BIM World 2025 highlights the shift toward a data-driven built environment

BIM World Munich 2025: Meeting Point for the Future of Digital Twins

At BIM World Munich 2025 it quickly becomes clear that digital twins have evolved from a buzzword into an operational reality. In the lecture halls, at the booths and in many conversations, the term Digital Twin is mentioned again and again – but no longer referring to visions alone. Instead, concrete solutions, real-time models and ongoing reference projects are being showcased. As an industry analyst and journalist, I follow the discussions on site and see how planners, operators, software providers and technology companies work toward a shared goal: making buildings, infrastructures and systems so transparent and controllable that they are not only built but understood and optimized throughout their entire lifecycle.

The focus of the exhibition is shifting noticeably from the question “What is possible?” to “What already works in everyday operations?”. Digital twins are presented as the connecting layer between BIM, IoT, facility management, security technology and energy optimization. Numerous presentations focus on how data streams from real facilities can be visualized in real time within an interactive model – from campuses and airports to hospitals. This makes BIM World Munich the ideal place to see how the theory and practice of digital twins are converging.

• From buzzword to practice → digital twins as the central guiding theme of the exhibition
• BIM World as melting pot → planners, operators and tech providers collaborating within unified systems
• Focus on real operations → shifting from pure planning to ongoing, real-time models

BIM World Munich 2025: Digital twins, real-time models and connected systems at the center of the exhibition.

^{Photo: © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

The view across the exhibition hall shows how dense the ecosystem has become. From BIM authoring tools to IoT platforms and specialized digital twin solutions, the landscape is broad. For many visitors, BIM World is the place where they see for the first time how their own challenges – such as operational safety, energy efficiency or user comfort – can converge into one coherent real-time model.

What a Digital Twin Really Is: From 3D Model to Living Real-Time Representation

To understand the many use cases on display, a clear definition helps. A digital twin is more than a visually appealing 3D model of a facility or building. It is an interactive, walkable, three-dimensional representation of reality that is continuously fed with up-to-date data. One can imagine it like a high-quality 3D game world. You move virtually through rooms, inspect systems, open technical layers and view not fictional but real live data directly from ongoing operations.

At BIM World, this is demonstrated using airports, hospitals or complex campus structures. Sensors report occupancy, temperatures, energy flows or alerts – and all of this information appears in the digital twin exactly where it occurs in the real building. A living model emerges, allowing responsible teams to orient themselves, trace causes and make decisions. Digital twins thus become the visual and data-driven interface between virtual planning and physical operations.

• Walkable 3D representation → like moving through a video game, only with real building data
• Real-time data integrated → sensor values, occupancy, alerts and operational states visible directly in the model
• From planning into operations → the twin accompanies the asset throughout its lifecycle

Digital Twin Experience: Interactive 3D models with live data from real buildings.

^{Photo: © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

The demonstrators on display – from interactive dashboards to immersive XR applications – make the abstraction tangible. Digital twins are no longer static snapshots but living systems that change in sync with reality and thus become essential tools for planning, operations and optimization.

The Data Highway: How BIM, IoT and Operations Merge Into a Digital Twin

A recurring theme in many presentations is the question of how heterogeneous data sources converge technically. The digital twin is described as a “highway of information”. It connects classical BIM models, historical plans, sensor data, building management systems, security systems and facility management processes into one continuous data and process flow. Instead of isolated spreadsheets, disconnected systems and manual coordination, a unified, visually navigable data foundation is created.

This becomes especially tangible in the context of airports and large-scale infrastructures. Many systems – from climate control to access and security to passenger flow management – generate information that rarely merges into a complete picture. The digital twin integrates these data streams, enriches them with context and makes them navigable in real time. For operators this means: less blind flying, more transparency and significantly faster response times to deviations in ongoing operations.

• Data highway instead of data silos → BIM, IoT, BMS and FM systems merge into one model
• Context instead of raw data → information is spatially, logically and visually contextualized
• Faster decisions → operators detect issues earlier and can react more precisely

From BIM model to data highway: Digital twins connect planning, sensor data and operations in one system.

^{Visualization © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

The panels show clearly that no single tool makes the difference but an orchestrated architecture. Those who define data standards, open interfaces and design visual layers intelligently create the foundation for digital twins that work not only in pilot projects but across large-scale portfolios.

Practical Use Cases: From Airports to Hospitals

A major strength of BIM World is the breadth of real-world use cases. Digital twins are not limited to one building type but cover airports, train stations, clinics, educational buildings, urban districts and industrial sites. In many sessions, operators explain how they increase comfort, safety and efficiency simultaneously through dynamic occupancy control, predictive maintenance or simulation-driven renovation planning.

Particularly impressive are examples where real-time information is directly linked to user experience. Live dashboards visualize occupancy levels, waiting times or critical equipment states. XR applications enable virtual exploration of critical infrastructure without disrupting operations. These tools allow scenarios to be tested before physical interventions take place – a benefit that is especially valuable in safety-critical or high-traffic environments.

• Wide range of applications → airports, hospitals, campuses, city districts and industry
• More safety and comfort → real-time overview of critical systems and user flows
• Simulation-based decision-making → renovations and interventions can be tested virtually

Digital Twin in Action: Operators control critical infrastructure via a visual real-time dashboard.

^{Photo: © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

Conversations at the exhibition highlight a shared understanding: the digital twin is not a luxury project but a tool that helps allocate scarce resources more effectively, minimize risks and intentionally shape user experiences – especially in complex, highly frequented environments.

From Static BIM to Living Twin: Real-Time Models as a New Operational Layer

Many of the solutions on display address a well-known tension. BIM models are essential during planning but often end up as static files in an archive once a project is completed. Digital twins pick up exactly at this point and elevate the model into a new phase. The planning model becomes a living real-time model, fed with operational data and continually updated. This creates an additional layer between classical documentation and daily operational workflows.

Conversations with exhibitors and speakers make it clear that this transition is both a cultural and a technical challenge. It is about preparing BIM data in a way that makes it maintainable in the long term, defining interfaces to sensors and control systems and designing visual interfaces that teams will actually use in everyday work. XR applications – from desktop to headsets – play a growing role in this. They make complex systems walkable and allow maintenance, training or incident simulations to be prepared within the digital twin before any real-world interventions occur.

• BIM as foundation → planning data becomes the basis for the digital twin
• Real-time layer on top → sensors, BMS and FM systems keep the model up to date
• XR as access layer → complex systems become walkable, explorable and trainable

Immersive Twin Experience: XR transforms complex building models into walkable experiential spaces.

^{Photo: © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

The combination of BIM, real-time data and immersive visualization marks a turning point. Buildings and infrastructures are no longer only planned and operated but continuously monitored, simulated and further developed – with the digital twin as a constant companion.

Industry Learning Curve: Ten Key Insights from BIM World 2025

Insights from conversations, presentations and demonstrations reveal some recurring learnings. First: Digital twins are now more clearly defined and no longer used merely as a buzzword. Second: The greatest value emerges where planning, operations and data streams are considered together – not in isolated pilot projects. Third: The industry has realized that showing individual features is not enough; what is needed are robust architectures that remain viable for many years.

Fourth: Operators emphasize that a digital twin is only as valuable as the processes that use it – training, organizational development and clear responsibilities are therefore just as important as technology. Fifth: A new role is emerging between planning and IT operations – people who understand 3D models, data pipelines, sensors and business processes alike. And sixth: Many visitors now see digital twins not as a niche topic but as a future standard in existing portfolios, particularly for complex properties and safety-critical environments.

• Clear definition → digital twins understood as living, data-driven models
• Architecture over individual tools → sustainable structures outweigh short-term effects
• People at the center → organization, training and new roles determine success

Industry outlook: Panels and discussions trace the path toward a digital-twin standard in existing buildings.

^{Photo: © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

In conclusion, this BIM World clearly shows that digital twins are no longer a fringe phenomenon. They are evolving into the connecting principle for planning, operations and the continuous development of the built environment – making them one of the most exciting fields for everyone who sees digitalization not just as a software project but as long-term infrastructure.

Video: Digital Twin Impressions – Voices and Scenes from BIM World

The following video summarizes the most important impressions from BIM World Munich 2025. It shows excerpts from presentations, live demonstrations of interactive twins, conversations with exhibitors and short scenes from daily exhibition life. At the center are questions such as: What do digital twins look like in practice? Which data flows into them? And how do visitors experience the new visualization and control possibilities?

BIM World Impressions: Digital twins and real-time models in action – directly from the exhibition stage.

^{Video: © Ulrich Buckenlei | XR Stager Magazine at BIM World Munich 2025 in Munich}

The sequence shows how diverse the topic has become – from technical deep dives to strategic panels, from start-ups to established industry players. Digital twins appear not as a final answer but as a powerful platform on which the next stages of innovation can be built.

The Visoric Expert Team in Munich

The interpretation of the digital-twin strategies showcased at BIM World is based on many years of experience in XR, AI, digital twins and the industrial metaverse. The Visoric team in Munich supports companies in visualizing complex technologies clearly, connecting them with existing data and translating them into tangible solutions for planning and operations.

• Strategic consulting → digital twins, BIM-based existing models, industrial metaverse
• Design & Visualization → real-time 3D, exhibition staging, digital-twin experiences
• Technical implementation → data integration, edge and cloud connectivity, immersive environments

The Visoric Expert Team: Ulrich Buckenlei & Nataliya Daniltseva

^{Source: Visoric GmbH | Munich 2025}

If you want to build digital twins, transform existing BIM models into living real-time environments or develop immersive control and training scenarios, the Visoric team will support you from the initial idea to the final implementation – technology-driven, visually refined and strategically grounded.