Spatio-temporal heat risk analysis in construction: Digital twin-enabled monitoring

To effectively mitigate heat risks, it is crucial to pinpoint areas of high vulnerability and assess the severity of heat-related threats to construction workers. This paper advances the understanding of heat risks in construction by mapping the associated risks across time and space to support informed decision-making. This paper presents a framework for heat risk monitoring, enabled by a construction site digital twin. This framework leverages geometric modeling, incorporates real-time weather data from a weather station, and utilizes computational simulations for assessing spatio-temporal heat risks. Its effectiveness was validated through a case study in Stephenville, Texas, USA, where it demonstrated superior fidelity when compared to using the conventional black-globe thermometer. Moreover, the results substantiated that incorporating the spatio-temporal variability of heat risks enhances heat risk surveillance in construction workplaces. This approach offers practical insights into imminent heat-related threats, aiming to prevent potential heat-related accidents in construction.