디지털 트윈 공간의 장소성 유지 구조화 연구

초록

(Background and Purpose) With the rapid development of Digital Twin (DT) technology, its application has expanded from industry and smart cities to cultural heritage conservation and spatial management. Characterized by high-fidelity representation, real-time feedback, data integration, identifiability, dynamic evolution, and multi-scale simulation, Digital Twin technology is transforming physical spaces into continuously updated digital environments. At the same time, traditional theories of placeness have largely been developed in relatively stable physical settings and have paid limited attention to how placeness can be maintained under conditions of continuous spatial change. As digital technologies increasingly reshape the relationship between physical and virtual spaces, there is a growing need to reinterpret placeness from the perspective of continuous interaction and adaptation. This study aims to investigate how placeness can be maintained in digital twin environments and to explore the mechanisms through which spatial relationships, user experiences, and place meanings are continuously reproduced in digital spaces. (Method) This study adopts a qualitative research approach. First, literature related to placeness, digital twins, spatial practice, and Structuration Theory was reviewed to establish a theoretical framework. Based on the characteristics of digital twin environments and Anthony Giddens' Structuration Theory, a placeness maintenance framework was developed. The framework focuses on three dimensions: spatial structural continuity, experiential continuity, and meaning continuity. To examine the applicability of the framework, three representative digital twin cases were selected: the Sanxingdui Museum (China), the Archaeological Park of Pompeii (Italy), and Pollok Country Park (United Kingdom). These cases were selected because they represent different types of heritage environments while all incorporating digital twin technologies to support heritage conservation, spatial management, and public engagemen. (Results) The analysis indicates that digital twins function not merely as tools for spatial representation but as dynamic systems that continuously connect human behavior, data resources, and system feedback. Through the cyclical process of“action–data feedback–spatial adjustment–re-action,”digital twin environments continuously reproduce spatial structures, user experiences, and place meanings. Across the three cases, digital twin technologies contributed to maintaining stable spatial organization, supporting recognizable interaction patterns, and reinforcing cultural narratives and place identities despite ongoing environmental updates and operational adjustments. The findings further suggest that the proposed framework can be applied to different types of heritage spaces to systematically interpret how placeness is maintained within continuously evolving digital environments. (Conclusions) Placeness in digital twin environments should be understood not as a fixed spatial attribute but as a relational condition continuously maintained through interactions among structure, action, and feedback. The proposed framework demonstrates that spatial structural continuity, experiential continuity, and meaning continuity constitute the core mechanisms supporting placeness maintenance in digital spaces. Rather than presenting a fully validated model, this study provides an exploratory conceptual framework that offers a theoretical basis and an analytical approach for understanding placeness in dynamically evolving digital environments. The findings also provide practical implications for future digital twin-based spatial design, heritage management, and subsequent empirical research.

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