🏗 Bridging Stakeholders with Digital Twins: A Conversation with Marianne Schnellmann

This week, I spoke with Marianne Schnellmann, a doctoral researcher at TU Wien Informatics, whose work sits at the intersection of Business Informatics, Enterprise Architecture, and the Built Environment. After a career in finance and consulting, she made the leap into the AEC sector — driven by the opportunities she saw in data-driven decision-making and digital twins for sustainable real estate management.

🔍 Why move from finance into AEC?

Marianne: In finance and manufacturing, systems are complex — but usually controlled. In AEC, what struck me was the sheer number of stakeholders involved in planning, construction, and operation. That means data silos, missing information, and communication gaps are constant hurdles. For me, that challenge is exciting, because it opens the door for structured, systemic solutions.

📊 What role do digital twins play here?

Marianne: The role of a digital twin is not only to centralize data, but to improve decision-making across a complex ecosystem of stakeholders. Embedded into enterprise architecture, digital twins align technology with strategic goals and prevent fragmented, ad-hoc solutions. In my research, I focus on how this architectural perspective supports real estate trustees - helping them decide which buildings to renovate, how to prioritize investments, and when to repurpose or dismantle assets. Above all, digital twins create value by enabling informed, transparent, and strategic decisions.

📚 Where does your PhD focus lie?

Marianne: At this stage, I’m in the conceptual phase — mapping how data can be collected, structured, and shared across the building lifecycle. The prototype will follow later. Fornow, my focus is on the renovation phase, which remains underrepresented in comparison to design or operation. Regulations like the European Green Deal are already pushing owners to rethink how they manage their portfolios, so the timing is right.

🤔 What’s misunderstood about digital twins?

Marianne: The biggest misconception is the definition itself. A common question: Is BIM already a digital twin? For me, the answer is not yet. A true digital twin requires a bi-directional data flow: not just feeding building data into BIM, but enabling BIM (or other systems)to initiate actions that influence the physical entity — directly through actuation or indirectly via decision-making processes. Without this continuous feedback loop, the result is not a digital twin, but simply a conventional information system holding static data.

💡 What’s the hardest challenge?

Marianne: Incentives. The stakeholders who produce high-quality data — often during construction — are not the ones who benefit later during operation or renovation. That misalignment makes data quality inconsistent. Solving this is less about technology and more about mindset and collaboration.

🚀 Advice for newcomers to the field?

Marianne: Start with clean, reliable data. It sounds obvious, but it’s the foundation. If your inputs are inconsistent or outdated, even the best digital twin concept won’t work. At the same time, remember that data quality is not just a technical challenge. It depends on governance, collaboration, and the right incentives. Aligning stakeholders and creating a culture of shared responsibility is just as important as the technology itself.

Marianne shares her latest research and publications on LinkedIn. Keep an eye out for updates on her digital twin framework and future prototype.

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