Visualisation techniques of Digital Twins simulations in digital urban planning

This Innovedum Focal Point project explored how to teach digital tools in architectural education, with the goal of helping students develop data-supported urban design proposals.

As urban environments grow in complexity, planning increasingly responds to bottom-up needs rather than relying on top-down commissions. However, traditional architectural education still tends to prioritise manual workflows, non-automated site analysis, and graphic-based digital design. For students, this makes the transition from data-driven site analysis to data-driven design challenging—especially in the context of «unsolicited architecture», where architects and planners take the initiative to identify urban needs and propose interventions without a formal mandate. In such cases, being able to support proposals with clear, data-driven arguments is essential, particularly when engaging with real-world stakeholders.

The project aimed to help bridge this educational gap by introducing and teaching digital tools that enable students to support their designs with data-driven evidence, and to understand the qualitative and quantitative aspects of urban planning as complementary and synergistic. Tools such as GIS and agent-based Digital Twins were introduced, with particular attention to the challenge of visualising simulation outputs in a way that is both accurate and accessible. The project experimented with visualisation techniques that make complex simulation data understandable and relevant for planners, policymakers, and communities.

Its main outcome was the development and evaluation of digital pedagogies that integrate digital workflows—from spatial analysis to simulation to visualisation—within a project-based learning environment. This approach allowed students not only to build technical skills, but also to apply them directly in real-world planning scenarios, supporting unsolicited design proposals with evidence-based reasoning.

By equipping students with computational tools and design methods, the project aimed to enhance their digital literacy and ability to engage with complex urban questions. Ultimately, this approach fostered a more integrated and practical understanding of urban planning, moving beyond hypothetical exercises toward real-world application.

All activities were implemented within the framework of the ongoing Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo (UTPS)—a multi-year collaboration between ETH Zurich (ETHZ), the University of Sarajevo Faculty of Architecture (UNSA), and the Canton of Sarajevo’s Institute of Planning and Development. The project involves multiple real stakeholders, such as decision-makers and policy planners, and focuses on modernizing urban planning in Sarajevo, as well as translate it into the new urban plan for Sarajevo.

After a two-year development phase, a total of 270 students from ETHZ D-ARCH and UNSA participated in a two-year implementation phase. Digital tools and workflows were embedded across multiple teaching formats at ETH Zurich’s Department of Architecture (D-ARCH) and UNSA.

In the first phase, digital tools were introduced in existing teaching modules, specifically ETHZ Design Studios. The focus was on two categories:
• GIS software and datasets for site analysis and mapping, allowing students to streamline data collection and identify unsolicited needs early in the design process.
• Digital Twin simulations for evidence-based design, using ETHZ’s agent-based simulation platform EnerPol to model urban digital twins and test planning scenarios.

The tools were introduced through in-person workshops at the beginning of each semester, with continued support throughout. To test adaptability, the methods were also applied in other contexts, including projects in São Paulo (Brazil), Medellín (Colombia), and an elective course on «digital urban imaginaries», which explored alternative modes of architectural communication.

In the second phase, a new, intensive teaching format was introduced: the “Hack Archthon – Visualizing Digital Urban Planning”, a one-week hackathon for architects, co-organized with UNSA and hosted at the ETH Urban Lab Studio in Sarajevo. Students worked in teams to build full-stack digital workflows—from analysis and simulation to data processing and 4D visualisation—focused on real unsolicited designs from the UTPS project. The Hack Archthon set the focus on data visualisation, enabling students to experiment with techniques for communication with UTPS stakeholders.

This mix of structured and experimental teaching formats allowed the project to evaluate different digital pedagogies and how they support architecture students in applying digital tools within real-world, project-based urban design environments, to support their unsolicited urban design proposals.

To what extent were the project goals achieved? What was the impact on student learning?

The project and the experimented digital pedagogies met the goal of equipping architecture students with digital tools to support data-driven, «unsolicited» urban design. By introducing GIS, agent-based Digital Twin simulations, and data visualisation techniques, students learned to bridge the gap between site analysis and design. Their work was applied in real-world contexts, notably the Urban Transformation Project Sarajevo (UTPS).

Student learning was assessed through in-class observation, analysis of selected student work, and survey feedback. Students demonstrated the ability to structure complete (full-stack) digital workflows—from analysis to simulation to visualisation—within urban design projects. Surveys confirmed improved digital literacy and a strong interest in digital methods sometimes absent from traditional curricula.

Were there deviations or unexpected benefits?

To evaluate the first implementation phase, an end-of-semester survey was conducted.

GIS tools (particularly QGIS and GIS search engines) were rated highly by students, while more complex tools such as Python and EnerPol were recognised for their potential but seen as challenging to integrate due to limited support and the semester’s tight schedule.

Feedback indicated the need for a dedicated, focused learning environment to fully explore these tools. In response, we introduced the Hack Archthon—a one-week intensive format that allowed students to engage with complete digital workflows, particularly data processing and visualisation techniques, in a more experimental setting.

Transferability and recommendations

The methodology developed through this project is now part of every Design Studio at the D-ARCH Chair of Architecture and Urban Design. A key learning was that digital tools are most effective when directly connected to real-world studio tasks.

Staff digital literacy also improved, with increased use of GIS, Unreal Engine, and point-cloud tools in teaching and research.

The project outcomes were showcased at the Innovedum Learning & Teaching Fair 2024 (https://tinyurl.com/4r8fsh7t) , with a related paper accepted for publication in the ETH Learning & Teaching Journal for the issue “Learning through projects”. Discussions with the Unit for Teaching and Learning (UTL) explored future upscaling of the methodology for D-ARCH students.

Based on this experience, we recommend:
• Introducing digital tools at the start of the semester to ensure smooth integration.
• Anchoring digital learning in real-world, project-based tasks.
• Complementing traditional teaching with intensive formats like hackathons, which foster collaboration and hands-on experimentation.