information.”
A tool for democracy and co-construction
The use of the digital twin in AGORA’s participative strategy enables all the stakeholders to be involved in constructing the neighborhoods: the municipalities, the state, the business world, the citizens. A tool of this kind will ensure that everyone has a better understanding of the design and construction of the neighborhood.
François Dorland: “With the digital twin, we can present live 3D models to the citizens, which is much more stimulating than plans or computer-generated images. During various workshops, we will be able to explore hypotheses with the citizens, anticipate changes, cross-reference different perspectives, and collect their opinions on what will thus be a very informed basis. You could even imagine one day presenting the digital twin of Metzeschmelz in the form of a video game! All with the aim of thinking things through with the citizens/players, and enabling us to make much more enlightened choices.”

AGORA and the LIST are paving the way for an approach to constructing neighborhoods that will be more innovative, collaborative and ecologically responsible. A way towards a future where the digital transformation is going to revolutionise the way in which we design and build our neighborhoods.
