Application of Blockchain Technology
in the Engineering and Construction Sector: A State-of-The-Art Review
University
of Wolver Hampton, Wolver Hampton, United Kingdom
ABSTRACT
The engineering and construction industries have seen
substantial improvements because to emerging technology. In the previous five
years, blockchain technology has demonstrated promise in tackling industry
problems including low productivity, insufficient compliance with regulations,
cooperation and collaboration, and payment processes. However, emerging
technology require adequate breadth and depth in investigations as every year
new advancement and applications are discovered that understanding from previous
years may change in terms of the challenges, IT infrastructure and variations
of the technology. Therefore, the aim of this study is to discover and analyze
the research trends, challenges and application by assessing the literature
status of blockchain applications in the engineering and construction industry.
The direction of subsequent study might then be suggested with this study. A
systematic review with bibliometric analysis was used, with 37 papers reviewed
and in-depth examined for additional bibliometric analysis using Nvivo
software. The findings present a comprehensive status of blockchain in the
engineering and construction sector in terms of trending keywords (digital
storage and decentralization), countries developing this technology (China),
areas of application (payment through smart contracts and supply chain
management), interoperability with other technologies (BIM and AI), and
challenges (legal implications). More study on the interoperability of
blockchain with other technologies, as well as the practicality of the
applications, is advised.
KEYWORDS
Blockchain, Smart Contract, Supply Chain,
Transparency, Bibliometric Analysis, VOS Viewer, Challenges.
1.
INTRODUCTION
The
architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry accounts
approximately 13% of the world GDP, but their productivity growth does not
reflect its relevancy to the global economy in the last 20 years (Barbosa et
al., 2017). The productivity of the sector is often seen as laggard or
stagnated (Fulford and Standing, 2014). AEC has aimed to hyper-automate its
process for supporting and reacting to technology developments during the last
decade, however there are limitations in terms of comprehending the role of
emerging technologies, their problems, and applications in general. To address
this issue, the sector is evolving by implementing productivity-enhancing
technology. There have been a few published studies that compare the importance
of blockchain in the (AEC) business to other developing technologies like
drones or virtual reality (VR).
Some researchers from the AEC field as (Abdel-Wahab & Vogl, 2011)(Mudan Wang, Cynthia Changxin Wang, Samad Sepasgozar, & Sisi Zlatanova, 2020) mentioned that some of the current adoptions of technologies and approaches towards digitalization in construction are related to "building information modelling" (BIM), radio frequency identification devices (RFID), global positioning systems (GPS), the Internet of Things (IoT), geographic information systems (GIS), sensors, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), photogrammetry, laser scanning, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, robotics, big data, and blockchain". Although digital technologies are rapidly being utilized in construction, the repercussions of their deployment in the engineering and construction industry are yet unknown, particularly in the case of blockchain adoption, which is one of the most recent technologies discussed within the research community.
Blockchain
technology may have a pivotal role in the transformation of multiple sectors
including architecture AEC (Perera, Nanayakkara, Rodrigo, Senaratne, &
Weinand, 2020; Xu, L. D., Xu, & Li, 2018). Even though its role, a recent
research has concluded that the blockchain application in AEC is still
relatively fresh and dispersed across numerous subjects (Xu, Chong and Chi,
2022). Transparency, speed in transactions, and security are some of the actual
subjects of this technology for the sector, in summary, but researchers have
identified areas of application in order to define the trends despite the
resistance to change from the organizations.
The
consistent six areas of applications of blockchain are related to AEC are
"BIM and Computer Aided Design (CAD), contract management and smart
contracts, construction project management, smart buildings and smart cities,
construction supply chain management, and property ownership, land titles,
asset management and maintenance in real estate" Plevris, Lagaros and
Zeytinci, (2022), Zhaojing Wang et al., 2020a; Xu et al., (2022). Some of these
areas of applications are still in proof of concepts that could be classified
as a future works, in others there are significant number of tests that can
provide credibility for investment Perera et al., (2020). However, based on
this area of applications, extension into other realms of applications have
presented frameworks that properly arrange the key potentials and convergence
of the blockchain technology. Perera, Nanayakkara and Rodrigo, et al., (2020)
believe that using these technologies has enormous potential. As a
technological convergence, blockchain has the potential to combine various
technologies and eliminate some of their limitations, resulting in a massively
increased potential for current applications in the industry for construction
by identifying terms of drivers, features and barriers. Similarly, Plevris,
Lagaros and Zeytinci, (2022) conducted research focused on blockchain in the
built environment, intending to adopt a unified framework to encourage its use,
particularly in the construction industry. In this study, smart energy, smart
cities and the sharing economy, smart governance, smart housing, intelligent
transportation, BIM, construction management, business models and organizational
structures are the seven themes highlighted. Then, the investigations in
blockchain are willing to resolve issues regarding frauds, transparency of the
transactions, rapid payment methods, digital records and others.
However,
there are social challenges that inflict directly in the application of
blockchain according to Li, Greenwood and Kassem, (2019). In their research
findings, the lack of communication, cooperation, trust between parties, poor
productivity, late payments, a lack of policy compliance, and issues
surrounding ownership and intellectual property rights were identified as
significant challenges causing slow technological adoption in the construction
industry.
Overall,
there seems to be some evidence to indicate that the application of blockchain
technology in the construction and built environment is evolving rapidly but
social and technical barriers should be addressed for its massive adoption. To
deal with this, some systematic studies have been carrying out an extensive
elaboration of the problem to understand the present state of this technology
but detailed answers have not yet been found (Cheng, Liu, Xu, & Chi, 2021).
Although prior studies in this research area have contributed significantly, several
limitations justify the need for more research. In the past five years, some
blockchain studies have been conducted to provide an understanding and identify
the gaps for investigations on the topic. These investigations have been
adequately helpful for the state of the art of the technology but (i) do not
provide an overall direction of where the databases and journals are appointing
towards the blockchain technology, (ii) quantitatively do not provide evidence
of lack of studies and finally (iii) do not show the suitable keywords for
exploring blockchain technology in the AEC industry. Breaking down large
amounts of information into manageable units from two databases (Scopus and Web
of Science) will allow us to visualize the trends and clusters emerging from
the scientific community. Furthermore, there is a need for more academic
research on the subject to understand further the direction, challenges, and
opportunities of applying blockchain technology in the (AEC). Hence, this
research aims to discover and analyze the research trends, challenges and
advancements in blockchain use in engineering and construction.
2.
METHODOLOGY AND DATA COLLECTION
To assist
analyze and identify the present knowledge on blockchain in the construction
and engineering industries, a bibliometric research of the literature was
conducted utilizing best practices in scientific knowledge and a systematic
literature review approach. Wallin (2005) described a systematic review as a
document identification procedure that may discover, assess, and analyze
foundational research to answer specific issues. The data selection process is
straightforward and repeatable, which can serve researchers in increasing the
validity and dependability of their findings. According to Kitchen ham, (2004),
there are many reasons to conduct a systematic review, summaries empirical
evidence of technology with the benefits and limitations, and identify the gaps
in the current research to correctly place new research initiatives with a
solid background and framework. Thus, we can imply that to address this
research, the best methodology is a systematic literature review along with a
bibliometric analysis and content analysis because it helps to identify the
field's trends, gaps, and challenges. This systematic review was carried out in
three phases using secondary data: 1) Bibliometric Analysis, 2) Paper retrieval
and screening method, and 3) Content Analysis.
The bibliometric analysis incorporates quantitative data concepts. This method is useful for business research in engineering and construction, as well as other sectors that require sufficient breadth in a topic. The most important information is key nations, places, terminology, years, and an outline of the issue. It is often used to retrieve databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scival. Each database has a mechanism for interoperability that is compatible with specialized software for interpretation (VOSviewer, Gephi, Nvivo, Citenet Explorer and others).This type of analysis supports the importance and impact of a topic; reveals the strength and weakness of the current research trends, locates knowledge within the scientific sphere and presents in a timeline the trends emerging in the topic. Therefore, this research will provide a broader understanding of the current knowledge of blockchain technology applied to construction and all the other integrations across the engineering and built environment. For these reasons, breadth and depth are pursued in the bibliometric analysis obtained through Scopus database and Web of science utilizing the tools of VOS Viewer. However, depth explication for the research is intended to convey a selection criterion for screening in two parts to comprehend and examine the interrelation of the blockchain with multiple technologies and other areas of study. Nvivo software was used to identify the key application, challenges and contributions throughout the content analysis.
·
Bibliometric Methodology
The Scopus
database was chosen as the primary retrieval source due to its wide coverage of
scholarly articles. Additionally, the Web of Science database was used to
compare and confirm the location of the researchers' expertise and trends
relating blockchain technology. The steps taken were as follows: First, a fast
assessment of the most recent scientific literature indicates how important
blockchain application in building and engineering has grown in recent years
for the scientific community. The first phase of the search was conducted by
searching:
Table 1.
Codes utilized for retrieve articles.
Organizations
construction" OR aec OR aeco OR "Build Environment" OR
"Engineering OR Civil Engineering" were combines in order to produce
results with each of the combinations. Then, the query returned 2,225 unique
manuscripts in which 139 are unique from Scopus and 2,091 for Web of Science
and 80 journals as intersection between the two data base as presented in the
tables below. Further analyses (performance, co-word, cluster, visualisation
and network) were used to assess the present and/or future relationships
between the topics within the field by focusing on the title, abstract,
keywords, full text, graph, year of publication, authors, countries, or index.
It supports the researcher's interpretations of the field of investigation.
Furthermore, the VOS Viewer supports retrieving files from Web of Science,
Scopus, PubMed, Lens and Dimensions to produce the visualisation map.
The process
in merging 2 different data base was managed meticulously. The Web of Science
data base manage another set of data that limits the merge of different
resources easily. Therefore, the details of authors, Article Title, Source
Title, languages, Document Type, abstract were combined with the Scopus data
based in order to produce a VOS viewer map. Furthermore, criterium of citation,
relevancy to the topic and other fundamental aspects to include literature to
the study were considerate previous this action.
The years
provide an idea of when it happened, authors/countries give the idea who/m are
contributing, and the graph brings a perspective of the links involved in the
topic. In the analysis, the words are clustered according to the commonalities
in publications or themes. These thematic clusters enrich the breadth of the field
and are later useful for in-depth investigation with other software such as
Nvivo.
Table 2.
Keywords search and number of publications for Scopus and Web of Science
database.
·
Paper Retrieval Strategy and
Screening Method for Systematic review
But
nonetheless, reducing the amount of articles can be a time-consuming and
laborious effort. As a result, these datasets were subjected to additional
filtering. The screening approach was then applied, with keywords from the
bibliometric analysis identified in the title and/or abstract in connection to
the goal being selected. This stage's scope was narrowed by picking 37 journal
articles based on citation number and relevance to the topic. These articles
were found in both databases in order to assess the sector's highlights.
Ultimately, for the systematic review, Nvivo software was utilized to gather
details about the application and difficulties through content analysis.
3.
RESULTS DESCRIBING THE BIBLIOMETRIC
ANALYSIS AND CONTENT ANALYSIS
· Bibliometric Analysis
Ø Performance Analysis
v Publication years
After the initial search, the
results of paper publication per year clearly show the interest from the
academia in blockchain technology for construction and engineering Fig. 1. This
graph displays the search results by year from 2017 to 2023. In the figure, we
can see the trend and an uptrend, starting from the year 2021. However, the
application of this in AECO sector began at an earlier stage in 2009 with the
creation of Bitcoin (Böhme, Christin, Edelman, & Moore, 2015) But, and
significant interest started in 2017 as researchers may have improved their
outcomes in the last recent years.
Fig. 1. Amount of manuscripts for a
year according to the databases. According to SCOPUS and Web of Science
database, this figure presents the recent rise of blockchain publications. Web
of Science showed an increase in 2021 before Scopus.
v Top countries
The production rate by country seen in Fig. 2 used the same data from Scopus for the keyword analysis. After analysing the data, the five countries with the highest production can be seen. The country with the most literary production on the subject is China (720 and 73), followed by the UK (27 in Scopus), but South Korea presented 323 publications on Web of Science. Furthermore, India has the 4th place in publications homogeneously, but in Scopus, Indias share this place with the United States. The implications these countries have published on this topic mean that financial implications and regulations are considered to advance the scientific knowledge and best practice of the technology.
Fig. 2. Countries with publication
records between 2017-2023. The figure shows that China has the highest
publication number in both databases. But South Korea and the United Kingdom,
as well as India and United States, are the ones who differ in the following
place in a publication from both databases. Furthermore, there are countries only
in specific databases, such as Italy, Canada and others.
v Authors and journals
The data
relating to authors was complex to compare as the database has different
citation criteria. However, the authors provide an idea of who/whom has
impacted the topic related to the amount of publication. Still, the amount may
not represent citation, or in other words, a shared perspective of the
scientific community that a paper provides real insights into a topic.
Therefore, it was focused on citations and sources, as presented in the table
below. Table 3. Top authors and journals Scopus
Cited
No. Authors
Title
Year
Source title
by
|
(Turkanović, M. Hölbl, Heričko, & 1 A. Kamišalić) |
EduCTX: A blockchain-based
higher education credit platform |
2018 |
IEEE Access |
264 |
|
Guido Perboli; Stefano Musso; 2 Mariangela Rosano |
Blockchain in Logistics and
Supply Chain: A Lean Approach for Designing Real-World Use Cases |
2018 |
IEEE Access |
219 |
|
Jennifer Li;David 3 Greenwood;Mohamad Kassem |
Blockchain in the built
environment and construction industry: A systematic review, conceptual
models, and practical use cases |
2019 |
Automation in Construction |
164 |
Table 4. Top authors and journals
Web of Science.
|
No. |
Authors |
Title |
Year |
Source title |
Times Cited, WoS Core |
|
1 |
Zhetao Li; Jiawen Kang; Rong Yu; Dongdong Ye; Qingyong Deng; Yan Zhang |
Consortium Blockchain for Secure Energy Trading in Industrial Internet of Things |
2018 |
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL INFORMATICS |
525 |
|
2 |
Daniel K. Molzahn; Florian Dörfler; Henrik Sandberg; Steven H. Low; Sambuddha Chakrabarti; Ross Baldick; Javad Lavaei |
A Survey of Distributed Optimization and Control Algorithms for Electric Power Systems |
2017 |
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SMART GRID |
470 |
|
3 |
Qi Xia; Emmanuel Boateng Sifah; Kwame Omono Asamoah; Jianbin Gao; Xiaojiang Du; Mohsen Guizani |
MeDShare: Trust-Less Medical Data Sharing Among Cloud Service Providers via Blockchain |
2017 |
IEEE ACCESS |
414 |
The blockchain subject is centered
on engineering and computer science journals rather than building magazines.
Although some of these contributions are not directly relevant to the construction
industry, their algorithm and technical approach are applicable to the sector's
practice. The most cited journals include technical topics such as 1)
integration with other technologies, 2) guarantee of privacy and security, 3)
supply chain, 4) transactions, and 5) algorithms and education. Also, both the
database IEEE Access journal and the other publications have indicated a higher
prevalence on the topic.
Ø Visualization and interpretation of the Clustering
Analysis & Co-word Analysis
There were 3 VOS maps developed.
Two were mined utilizing Scopus and Web of Science databases, and a third was
mined using a combination of both. Observing the number of clusters, Scopus (by
its small number of articles) produced 3 clusters covering the topics of 1) cloud
services and AI referring to enterprise infrastructure, 2) security within the
block chain system and the different layers of them (decentralized, algorithms,
devices, etc.) 3) the applicability for the construction industry based on
frameworks, policies and cryptos. The predominantly discussion occurring on
this database is around the social implications of scientific knowledge
produced in block chain.
On the other hand, the Web of
Science map reported other topics related more to technical aspects, which
expanded the breadth of the block chain application. The clusters refer to the
topic of 1) intelligent transport system, 2) consensus algorithms, 3)
Authentication protocols, 4) Vulnerability within the IT infrastructure, 5)
Application of supply chain system in construction, 6) Honeypot instances, 7)
smart contracts, 8) Issues in energy consumption by mining and smart buildings,
9) control of the datasets. This database provided enough topics to discuss and
evaluate block chain for engineering and construction. Finally, the conjunction
between the two databases summarizes the topic in four major pillars: 1)
Security of the system (authentication, traceability, servers, security
analysis, etc.), 2) transformation of the supply chain and buildings operations
(business models, standards, stakeholder management, big data,
interoperability, etc.), 3) Energy consumptions and resources to make it
sustainable, 4) Paradigm change in the transportation system.
Fig. 3 VOS viewer maps generated
from Scopus, Web of Science and Combination of both.
The combination or conjunction of
the data base reveal 8 clusters that significantly map the research in terms of
challenges in block chain. Consensus protocols for decision making process in
blockchain systems, cybersecurity issues, the risks in the application of
supply chain management with Building Information modelling, tokenization of
sustainable practices in smart cities, challenge in best practices for
appropriate electricity distribution systems, adequacy of base station and path
trajectory platform for Unmanned Aerial and ground vehicles tasks are some of
the remarkable practical problems that the clusters underlined. However, a
further analysis was made to understand in-depth the challenges.
· Content Analysis
After
screening the data, the 37 papers were subjected to content analysis, allowing
the categorization of papers into four section of priority to apply and further
research blockchain technology: 1) Document management and quality of the
information, 2) Smart contracts and payments, 3) Supply chain management in
construction and 4) Other technologies for construction like Building
Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of things (IoT), big data and other
technology applications in the industry 4.0. However, there is necessary to
have an overview of blockchain technology to understand the context of the
technology and how the blockchain can transform the construction and
engineering industry.
4.
Literature Review of the of the
blockchain Technology
Zheng et al., (2020) described a
blockchain as a system that enables information and transaction exchanges to be
executed without the involvement of a third party. This database is shared
between the network nodes and stores the information digitally. The data is structured
in groups or blocks with a specific size or storage capacity, and when the
block is completed, another block is added to the chain. Also, this data
structure creates an irreversible data chronology when implemented in a
decentralised manner. The adoption of blockchain significantly increases
traceability, transparency, and information sharing throughout project
development, improving cooperation and ensuring the trustworthiness of
information exchanges (Sheng et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020; Zheng et al.,
2020). The accountability and trust come from the nature of the blockchains
because the transaction of information is confirmed by all the participants in
the node network to be executed by the blockchain technology or Distributed
Ledger Technology. Furthermore, Zheng et al., (2019) explain that the word
"distributed" is not only to point out that the data is distributed
between the participants, but at the same time a record is kept among the
participants. Blockchain technology at its fundamentals can depend on the
extent of its application can be public or private. A public Blockchain
provides read and write permissions and access to all users. Although, some
public Blockchains restrict access to either reading or writing. On the other
hand, a private Blockchain restricts access to a small number of trusted
participants to keep user information secret. (Miraz & Ali, 2018).
·
Application
of blockchain technologies in engineering and construction
Ø Document management and quality of the information
Information security, integrity,
and data transparency were among the most studied topics in this category. To
give context to a document management system, Das et al., (2022) , categorised
the primary functions of a document management system in the AECO sector, which
are: "(1) approval workflow management i.e., facilitating customizable
document approval workflows in which project participants are connected using
pre-defined business rules to support processes such as design review and RFI
(Request for Information) management, (2) 'document lifecycle recording', i.e.
establishing 'audit logs' to help project comply with standard guidelines and
monitor potential problems, (3) 'document version management, i.e. storing,
categorising". Furthermore, although all these documents are handled
digitally, there is a lack of coordination and integration between all the
processes that produce these deliverables since they result from many isolated
processes. The engineering and construction sector faces many challenges,
collaboration and workflows, integrity of the data, the intellectual property
of the documents, the trust, traceability, and security of the data are among
all the things. The property of the information was another topic mentioned by
(Perera et al., 2020b; Xu et al., 2022; Z. Zheng et al., 2020), they pointed
out that traceability of the blockchain creates a distributed record and has
all the signatures, this is on the basis of a property ownership exchange
protocol, securing the data in all the process and keeping a trustworthy record
for all the stakeholders. Wang et al., (2022) proposed the use of intelligent
keyless signature, based on parallel and edge computing to ensure data
security. This uses one of the properties of blockchain, the consensus mechanism
to validate the data between the network peers. Liu et al., (2019) proposed a
framework combining blockchain and BIM for sustainable building design
coordination and collaboration in multiple building life cycle stages, by
capturing the data exchange at three user driven levels: user, system, and
transaction. Zheng et al., (2019) suggested the application of a cloud-based
platform BCBIM to solve the problems of the cloud base information transactions
in the BIM environment, based on private and public blockchain. Sheng et al.,
(2020) stated that the lack of a uniform and open process for handling quality
information in the construction sector, jeopardizes information certification
and may lead to conflicts among stakeholders when problems arise. He created a
hyper-ledger-fabric blockchain architectural solution to decentralize
information management, resulting in more reliable and secure information
management systems. Perera, Nanayakkara, M N N Rodrigo, et al., (2020). In
their research, they talked about the amount of data produced in the sector and
the problems of storing the data. They proposed Blockchain file storage
sharing, as a solution for construction practitioners to store data and manage
documentation in a blockchain that solves the problem of the unused data
storages.
Ø Smart contracts and payments
Most of the papers mentions the
smart contracts in some form applying them in combination with other
technologies like BIM, IoT, with supply chain, contract management, document
management (Sonmez, Ahmadisheykhsarmast and Güngör, 2022; Gourisetti et al.,
2021; Hamledari and Fischer, 2021; Ciotta et al., 2021). Hu et al., (2020)
described a smart contract as an algorithm that automates contractual
transactions predefined by the parties. A smart contract function is
programming their contract clauses and giving if-else-if flow statements,
allowing the blockchain to execute the conditions automatically and take the
corresponding actions in each case. (Z. Zheng et al., 2020). Several studies
which presented frameworks or systems for automated payments and highlighted
the importance to solve the cashflow and insolvency problems that attacks
contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers caused by late payments or unsolved
disputes has been noted by a few researchers (Ahmadisheykhsarmast & Sonmez,
2020; Sigalov et al., 2021; Sonmez et al., 2022). Sigalov et al., (2021)
presented a concept in combination of BIM with blockchain-based smart contracts
is adopted to ensure traceability, trust, and transparency in the enforcement
of the contracts and payments. The framework used is a container-based data
exchange, and the digital contract management workflow. On the other hand, he
stated that due to the lack of legal precedents and rules, binding construction
contracts pose a hurdle. In the meanwhile, a feasible solution is a
semi-automated method of providing a legally compliant and practical answer.
(Hamledari & Fischer, 2021b; Saygili, Mert, & Tokdemir, 2022; Sigalov
et al., 2021). Moreover, Hamledari and Fischer, (2021b) add that using smart
contracts in the industry depends on the adoption of the technology by all the
participants with no exception, the clients, and contractors, to make the
technology work appropriately. Sonmez, Ahmadisheykhsarmast and Güngör, (2022)
conducted research and identify that connecting real-world data to the
blockchain might be difficult for building projects. The proposal to solve this
problem was to integrate an as-built model with blockchain; by applying the
concept and conducting a survey of professionals in the area, most of them
recognised the potential of blockchain with lump-sum contracts. Even though
some of the participants raised their concerns about the data malleability of
the blockchain clauses in case of changes and modifications, this was mentioned
by a few articles due the complexity of the problem in relation of the
immutability of the blockchain (Das, Luo
and Cheng, 2020; Nawari and Ravindran, 2019; Sonmez, Ahmadisheykhsarmast and
Güngör, 2022).
The data indicates the advantages
of applying this technology to construction, removing the trust issues by
augmenting transparency, reducing costs by solving problems in an automatic
form and eliminating third-party actors and large fees with the dispute
resolutions. (Saygili, Mert and Tokdemir, 2022; Ahmadisheykh sarmast and
Sonmez, 2020).
Dakhli, Lafhaj and Mossman (2019)
conducted a study to determine the potential cost savings in real state using
blockchain and eliminating unnecessary parts of the construction chain value.
The study looked at 56 residential buildings, and the results suggested that
blockchain using smart contracts might save 8.3 per cent of the entire cost of
building a house, with a standard deviation of 1.26 per cent. The savings are
primarily from transactional expenses entrenched in a traditional
organization.(Dakhli et al., 2019).
Hu et al., (2020) studied the main
challenge of the smart contracts, which is the "correctness and
unambiguity are its essential formal properties, but also conformance to any
legislation governing the matter of the transaction", the study addresses
these challenges by developing a suitable engineering process to satisfy the
rigorous requirements while allowing for mass production and distribution. Hu
et al., (2020) described the framework as "Smart contract engineering
(SCE) is a systematized, modularized, and judgmental process for the smart
contract that is based on development, maintenance, and execution, and that
integrates with software engineering, intelligent methods as well as legal code
technology". This aims to decrease mistakes and increase efficiency
throughout the contract development process while also encouraging the
standardization of contract design approaches. The system verifies that the
contract code and wording are consistent and compliant with all the rules and
properties of the smart contract during the value transfer process, mitigating
the losses.(Hu et al., 2020).
Ø Supply chain management in engineering and
construction
Christopher, (2011) described
supply chain management as "the upstream and downstream relationships with
suppliers and customers to deliver superior customer value at less cost to the
supply chain as a whole". There is where the blockchain enters, offering
multiple solutions for the chain created between the suppliers and the
customers. From the design specifications and documents to the acquisition of
equipment, materials, human resources, and engineering equipment are all part
of supply chain management. For instance, Wang et al., (2020b) developed a
framework combining BIM and blockchain to address real-world difficulties in
precast supply chain automation, information traceability, and transparency.
They conducted a pilot study with a precast plant in China to demonstrate the
effectiveness of the system, Shanghai Jiangong's management team also provided
encouraging comments, agreeing that the blockchain-based solution can improve
precast supply chain management in practice by improving the sharing of the
information between all the participants, facilitating real-time schedule
control and execution, which allows them to react and control in a more precise
manner the supply chain and real traceability of the information during all the
process. Moreover, Bakhtiarizadeh et al., (2021 identify the importance of the
information for the prefabrication supply chain industry. Hence, he concludes
with the adoption of blockchain as an information integration tool in the
prefabrication industry in New Zealand.
Ø Other technologies for engineering and construction
Liu et al., (2019) identify the
challenge BIM has in sustainable building design and how blockchain in
conjunction with other technologies will help overcome the BIM adoption
challenges. They describe that the problems presented are financial, technical,
and legal risks, the resistance presented by the stakeholders in the adoption
of the strategies, the intellectual property and cyber security and the
responsibility and trust of all the parties involved in the BIM environment.
Moreover, according to Liu et al., (2019) the main application of blockchain in
sustainable design and construction is the smart contracts to manage the
information of the project, enforce responsibility, give transparency and trust
and enhance collaboration and dispute resolution, which Teisserenc and
Sepasgozar also mentioned (2021) that developed a framework for a sustainable
blockchain digital-twins for all the life cycle and dimensions of BIM from
3D,4D,5D,6D and 7D. The research proposes a new category, a contractual
dimension (8DcD), that uses smart contracts to help close the BIM gap and
improve the data value chain's trust, data integrity, and security over time.
In the same vein, Zheng et al., (2019) explained that "BIM can be
summarised into four aspects, namely, integrating with various databases,
facilitating document management, visualising analytical processes and results,
and providing sustainability analyses and simulation". As a result, they
argue that the future development of BIM must be the application of advanced
communication technology to improve the efficiency of the construction
industry. He presents the combination of IoT sensors to collect information in
real-time wirelessly, big data to store and process the data and blockchain to
improve the security and integrity of BIM data and the security concerns
associated with updating BIM models and parameters in intelligent structures.
(R. Zheng et al., 2019).
Similarly, (M. Wang, Wang, Sepasgozar, & Zlatanova,
2020) conducted a systematic review to identify the technology adoption in
industry 4.0 for Off-site construction. The trend identified by the study
suggests the most used digital technologies in the construction industry
adoption of BIM in conjunction with technologies like IoT to collect information
in real-time and photogrammetry, the use of Radio Frequency Identification
Devices (RFID) to help track the labor, materials, and equipment, as well as
the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to increase the efficiency and
accuracy of other technologies. Tiwari and Batra, (2021) proposed the creation
of a platform for facility management uses with the combination of IoT sensors
and blockchain smart contracts with proof-of-concept, to automate the
maintenance works. Hence ensuring automation, encouraging transparency, and
giving security to the whole process. Nawari and Ravindran, (2019) evaluated
the potential integration of blockchain with the BIM process in methe design
review process with smart contracts and Hyperledger fabric technologies.
According to Nawari and Ravindra (2019),
a distributed ledger blockchain system generation platform with a modular
architecture that provides a flexible and adaptable digital foundation with
significant levels of secrecy and scalability. It has a ledger, employs smart
contracts, and is a mechanism through which players control their transactions,
like blockchain technology. This also aids the BIM process by allowing
participants to create subgroups in a in the network and create a separate
ledger of transactions while being part of the Hyperledger Fabric network and
sharing that transaction with the rest of the nodes.
Lee et al., (2021)design and test a
blockchain and digital twin infrastructure for traceable data transmission to
close the gap between BIM technology and the digital twin, using IoT technology
to capture the data on-site and blockchain to authenticate and give
transparency and traceability. The study shows that the blockchain helped
achieve near realtime data, sharing the information to the stakeholders within
3.42 seconds in a reliable, transparent, and secure way the information,
without any intermediaries.
·
Roadblocks
and challenges in the adoption of blockchain in the engineering and
construction industry
Although the implementation of all
of these technologies in the engineering and construction industry appears
promising, there were typical constraints mentioned in the studies, such as a
lack of regulations and legal implications, privacy and security issues with
data, high implementation costs, the inflexibility of blockchain technology due
to the immutability of the blocks (malleability or adaptability), and a lack of
adaptability with other technologies.
Table 5. Challenges in the adoption
of blockchain technology in construction.
|
Article |
|
|
|
|
Challenges |
|
|
|
||||||||
|
Legal Implications and Regulations |
Privacy and Security of the Data |
Adoption Resistance |
Implementation Cost |
Modification and adaptability to the Blockchain
code (Immutability) |
Lack of development and adaptability with other
technologies (Interoperability) |
Validity of data uploaded
to the blockchain |
The actual state of the technology
(Maturity) |
|||||||||
|
A blockchain-based integrated document management
framework for construction applications |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|||||||
|
Construction quality information management with
blockchains |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|||||||
|
Applications of Blockchain Technology beyond Cryptocurrency |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|||||||
|
A Systematic Review of Digital Technology Adoption in Off-Site Construction: Current Status and Future Direction towards Industry 4.0 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|||||||
|
Digital building twins and blockchain for
performance-based (smart) contracts |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|||||||
|
Building Information Management (BIM) and Blockchain (BC) for Sustainable Building Design Information Management Framework |
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|||||||
|
Evaluation of Production of Digital Twins Based on Blockchain Technology |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
Public and private blockchain in construction
business process and information integration |
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
|||||||
|
The Potential of Blockchain in Building Construction
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
|
|||||||
|
Securing interim payments in construction projects
through a blockchain based framework |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
Measuring the impact of blockchain and smart
contracts on construction supply chain visibility |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|||||||||
|
Construction payment automation using
blockchain-enabled smart contracts and robotic reality capture technologies |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|||||||||
|
Blockchain smart contract reference framework and program logic architecture for transactive energy systems |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|
1 |
|||||||||
|
Blockchain Enabled Reparations in Smart Buildings-Cyber Physical System |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
1 |
|||||||||
|
BIM integrated smart contract for construction
project progress payment administration |
|
|
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
|||||||||
|
Automated Payment and Contract Management in the Construction Industry by Integrating Building Information Modeling and Blockchain-Based Smart Contracts |
1 |
1 |
|
1 |
|
1 |
|
|||||||||
|
A smart contract system for security of payment of
construction contracts |
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
|||||||||
|
Blockchain in the built environment and construction
industry: A systematic review, conceptual models and practical use cases |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
1 |
|||||||||
|
Exploring the Barriers against Using Cryptocurrencies in Managing Construction Supply Chain Processes |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
|||||||||
|
Total |
10 |
13 |
7 7 |
7 |
6 |
9 |
12 |
|||||||||
5.
Discussion of the challenges
As the challenges influence the adoption of blockchain in the
AECO industry different solution should be established as a guidance for
initial point to defeat them. In the following list:
Table 6. Critical Discussion of the Challenges of Blockchain
in the AECO Industry.
|
No. |
Challenges |
Discussion |
Example of the Solution |
|
1 |
Current lack and
unharmonized standardization between blockchain systems |
Companies may find it challenging to use blockchain
technology due to a lack of standards and compatibility among different
blockchain platforms. This is due to a lack of knowledge about which platform
to employ, its suitability of the purpose or how to connect it with their
existing workflows and systems. To overcome this issue, key stakeholders in
the AEC industry might collaborate to create common standards and protocols
for blockchain-based systems. This might assist to guarantee that multiple
platforms are interoperable, making it easier for businesses to use
blockchain technology. |
Evaluation of the standardization of payments with cryptocurrencies
in the AEC Industry. |
|
2 |
Data privacy and security |
The blockchain is frequently promoted as a safe platform for
data sharing, there are still concerns regarding how and which sensitive data
will be handled on these networks. An approach of managing this perspective
might be solved by implementing strong security measures such as encryption,
multi-factor authentication, zero knowledge proof systems, and access
limitations. Additionally, the system might also investigate the usage of
public, private, or permissioned blockchains, which restrict access to only
approved users. |
Accessing to personal
information for enforcing the compliance of antimony laundering acts. |
|
Integration with the existing 3 systems |
In the industry there are some invested in legacy
systems that may not be compatible with new technologies like blockchain? To
address this challenge, a solution could be explored in ways to integrate
their existing systems with new technologies through APIs or other
integration tools. The consideration of using hybrid solutions that combine
elements of both legacy systems and new technologies like blockchain are
welcomed. |
The gap closed by the
blockchain in carrying out bank transaction and identification of beneficiary
in a sole unified system. |
|
|
4 Investment cost of implementation |
Implementing new technologies like blockchain can be
expensive, particularly for small size businesses. To address this challenge,
industry stakeholders could work together to develop cost-effective solutions
that make it easier for smaller businesses to adopt new technologies. This
could include developing open-source software or offering financing options
for companies looking to invest in new technologies. |
Assessment of liquidity
pools for business payments to supply chain beneficiaries inside of a
centralized or hybrid system. |
|
|
5 Lack of expertise |
Many engineers and construction professionals may
not have experience working with blockchain-based systems, which can make it
difficult to implement these technologies effectively. To address this
challenge, open-source online resources should be developed by the academia
that compromise the trends and education of employees in developing the
skills and knowledge about emerging technologies. |
They could consider
partnering with universities or other educational institutions to develop
specialized training programs for professionals in the engineering and
construction industries. |
|
|
Scalability of the articulated 6 blockchain based systems |
As more businesses adopt
blockchain technology, there is a risk that the system could become
overloaded and slow down. This is because each transaction on the blockchain
requires verification by multiple nodes, which can be time-consuming. To
address this challenge, business could explore ways to improve the
scalability of blockchain-based systems, |
Utilizing sharing, other
scaling solutions, apply solidity and other platforms as a standard for the
industry. |
|
|
7 Regulatory uncertainty |
Uncertainty in the regulatory environment is another
obstacle to the implementation of blockchain technology in engineering and
construction. Due to the fact that blockchain is a relatively new technology,
it may be challenging for businesses to abide by current rules and
regulations due to regulatory gaps or discrepancies. Industry participants
might collaborate with authorities to create clear rules and regulations for
the use of blockchain in engineering and construction in order to overcome
this problem. |
Discussing how taxing may
impact in blockchain solutions for cash flow problems in public and private
partnership projects. |
|
|
8 Lack of trust |
The trustworthiness and
quality of the data kept on these platforms may still be an issue, despite
the fact that blockchain is sometimes hailed as a trustless system. This is
especially true in fields where accuracy and dependability are crucial, like
engineering and construction. Companies should look into ways to increase the
traceability and transparency of data on blockchain-based systems to address
this issue. |
Identification and
Evaluation of successful cases in applying blockchain for AEC. |
|
|
9 Resistance to change |
Due to their comfort with their current systems or
procedures, many businesses may be reluctant to accept new technology like
blockchain. Businesses could attempt to raise knowledge of the potential
advantages of blockchain technology and offer rewards to staff members who
adopt new technologies in order to overcome this issue. |
Rewards in fomenting new
effective workflows with blockchain technology. |
|
6.
Trends and Future research areas
Future research must address
technological problems linked with the security, scalability, and
interoperability of blockchain systems. Hence, the study deduces the following
research fields based on the researcher's obstacles and opportunities: Further
empirical and case studies in the study domain that illustrate the usage of
blockchain in a real-world setting are required. Furthermore, the technology's
scalability must be addressed in order to manage the vast quantity of data and
transactions that a real-world application will have. Similarly, data security
was a major worry throughout all of the publications. Certain forms of security
vulnerabilities continue to plague blockchain. While it is difficult to hack a
blockchain system, it is critical to keep in mind that the technology is not
without flaws. As a result, additional research should be conducted to address
these security restrictions. Another topic of investigation is information
privacy. Smart contracts cannot be encrypted in the same manner that plain text
can due to their intrinsic nature as executable programs. Although there are
private and public blockchains, further study is required to establish a viable
solution that takes use of the benefits of the two forms of blockchain
encryption. Future research should look on techniques to disguise information
for certain stakeholders in network transaction data. Lastly, the immutability
of the blockchain increases trust and security; yet, it poses issues in the
engineering and construction environments since projects change and, as a
result, contracts do as well. Therefore, this issue needs to be investigated
further to find a solution.
7.
Conclusion
The research goal is to identify and analyze new research
subjects and advancements in blockchain use in engineering and construction and
provide a general overview of the current state of blockchain technology
application in the engineering and construction industry, as well as roadblocks
and future research opportunities. This was achieved using a mixed-method
research approach, bibliometric analysis, and a systematic approach. The
investigation found that many studies have explored that the use of blockchain
in the AECO sector to improve its productivity by improving the collaboration,
traceability and transparency in the business process of the AECO sector. However, it has been observed that because of
the nature of blockchain technology, there is a need to provide up-to-date
information systematically that summarizes the current trends and
implementations of the technology and provides directions for future work.
The originality of this study in providing where and what
knowledge is focused provides academics with a method to easily search for construction
topics in the blockchain. Additionally, the study contributes to the field in
the following ways: Firstly, the bibliometric study provided a fast overview of
the literature published in the AECO industry in connection to blockchain
adoption, including the most relevant literature, research production per year,
top authors, nations, and author keywords. Additionally, the keyword analysis
helps us to understand more clearly the technologies that are currently being
researched in the field for blockchain applications. We may use such data to
determine the present state and trends in blockchain use in the AECO industry.
Secondly, after conducting the screening, we submitted the papers to a content
analysis based on the information obtained from the bibliometric analysis with
the keyword concurrence, allowing the categorization of papers into four
sections of priority to apply and further research blockchain technology: 1)
Document management and quality of the information, 2) Smart contracts and
payments, 3) Supply chain management in construction and 4) Other technologies
for construction like Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of things
(IoT), big data and other technology applications in the industry 4.0. Thirdly,
the analysis identified the current applications that have been developed so
far concerning the use of the blockchain in the AECO sector and the current
challenges in using the technology in the sector. The research showed that the
most studied application of blockchain in the sector solves the lack of
coordination and integration between all the processes with document management
and other applications, such as IoT, big data and BIM. Likewise, the use of
smart contracts is the most mentioned application of blockchain, and this is a
solution for the trust problem in some way, combining them with other
technologies such as BIM, IoT, supply chain, contract management, and document
management. Also, coordination and information quality are addressed with
blockchain document management tools. The most mentioned challenge is the lack
of privacy when the public type of blockchain is used, the maturity of the
technology, and the legal implications and regulations. This reflects the
obstacles associated with these technologies and points the academics to
continue developing and investigating them to answer the problems reflecting
the need for more research and development. Finally, we discussed the
challenges and the trends and future opportunities in adopting blockchain
technologies for the AECO sector. Hence, this will give researchers a better
idea of what applications need future work.
8.
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