COAA-CA Webinar: Digital Twins for Owners: From Technology to Strategic Asset Stewardship
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Event Details
Digital Twins for Owners: From Technology to Strategic Asset Stewardship
Digital twins are rapidly evolving beyond a technology trend into a strategic framework for managing capital assets throughout their lifecycle. For large owners—including universities, healthcare systems, government agencies, and public institutions—the opportunity extends far beyond adopting new software. Owners are uniquely positioned to shape how project, asset, operational, and lifecycle data are governed, connected, and sustained across open, interoperable platforms. As artificial intelligence accelerates digital transformation, the decisions owners make today regarding data standards, governance, and information management will determine whether digital twins deliver long-term value or remain isolated technology investments. This panel brings together industry leaders to explore how owners can lead the next phase of the AEC industry's digital evolution by establishing clear expectations for project delivery, information stewardship, and operational performance. Participants will gain practical insights into implementation strategies, governance frameworks, and real-world applications that improve decision-making, enhance sustainability and resilience, and maximize lifecycle value across capital portfolios.
Learning Objectives
- Differentiate digital twins from BIM and other digital asset management approaches by understanding digital twins as an integrated "system of systems" that connects project, operational, and lifecycle information.
- Understand the strategic role of owners in establishing data governance, interoperability standards, and information requirements that enable scalable, long-term digital twin implementation across capital programs.
- Identify organizational, technological, and process considerations—including AI readiness, open standards, and cross-platform data integration—that support successful digital twin adoption throughout the asset lifecycle.
- Understand how digital twins can improve lifecycle asset performance by supporting data-driven decision-making, enhancing sustainability and resilience, optimizing facility operations, and strengthening long-term stewardship of capital assets.
Approved for 1 AIA LU
Meet the Moderator
Sagata Bhawani, PhD
CSU - Fresno
Dr. Sagata Bhawani is an Assistant Professor of Construction Management at California State University, Fresno, where her research and teaching focus on advancing sustainable, technology-enabled project delivery across the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) industry. With more than a decade of professional experience spanning architecture, engineering, and construction before joining academia, she has developed expertise in Building Information Modeling (BIM), Lean construction, integrated project delivery, and sustainable construction practices. As the host of this panel on digital twins for large asset owners, Dr. Bhawani brings a unique perspective that bridges emerging digital technologies with sustainability and lifecycle asset performance. Her interdisciplinary background positions her to facilitate engaging discussions on how digital twins can support data-driven decision-making, optimize building operations, enhance resilience, and help owners achieve long-term sustainability and operational goals across the built environment.
Meet the Panelists
Sonali Wadhwa, Ph.D.
Coda, LLC
John Messner, Ph.D.
Penn State University
Dr. John Messner is an expert in digital twins, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and construction automation. As the Charles and Elinor Matts Professor of Architectural Engineering at Penn State, Director of the Computer Integrated Construction (CIC) Research Program, and Associate Director of Translational Research at the Cocoziello Institute for Real Estate Innovation, he has conducted groundbreaking research that has been translated into lasting impact across the construction industry. His work on the BIM Execution Planning Guides has been incorporated into the US National BIM Standard and leveraged around the world. Dr. Messner has developed three Immersive Construction (ICon) Labs at Penn State to advance research in visualization and simulation technologies. He has served in prominent leadership roles, including Past Chair of the National BIM Standard Planning Committee and Lean Construction Institute Board Member. His lifetime of contributions to the industry was recognized with his induction into the National Academy of Construction.
Kimon Onuma, FAIA
Onuma, Inc.
Kimon Onuma, FAIA is a pioneer at the intersection of architecture, technology, and Building Informed Environments™, with over 30 years of experience advancing BIM, Digital Twins, and open standards. Since 1993, he’s led innovations in interoperability and lifecycle management through tools like the ONUMA System, BIMgenie, Semantic Bridge App, and BIMStorm. His firm, ONUMA, Inc., supports major public and private sector clients, including the U.S. State Department, DoD, VA, and top universities. Kimon chairs the NIBS Data Standards Framework Work Group and contributes to buildingSMART and OGC, shaping the future of digital twins and smart, resilient spaces.
Sonali Wadhwa
CODA
Dr. Sonali Wadhwa leads digital project delivery at Coda, where she directs the strategy for mitigating owner risk through advanced design review tools and lifecycle data governance. An expert in BIM, and facility data management, she specializes in transforming complex digital asset data into long-term operational value. With over 15 years of AEC experience, Sonali has spearheaded facility data management and turnover initiatives across major capital portfolios—including aviation & transportation, higher education, federal agencies, data centers, and large-scale institutional and healthcare systems.
She holds a PhD in Architectural Engineering from Penn State, where her research focused on virtual prototyping simulators for facility design with end-users. At the intersection of asset data and technology, Sonali bridges the gap between project delivery and building operations, establishing the data standards large-scale owners need to scale digital twin workflows.