A Method for Conscious Retrofitting Based on Handheld Laser Scanner and Environmental Data

The research behind this paper focuses on the connection between monitoring the environmental quality of a sample building and the corresponding digital model. The data obtained from the sample will be extended to a related typology of buildings, thus generating a method for conscious retrofitting of a large portion of the built environment. To conduct this study, a digital ecosystem comprising the model and a series of environmental sensors has been prepared. Within this digital environment, it is possible to visualize the data acquired from real-life sensors directly into the model. The digital twin method, in which there is a direct cause/effect correspondence between the real artifact and its digital alter ego, is foundational to this experimentation. Environmental data gathered from the building interacts with the digital model and returns to the physical reality as indicators. Once these indicators have been verified on the sample, they can be implemented in other related buildings. Sensors measuring temperature, pressure, humidity, and light radiation were concurrently applied to the building. The data flow is bidirectional, from the sensors to the model and vice versa. In the initial direction, the sensors transmit data to the digital model through a series of steps. The sensors communicate with a digital ecosystem. Once the procedure has been verified to work, it can be replicated easily, since open-source Arduino components were used for the sensor system. These components, besides being easy to find and economically viable, can be adapted and reproduced with extreme simplicity because, according to the Arduino philosophy, both the operating codes and the electronic production diagrams of the individual components are freely available.