Laboratory of Digital Models in Structures and Construction

Located in Building C1 of UPC's Nord Campus, the Laboratory for Digital Models in Structures and Construction is integrated into both the Section of Structural Technology, Materials, and Construction, and the Section of Continuum Mechanics and Structures within the Department DECA. This facility is dedicated to developing innovative educational tools that bridge the physical reality of structures with their advanced virtual representations.

It mainly uses low-cost free hardware and software as well as traditional manufacturing tools. The laboratory explores the use of sensors in applications related to civil engineering.

The laboratory investigates and applies various techniques for capturing data from the built environment, including sensors that record real-time time-streams, imagery and video and scanners that provide point clouds. These technologies enable the formal digital characterization, analysis, and modeling of infrastructure in civil engineering, fostering seamless interaction between tangible reality and its digital twin. The Laboratory bases these formal descriptions using BIM-IFC together with various forms of Linked Data.

Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning activities conducted in the laboratory open new pathways for integrating physical reality with the digital environment in civil engineering, utilizing sensors, imagery, and point clouds as essential data sources. Its approach is grounded in computational geometry applied to BIM and in digital twinning in its broadest sense, encompassing structural modeling as well as real-time monitoring and simulation.

Through advanced tools, students acquire the skills necessary to capture, analyze, and interpret data to produce dynamic and precise infrastructure models. These methodologies are incorporated into various undergraduate and master's courses at ETSECCPB in Barcelona, providing educational pathways that bridge traditional construction practices with the State-of-the-art digital technologies.

Research

Research conducted in the laboratory has been applied to key infrastructures throughout Europe, including bridges, buildings, airports, stadiums, and ports. Its approach relies on advanced integration of data sources through semantic structures and digital twins, enabling precise, dynamic, and evolving representations of the built environment.

To achieve this, ontological principles are employed to ensure a rigorous and structured description of elements, aligned with BIM standards—particularly IFC— thus facilitating interoperability across platforms and disciplines. This approach not only optimizes infrastructure lifecycle management but also enhances data-driven decision-making, promoting increased efficiency, resilience, and sustainability in civil engineering.