Towards the integrated adoption of BLM and DT In AECO-FM sector: a scientometric approach

The Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Operation and Facility Management (AECO-FM) industry presents a well-known discrepancy in terms of productivity and digitalization compared with other sectors. The introduction of building lifecycle management (BLM) could lead to several benefits covering all the phases of the building lifecycle (BLC) and enabling the implementation of a model-based integrated management system. Nevertheless, its adoption is far from being spread across the construction field and the case studies in the existing literature present several criticalities related to the adopted technologies and policies which hinder the complete development of a BLM system. To overcome these obstacles, digital twins (DTs) could be exploited to enhance the collaboration among actors, preserving the integrity of data, and offering a multidisciplinary environment to carry out realistic simulations. The purpose of this research is to conduct a scientometric analysis to evaluate the relationships between the topics of BLM and DT in the AECO-FM sector. The most common key studies and patterns are identified by processing bibliometric metadata. The most investigated topics related to BLM and DT are system design, system management, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications. The analysis reveals a gap regarding the connection between BLM and DT, identifying a potential research area that is currently unexplored in the academic field. The integrated adoption of these topics could contribute to promoting a holistic approach in the built environment by preserving data consistency, reducing information loss between design and construction phases, and strengthening connectivity among the actors involved in the process.