Digital twin technology drives sustainability in iTwin4Good student competition

A digital twin of a bridge – digital twins allow for a project to be virtually constructed before any physical work takes place. Image: Bentley Systems

Now in its third year, the international competition called on students to develop digital solutions with real-world environmental impact, using Bentley’s iTwin platform to address issues including waste, energy and land use.

Chris Bradshaw, chief sustainability and education officer at Bentley Systems , said, “At Bentley, we are inspired by how this year’s student teams applied digital twin technology and innovative thinking to real-world challenges.

“[The competitors] demonstrated the transformative potential of combining creativity with digital solutions to drive more sustainable infrastructure outcomes for communities and the planet.”

Winners and runners-up

This year’s winning project – SiTESalvage, a UK and Ireland joint team – focused on one of construction’s most persistent problems: demolition waste.

The team’s proposed platform uses Bentley’s iModel digital twin technology to make demolition materials more visible ahead of time, allowing contractors and planners to recover reusable materials before they’re sent to landfill.

Using Bentley’s iModel digital twin technology, the team designed a system that flags upcoming demolition sites and identifies salvageable materials before teardown begins, giving contractors time to plan for reuse.

With construction and demolition waste estimated to account for up to 40% of the world’s solid waste, the team positioned its marketplace concept as a practical step toward circularity in the built environment.

“By using iModels to provide visibility into upcoming demolition projects, the platform showed how stakeholders could identify, plan for, and repurpose available materials, ultimately driving more effective reuse and reducing the industry’s environmental footprint,” Bentley said.

Runner-up honours went to Germany’s Basola team, which developed a solar-powered pyrolysis reactor that turns plastic waste into usable fuel. The design incorporates iTwin-enabled IoT monitoring to ensure operational safety and efficiency.

Bentley said, “This integration of digital innovation with clean energy processes demonstrated how technology can close the loop on plastic pollution while contributing to sustainable energy production.”

Canada’s EcoTwins project, named second runner-up, proposed a framework for repurposing abandoned gold mine sites as solar and wind energy hubs, using environmental and social indicators to assess each site’s viability.

SiTESalvage will go on to present its project at the 2025 Enactus World Cup in Bangkok.

Bentley Systems said the iTwin4Good Challenge will return in 2026, with an expanded university network and updated project themes.