The International Association of Museum Facility Administrators (IAMFA) has made the June IAMFA Online education session available on YouTube.  

Titled “Digital Twins for Museums and Cultural Institutions,” the session features Quinn Evans’ Charles Thompson and Brian Page, Web Coordinator / Capitol Registrar at the Michigan State Capitol. Using our digital twin of the Michigan State Capitol as a case study, the two explore how the Michigan State Capitol Commission (MSCC) is using the twin to preserve knowledge, support operational decision-making, and ensure that future generations have access to comprehensive documentation of the historic building.  

There have been a lot of projects on our building in the past decade where we’ve found ourselves wishing we had specific info or data on work that had been done in the past, from past restoration work—info that would have been really useful to have, but that we just didn’t have. One of the goals of the twin is to make sure future caretakers and conservators of the Capitol have that needed information.”

Brian Page | Web Coordinator / Capitol Registrar, Michigan State Capitol Commission

Beginning at 18:33 in the video, Charles and Brian present a live demonstration of the digital twin, including building system views; the system tracing function, which highlights connected paths between mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems; heat maps, which visualize real-time temperature and humidity data; and the integration with MSCC’s work-order system.  

Brian goes on to show examples of how MSCC is using the twin for stewardship, such as marking in the twin where the building’s original plaster walls have been patched. This way, when facilities staff need to access piping behind the walls they can create openings in areas of new plaster rather than disturbing historic fabric.  

Charles and Brian conclude by sharing lessons learned during the development of the digital twin (nomenclature is important!) and outlining MSSC’s planned next steps, including the integration of more building systems and establishing data exchange standards.  

Watch the full session here.  

Learn more about applications of digital twins for cultural facilities in Charles’ article, “Digital Twins for Museums: Beyond Environmental Monitoring.”