Abstract Building Information Modeling (BIM) provides an excellent opportunity to digitally document and visually display construction projects’ information throughout their whole lifecycle. Another recent technology that fosters the digital transformation of the construction sector is blockchain-based smart contract. In combination with BIM models, such smart contract can be used for delivery, acceptance, and payment (DAP) process automation in the construction industry. The DAP process can be modelled by using smart contracts and securely stored via a blockchain. Since smart contracts are programming codes, for stakeholders it is difficult to understand what is exactly written in them. Therefore, it is necessary to visualize the state and executed transactions of the deployed smart contracts. In this paper, a framework is highlighted to record and visualize the status of the DAP processes by combining BIM with smart contracts using the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) to develop a smart contract system. With the help of suitable visualization concepts, the individual transactions of the blockchain can be displayed in a comprehensible way. The feasibility of the framework is presented through an illustrative implementation of the smart contract system. The proposed framework can help project participants better understand the current state of a smart contract.
Current infrastructure construction is the key of the national policy, along with the expansion of business areas, branch subsidiary is more, the traditional enterprise management system more difficult to adapt to the subsidiary, branch, distribution is more decentralized management needs of enterprise, the management of construction enterprises difficult to ascend, mainly reflected in operation of separation of goods. Financial sharing center is one of the methods to promote the integration of industry and finance and improve the efficiency of enterprise management. The cost accounting process is an important business process in the construction process. This paper optimizes the cost accounting business process of construction enterprises based on the financial sharing center, so as to improve the informatization and standardization level of construction enterprises, enhance the integration level of industry and finance, and improve the efficiency of cost management.
A major matter in any industry, especially one with complicated stakeholder relationships like the construction industry, is dispute resolution. Blockchain technology, in the form of crowdsourced arbitration, may assist project stakeholders to conclude a verdict for any conflict including an argument over delay damage responsibility. This paper aims to propose a Blockchain-based methodology to facilitate small and medium project delay resolution demands on a timely and transparent basis. The methodology consists of two implementation stages: (i) A Blockchain-powered crowdsourced arbitration jury to analyze and determine the responsible party and subsequent affairs following predefined conditions of the contract and (ii) Blockchain-based smart contracts to enable automatic implementation of said events including automatic payment of penalty and/or compensation cost. The introduced method is validated by a case study of crowdsourced arbitration using the Rhubarb plat-form to resolve disputes over who should be responsible for the delay of a garage construction project taken from an academic study on delay analysis techniques. The final verdict was that the contractor must reimburse the client’s financial loss following established terms and conditions on liquidated ascertained damages via smart contract operation. The research also underlines the pros and cons of both current decentralized dispute resolution practice and this research proposed model in the construction field for future studies.
The existing multi-person collaborative design scheme of Building Information Modeling (BIM) integrated with blockchain faces problems such as poor reliability of BIM drawing, inconsistent drawing information, redundant information, and inaccurate protection of copyright interests. This paper proposes a multi-person collaborative design model for BIM drawing that combines blockchain and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS). This model uses blockchain to store drawing design information to protect the copyright interests of designers and combines IPFS to ensure the reliability of drawing. A cycle division mechanism is designed to solve the problem of drawing information synchronization when multiple people collaborate in design. The Semantic Differential Transaction (SDT) method is used to achieve incremental update of drawing and reduce the information redundancy of the blockchain. Finally, a comparative analysis and validation evaluation of the scheme is carried out, and the usability of the scheme is illustrated with an illustrative example. The results show that: (1) proposed scheme is feasible for multi-person collaborative design; (2) proposed scheme can effectively ensure the reliability of drawing and reduce the redundancy of blockchain information, so as to achieve copyright protection for designers.
The present study uses a bibliometric and systematic literature review (SLR) to examine the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Digital Twins (DT) in the construction industry. The network visualization and other approaches based on the Web of Science (WOS) database and the patterns of research interactions were explored in 1879 academic publications using co-occurrence and co-citation investigations. Significant publications, conferences, influential authors, countries, organizations, and funding agencies have been recognized. Our study demonstrates that BIM, IoT, and DT in construction, Heritage BIM (HBIM), Smart Contracts, BIM, and Ontology, and VR and AR in BIM and DT are the main study themes. Finally, several prospective areas for future study are identified, including BIM and Metaverse technology, BIM and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Metaheuristic algorithms for optimization purposes in BIM, and the Circular Economy with BIM and IoT.
The management of construction projects requires adequate techniques to support the continual exchange of information across disciplines. Recent advances in Building Information Modelling (BIM) have exposed new ways for process and data integration with open data formats, process mapping, and terminology. In construction projects where multiple disciplines produce and share BIM data, mechanisms for defining information priority, provenance and suitability become necessary in order to have consistent and traceable use of data. This includes objects or collection of attributes for data objects that are associated with a discipline or organisation including clear identification of the transaction that has introduced the information. Blockchain can be used to record metadata of BIM objects such as the issuing discipline, object version and responsibility/ liability associated with the data. Blockchain can offer the capability to apply levels of “trust” to individual BIM objects and a more secured framework of collaboration across stakeholders. This paper proposes a Blockchain-based BIM data provenance model to support information exchange in construction projects. By testing the solution in a real-world bridge construction scenario, it has been shown that the approach can recognise the levels of competence and can improve the process of BIM implementation. The proposed approach gives stakeholders more confidence when sharing their BIM data, reduces costs, and improves risk contingencies in construction projects. The paper provides a cost analysis to evidence the implications of using Blockchain for BIM data provenance through an experimental framework supported by an Ethereum public test network. A front-end web page has also been created to facilitate interaction with smart contracts and to monitor the BIM data provenance process.
Giulia Pattini, Mirko Locatelli, Lavinia Chiara Tagliabue, Giuseppe Martino Di Giuda
The paper provides a theoretical framework that aims at improving BIM validation by automating the verification of information quality and consistency and integrating blockchain-based smart contracts to track the process and shorten the appointment completion. Despite information management using BIM is currently leading the digitalisation in construction, especially in the design phase, misunderstandings about requirements, non-compliant information and late deliveries were detected. For these reasons, the proposed framework integrates innovative technologies and points out their potential impact on automatic information validation, reduction of late deliveries and overdue payments. Though the framework is not yet fully tested, potential outcomes are discussed.
Gongfan Chen, Huaming Li, Min Liu, Simon M. Hsiang · 5 authors
This research aims to develop an automatic incentive–penalty enforcement system for modular construction. Smart contract rules were developed for a project of 120 prefabricated bath units. The results show that the smart contract can automatically enforce rewards and penalties for all 19 scenarios. The findings can help project managers detect and reject any inappropriate or malicious operations deviated from predefined rules efficiently. The results show that if the prefabricated bathroom unit fabricator can perform at the highest reliability level following the smart contract rules, the project can save 4.7% overall cost compared with the benchmark scenario. The findings will be beneficial to modular construction project by ensuring efficient monitoring, motivating reliable performance, and improving productivity and project documentation.
Sandra Matarneh, Faris Elghaish, Farzad Pour Rahimian, Nashwan Dawood
The potential of blockchain in the construction sector has been recognized in existing literature, as well as its capacity to be integrated into construction projects to automate financial transactions for increased transparency, security, and control. Permissioned blockchain, according to existing research, can be utilized to create a business network among project participants due to its features being compatible with the nature of the construction sector. This article lays out a framework for introducing permissioned blockchain technology, notably Hyperledger fabric, into the construction delivery process. The suggested framework comprises explicit procedures that show how to develop a network during the pre-construction, construction, and closeout stages. The suggested framework also displays the flow of financial transactions across the envisaged financial system. Because of the capabilities of Building Information Modelling/Management (BIM) and cost planning. As a result, the framework determines the data needed to enter the blockchain financial system from 4D/5D BIM. The benefits of employing blockchain in the construction business were emphasized in a systematic literature review, which also selected the best blockchain platform. The framework can also be used by academics and industry practitioners to recognise the architecture of smart contracts (chaincode) in the construction sector, such as formulating endorsement and validation policies. Finally, the findings of this article will be used to develop a proof-of-concept prototype that will be used to test and confirm the suggested conceptual framework's applicability using a real-world case study.
Purpose BIM research to date has in general zeroed in on featuring the significance of BIM-enabled integration and collaboration (BIMIC) rather than giving exact proof of its occurrence. Accordingly, this research quantitatively explored the determinants of BIMIC in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This research conceptualized a four-pillar model of BIM-enabled integration and collaboration. The speculations in the model were examined using SEM-MLE. Findings The aftereffects of the SEM-MLE demonstrated that network communication, knowledge sharing, and transfer, information sharing and exchange and trust-based relationships are critical determinants of BIMIC. The model's prescient power demonstrates an acceptable validity, and the boundary gauges showed that all the hypotheses were measurably huge. Research limitations/implications This research gives a hypothetical premise for further investigation of BIMIC by supporting the postulations on the occurrence of collaboration and integrations among the BIM-SCM. Practical implications The idea investigated involving SEM in this research gives a holistic view to the BIM managers in arranging BIM-based activities and overseeing BIM cycles and supply chain members. It likewise offers rules and structures for accomplishing and overseeing integration and collaboration among the BIM supply chain members. Originality/value Despite 20 years of exploration on the BIM concept and adoption, no idea has been given to clarify the determinants of integration and collaboration as a BIM cycle. The four-pillar model of BIMIC created and tested in this research clarified BIMIC and contributed a new model to the current literature on the BIM process.
Construction supply chains (CSC) are characterized by their converging structure and the hierarchical payment system which is inherently related. Due to the pursuit of diverging goals and mutual interdependencies, risks and trust problems between stakeholders occur. Contracts are used to govern these complex collaborations. To track compliance to contract terms, various activities are executed by involved stakeholders. These activities do not add any value to an end-product, cause intransparency, are costly and cause conflicts. Therefore, a combination of asset tracking and blockchain technology is investigated in this paper to address these problems. A plug-and-play framework of interacting applications and a workflow to operate them are proposed. Proof of this concept is provided by developing prototypical applications and by testing them in various practice-based scenarios. Simplified asset tracking throughout supply chains was realized and linked to smart contracts. This resulted in semi-automated compliance tracking and an immutable record of transactions. Therefore, this work provides more insight into combining asset tracking and blockchain for compliance checking in the construction industry. By doing so, further automation of construction processes, increased transparency between stakeholders and a reduction of conflicts can be enabled. However, it remains clear that many other variables impact on transparency and trust; and while technology can make improvements, considerable procedural security and control measures are needed in addition. Therefore, we focus on semi-automation of workflows using distributed ledger technology.
Abstract Code compliance checking of building designs is an essential task during the design and construction process, this process is time-consuming and laborious, and there is a risk of human manipulation, collusion and tampering with the results during the process. Existing BIM automated compliance checking technologies can reduce human errors and automatically output drawing review reports in some domains. But there are still few provisions that can be automatically reviewed, and most of the provisions still require human intervention. This research proposes a blockchain-based framework for managing both automated and manual compliance review processes in a BIM environment. The framework is developed to help improve the traceability and transparency of the compliance review process in the BIM environment. The framework includes on-chain and off-chain solutions for addressing the management issues in the code checking process. The prospects of the solution, challenges in implementation and future research directions were discussed.
Lili Zhang, Wenhao Guo, Wenwen Yang, Di Su · 5 authors
As a decentralized and distrusted distributed ledger technology, blockchain is gradually applied in the IOT. Cost overrun are inherent part of most smart “IOT+ blockchain” projects. In order to guarantee a successful delivery of a smart “IOT+ blockchain” project with the ideal budget, with respect to the minimum cost of the forward problem is still higher than the approved budget, this research proposes a re-verse optimization method of 0-1 mixed-integer, bi-level programming model for reverse-inferring duration and personnel re-assignment. Based on a numerical experiment to a “IOT+ blockchain” construction project, the comparative results show that the reverse optimization method is superior to the forward method in terms of total cost reduction and can further shorten the duration. The result indicates that the reverse optimization methodology can be applied in scenarios which need to guarantee the objective value achieved through the proposed reverse modelling methodology by optimizing parameters and decision variables.
Alessandra Corneli, Francesco Spegni, Marco Alvise Bragadin, Massimo Vaccarini
Construction management can be grouped into two different levels: strategic early planning, that provides the baseline for project monitoring, and \nshort time initiatives, based on objectives and selforganization from actors who are involved in on-site processes. This is currently managed through the \nrepresentation of many separate processes and this does not eliminate the inefficiencies that arise at the level of synchronization of the individual tasks \nperformed by different organizations. Efficiency in construction management implies to take into consideration choreographies because they better \nreflect synchronization of different organizations management processes. On the other hand, smart contracts linked to single task execution assure both promptness and irreversible tracking at single task level. The actual execution of processes depends both on what happens and on the information that flows between the subjects who actually carry out processes asynchronous to each other, so the only possibility to synchronize them is information. This research describes a framework for \napplying BPMN choreographies to construction site processes in order to better model processes and integrate them with smart contracts. Every single activity in the baseline can be modelled as a choreography at a lower level. On the other hand, process performance monitoring can be performed thanks to blockchain tasks notarization. Concrete casting quality assessment process has been chosen as use case. A BPMN choreography has been defined for this purpose and blockchain \napplication for accomplished tasks and information notarization has been developed and tested on a construction site.
Katharina Sigalov, Xuling Ye, Markus König, Philipp Hagedorn · 10 authors
Construction projects usually involve signing various contracts with specific billing procedures. In practice, dealing with complex contract structures causes significant problems, especially with regard to timely payment and guaranteed cash flow. Furthermore, a lack of transparency leads to a loss of trust. As a result, late or non-payment is a common problem in the construction industry. This paper presents the concept of implementing smart contracts for automated, transparent, and traceable payment processing for construction projects. Automated billing is achieved by combining Building Information Modeling (BIM) approaches with blockchain-based smart contracts. Thereby, parts of traditional construction contracts are transferred to a smart contract. The smart contract is set up using digital BIM-based tender documents and contains all of the relevant data for financial transactions. Once the contracted construction work has been accepted by the client, payments can be made automatically via authorized financial institutions. This paper describes the framework, referred to as BIMcontracts, the container-based data exchange, and the digital contract management workflow. It discusses the industry-specific requirements for blockchain and data storage and explains which technical and software architectural decisions were made. A case study is used to demonstrate the current implementation of the concept.
Giulia Pattini, Elena Seghezzi, Giuseppe Martino Di Giuda
Blockchain, as a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), could disrupt the traditional hierarchy way in which information is shared and processes are developed in the construction industry. The fragmentation of people, processes and contracts has been considered as the main responsible for the sector negative trend. The information asymmetry characterizing the dynamics of the processes denies both the information traceability and the disciplines interoperability. The recent digital transformation boosted by Building Information Modeling (BIM) has promised a more transparent and collaborative environment. However, its adoption has gradually shown some trust issues in the information flow, discouraging participants from collaborating to achieve project goals. For these reasons, the research explores Blockchain in the construction industry, highlighting its potentials in supporting transparent, reliable and distributed information sharing. In particular, the research intends to combine the features of the digitalization, namely BIM and Blockchain, in the industry. To accomplish this, the first goal consists of an overall literature review on the current level of the Blockchain investigation in the built environment. Secondly, based on that analysis, two proposals for potential application of Blockchain in AECO sector are presented. This preliminary exploration intends to endorse Blockchain as a suitable system for governing the trust issues, supporting an efficient contract execution and a better sharing of all project information.
In construction, BIM (Building Information Modeling) promises to increase quality of data and to provide a shared, uniform view to all parties. While BIM tools and exchange formats exist, the distribution and safeguarding of data is an ongoing challenge. Distributed Ledger Technology and Blockchains offer a possible solution to this task, and they promise quality attributes such as tamper resistance, traceability/auditability and safe digitalization of assets and intellectual property. However, the practical application and adoption of Distributed Ledger Technology in the built environment requires a good understanding of tool maturity, performance and standardization. Also, user-oriented integration of BIM tools with the blockchain backend needs attention. The contribution of this paper is an overview over both industrial and academic progress at the intersection of BIM and blockchains/DLT.
Zhen Liu, Ziyuan Chi, Mohamed Osmani, Peter Demian
‘Smart cities’ are a new type of city where stakeholders are jointly responsible for urban management. City Information Management (CIM) is an output tool for smart city planning and management, which assists in achieving the sustainable development of urban infrastructure, and promotes smart cities to achieve the goals of stable global economic development, sustainable environmental development, and improvement of people’s quality of life. Existing research has so far established that blockchain and BIM have great potential to enhance construction project performance. However, there is little research on how blockchain and BIM can support sustainable building design and construction. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the potential impact of the integration of blockchain and BIM in a smart city environment on making buildings more sustainable within the context of CIM/Smart Cities. The paper explores the relationships between blockchain, BIM and sustainable building across the life cycle stage of a construction project. This paper queries the Web of Science (WoS) database with keywords to obtain relevant publication, and then uses the VOSviewer to visually analyze the relationships between blockchain, BIM, and sustainable building within the context of smart cities and CIM, which is conducted in bibliometric analysis followed by micro scheme analysis. The results demonstrate the value of this method in gauging the importance of these three topics, highlighting their interrelationships and identifying trends, giving researchers an objective research direction. Those aspects reported in the paper constitute an original contribution.
Jieh‐Haur Chen, Mu‐Chun Su, Vidya Trisandini Azzizi, Ting-Kwei Wang · 5 authors
Technological developments have made the construction industry efficient. The aim of this research is to solve communication interaction problems to build a project management platform using the interactive concept of natural language processing technology. A comprehensive literature review and expert interviews associated with techniques dealing with natural languages suggests the proposed system containing the Progressive Scale Expansion Network (PSENet), Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN), and Bi-directional Recurrent Neutral Networks Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (BRNN-CNN) toolboxes to extract the key words for construction projects contracts. The results show that a fully automatic platform facilitating contract management is achieved. For academic domains, the Contract Keyword Detection (CKD) mechanism integrating PSENet, CRNN, and BRNN-CNN approaches to cope with real-time massive document flows is novel in the construction industry. For practice, the proposed approach brings significant reduction for manpower and human error, an alternative for settling down misunderstanding or disputes due to real-time and precise communication, and a solution for efficient documentary management. It connects all contract stakeholders proficiently.
Arghavan Akbarieh, William Carbone, Markus Schäfer, Danièle Waldmann · 5 authors
Despite the enormous amount of raw or secondary materials flowing within the construction industry, the actual available volume of materials and their respective End-of-Lifecycle (EoL) treatment is not regulated nor uniform. On top of that, the EoL responsibility of different stakeholders after the future building deconstruction is confusing and disputable. Consequently, different sustainability policies and […]
The research aims at analyzing the integration of Waste Management (WM) strategies and Information management in the construction procurement process. The application of Building information modelling (BIM) methodologies for a Most Economically Advantageous Tender could address the digital transition in order to adopt environmentally sustainable practices. Despite the wide regulation regarding waste minimization, an overview of which is provided, AECO is still one of the most polluting industrialized sector. Drivers and barriers to the method, and a literature review are provided: BIM approaches to enable WM practices have been analyzed from the designer and constructor’s point of view, but few studies investigated the role of the Client, in particular the Public Client. The goal of the study was to evaluate the efficiency of Most Economically Advantageous Tender and a BIM methodology to promote WM strategies during the tender phase. Design Build (DB) and Design Bid Build (DBB) procurement models are tested through three case studies of Italian schools' calls for proposals: the BIM model enabled to verify the bids in terms of WM strategies implementation. Blockchain and Smart contract future applications are also investigated in order to ensure transparency of the whole process. The Public Client could trigger a change in the construction sector regarding the integration of WM practices, as a central and active actor of the construction process, through the application of Green Public Procurement and BIM methodologies.