Society is dependent on aging infrastructure, which usually operates outside its expected life. Replacing this infrastructure is often an unviable option due to its cost and disruption. A structure's operational life might be extended if the features of its aging are better understood, enabling preventive maintenance to compensate. Digital Twins (the continuous comparison between sensor measurements and a mathematical model) are one way of enabling this sort of data-driven decision making. However, despite the possibilities for this technology, its take up amongst industry has been slow, in part because infrastructure managers are unsure of how the technology will support them. This work develops a methodological framework to enhance this uptake in the field of systems engineering and the system development life cycle, using the developed knowledge to inform how an operational Digital Twin should be created. The requirements capture is the most important part of any system design development process. We present a Digital Twin development method, grounded firmly in a thorough requirements capture, and illustrate how those requirements inform many of the later design decisions. We then present our method through a case study of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, UK. Our method provides a series of actionable steps, the completion of which will facilitate the creation of a Digital Twin able to support operational decisions. By fulfilling the requirements of infrastructure managers, we hope to encourage the uptake of the technology.@en

Digital Twins (DTs) are forecasted to be used in two-thirds of large industrial companies in the next decade. In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector, their actual application is still largely at the prototype stage. Industry and academia are currently reconciling many competing definitions and unclear processes for developing DTs. There is a compelling need to establish DTs as practice in AEC by developing common procedures and standards tailored to the sector's procedures and use cases. This paper proposes a step-by-step workflow process for developing a DT for an existing asset in the built environment, providing a proof-of-concept case study based on the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol (UK). To achieve its aim, this paper (i) reviews the state-of-the-art of DTs in Civil Engineering, (ii) proposes a working DT-based workflow framework for the built environment applicable to existing assets, (iii) applies the framework and develops of the physical-virtual architecture to a case study of bridge management, and finally (iv) discusses insights from the application. The main novelty lies in the development of a versatile methodological framework that can be applied to the broad context of civil infrastructure. This paper's importance resides in the knowledge challenge, value proposition and operation dictated by developing a DT workflow for the built environment, which ultimately represents a relevant use case for the digital transformation of national infrastructure.@en