Digital Twin to Support Real-time Environmental Monitoring

Benachir is Professor in digital architectural design and serves as the head of the Creative and Virtual Technologies Research Laboratory at Nottingham Trent University. He is recognized internationally as an expert in digital heritage, digital twin technology, VR/AR applications, design automation and optimization, as well as building and urban information modelling. He is a former researcher at the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies at the University of Cambridge and held a visiting professorship at Huazong University of Science and Technology in China. Benachir has held academic positions at Ecole Centrale de Paris, the University of Nottingham, and the University of Salford. He has successfully completed numerous research projects funded by EPSRC and industry and has published over 80 research outputs.

Moulay is a senior lecturer at Nottingham University. He is a qualified architect with extensive industry experience, earned his MSc in Digital Architectural Design from Salford University in 2012 with distinction. He then embarked on a fully funded PhD program at NTU in 2014. His doctoral research involved analysing the UK national database (BHPS), monitoring over 5000 households across 18 years. His significant contribution was the development of a 3D CityGML energy planning support system. This system predicts and maps energy usage in urban areas based on various factors, including building characteristics, economic indicators, and socio-demographic elements such as household life-cycle transitions.

Moulay’s research interests predominantly revolve around harnessing innovative digital technologies to support industry practitioners, decision-makers, and learners. His focus areas encompass building energy sustainability, eco-feedback, urban energy planning, Building Information Modelling (BIM), Historical Building Information Modelling, computational design, Digital Twin (DT), and artificial intelligence (AI).

Ana is a Principal Lecturer in Architecture at the School of Architecture, Design and Built Environment. Ana plays a key role in the development and leadership of the research modules on undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Architecture and is supporting doctoral candidates with her role as Post Graduate Research Tutor at School level. She supervises several PhD and Professional Doctorate students in the areas of Architecture, Identity, Heritage and Memory. Ana's research interest lies in architecture as a cultural manifestation of national identity. In this context she explored the reconstruction of a national identity in post-revolutionary Mexican architecture; the connection between identity and architecture in the pavilions built for the 1929 Iberoamerican Exhibition in Seville; and analysed a number of memorials and museums in Germany in order to look into the different post-war narratives that have emerged in the last few decades. Ana is currently involved in an interdisciplinary project which aims at reflecting on the connections between identity, memory and heritage, sense of belonging and ownership of the built environment, using a participatory methodology.

Dr. Nacer Bezai is a chartered architect with international experience from different countries. He is currently a senior lecturer and co-course leader for the Architectural Technology Department at Nottingham Trent University. Dr. Bezai teaches in the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as supervising PhD students. Dr. Bezai is actively involved in research and has a keen interest in Smart

cities and future cities; Urban mobility and autonomous vehicles; Building information modelling, and Digital design including visualization, HBIM, parametric, and mixed-reality.

Rihana is a Research Fellow at the Creative and Virtual Technologies Research Lab, School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment. Rihana is a researcher and a lecturer with expertise in the field of architecture and the conservation of architectural and urban heritage. Her focus lies particularly in energy efficiency, CAD production, and digital twin technologies.

Having earned her PhD in 2015 in Conservation of historic buildings and sites from the Art University of Isfahan,Iran, Rihana has been actively engaged in teaching and research since 2007. Her academic journey includes different roles in different universities such as an assistant professor, where she served as the Head of the Master of Architecture department and Research Manager, and then head of Conservation of Historic Building and Site Department at Art University of Isfahan, Iran from 2013 to 2019. Venturing into the international academic landscape, Rihana further enriched her career by becoming a lecturer at Derby College in the UK teaching modules such as “Principles of refurbishment”, “Design” and “Digital construction”. Presently, she holds the position of a Research Fellow in the CVTR lab at Nottingham Trent University, contributing her expertise to the exciting Digital Twin project of St. Barnabas cathedral, Nottingham. Rihana's dedication to research and teaching, coupled with her diverse experiences, showcases her commitment to advancing knowledge in the dynamic intersection of architecture and cutting-edge technologies.

As a Business Entrepreneur and Inventor, Reza has carved a niche in the realms of IoT, AI and Digital Twin technology. His extensive journey spans across various disciplines, including IT, Telecom, and Electronics Engineering, culminating in his current pursuit of a PhD at Nottingham Trent University. With deep expertise in Embedded Devices, IoT solutions, and Digital Twin integrations, Reza has led numerous ground-breaking projects, ranging from safeguarding heritage buildings using IoT and Digital Twins to pioneering Smart Energy Management systems. His commitment to IoT is not just technical but also academic, as he delves into the nuances of IoT connectivity, platforms, and data science. Reza's journey is marked by a relentless pursuit of innovation, pushing the boundaries of IoT, Machine Learning, and Digital Twin technology to transform and enhance various sectors such as Smart Farming, Sports IoT, and Environmental Monitoring. As he continues to explore and redefine the potential of these technologies, Reza eagerly looks forward to collaborating with like-minded visionaries to forge new paths in this dynamic field.

Ivan joined SWIFt as Technical Director, following leading on four DCMS-funded 5G Projects at the University of Strathclyde as Principal Programme Manager. Prior to this he worked as a Consultant for the Scottish Government on the Demonstrating Digital Programme on affordable Wi-Fi connectivity for social housing and care homes. He also led on the implementation of a community owned shared 4G LTE mobile mast for remote rural areas, Software Defined Radio solutions with Dynamic Spectrum Sharing access, including regulatory change of 5G Shared Spectrum with Ofcom (“The Wireless Revolution”). He led on the world-first implementation of the Software Defined Radio Wi-Fi solution for passengers on Orkney Ferries and the opening of Wave 1 Rural, The 5G Scotland Centre introducing 5G at Ross Priory, Loch Lomond. Prior to this he was the Wi-Fi Delivery Lead at the London 2012 Olympics, creating the first ever dual band seamless 3G mobile data offload over Wi-Fi, and the world first High Density Wi-Fi for the Olympic Stadium with seamless Wi-Fi experience for 9 venues and spectator areas throughout the Olympic Park. His other positions have been at Motorola UK as a Product Manager for Wireless Broadband Portfolio for EMEA, Technical Project

Manager at The Cloud Networks for the UK iPhone 2.5G over Wi-Fi launch for O2, and setting up the outdoor Mesh Wi-Fi Network for the Corporation of London providing 95% coverage across “The Square Mile”. Following this he led on the Wi-Fi network refresh for Canary Wharf, introducing seamless indoor and outdoor coverage.