A Blockchain-Based BIM Model for the Smart Building Planning Process

Players in the building and construction industry have progressively adopted building Information Modelling (BIM) to improve the efficiency of building information management through its rich digital building models used at all building life cycle stages. However, there are still several constraints in the BIM collaboration process and data management regarding data security, accountability, and transparency. On the other hand, blockchain, a distributed ledger technology, is considered a solution to address those constraints. Therefore, this paper aims to integrate blockchain technology into the BIM workflow, focusing on the smart building planning process that holds most data generation of the activities in the whole construction project. To obtain the objectives of this study, literature review, benchmarking study, and expert interviews were conducted in two stages, firstly to identify the characteristics and components of a smart building and then to develop further the blockchain-based framework for smart building planning in the BIM model. By developing the framework that utilizes Ethereum blockchain and InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) peer-to-peer storage in Revit BIM client, the results of this study showed that the integration of blockchain in BIM workflow provides an improved platform in terms of data security, accountability, transparency, in which digital signature can be created, and authorization for the models is provided for the planning process of a smart building.