Research Summary: A multilevel living lab using a digital-twin-based modelling environment for sustainability education and decision support

A study at Riga Technical University explored a multilevel living lab integrating a district-heating digital-twin-based modeling environment to enhance sustainability education and decision support. Over 13 months, it involved a diverse group including professionals, undergraduate and master's students, and external stakeholders in co-creation and scenario analysis. The research aimed to connect systems understanding with real-world decision-making in sustainability, utilizing various data sources to evaluate the approach.

Why it matters

This initiative represents a significant development in education and operational technology, demonstrating how advanced modeling environments can facilitate practical sustainability learning and decision support. Its application in a living lab setting provides a blueprint for integrating complex systems understanding with stakeholder engagement to address critical environmental challenges.

Key insights

• A digital-twin-based modeling environment was successfully integrated into a multilevel living-lab process for sustainability education.
• The initiative involved a diverse set of participants, including professionals, undergraduate students, master's students, and external stakeholders.
• The living lab fostered co-creation and scenario analysis related to district heating systems.
• Mixed-method data collection included World Café outputs, student scenario responses, simulation outputs, and stakeholder evaluations.
• The study demonstrated an approach to connect theoretical systems understanding with practical, real-world decision-making in sustainability contexts.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1863292