Hosts

Speakers

Andrea Aiello
ACCA Software SpA

Presentation

usBIM.blockchain is the first blockchain application integrated with a CDE. It is able to register an IFC file to the Bitcoin blockchain. It is very useful to guarantee authenticity, dates and immutability over an IFC file’s lifetime. Find out more [here].

Biography

Andrea Aiello, PhD is the CEO of Alma Srl (ACCA Software GROUP). He has been developing technical software for the AEC industry for over 15 years. In recent years, he has focused on providing innovative software tools, training and consultancy on BIM. Since 2017 he has been a member of the Technical Committee and training manager of the “BIM Manager” Master’s at the University of Calabria. Since 2019 he has been a member of buildingSMART Italy. He participates in several working groups about BIM in Italy and in Europe. He is very focused on the electrical sector and new technology applied to AEC (i.e. Blockchain, XR). He likes to call himself a BIM evangelist.

Yorgos Berdos
University of Edinburgh / University of Dundee

Presentation

This presentation will explore ways in which trust relates with architecture, the design of systems, and the production of the built environment. In the effort to understand the relevance of trust as an interdisciplinary design parameter, trust is being investigated as an abstract structural concept that affects the production of built footprint and influences the ways in which people interact, both physically and digitally. In order to guide the exploration on the topic, three distinct research areas will be mentioned; which are identified using the terms Hardware, Software and Everyware. These areas begin as metaphors from the computer science domain and evolve to include architectural meaning. Can Blockchain technologies offer a technologically powered framework to solve problems of trust? How can we create an ecosystem for seem-less collaboration between designers, decentralised design problem solving, and sustainable translation of digital designs to fabricated objects?

Biography

Yorgos is a Teaching Fellow in Computational Design & Visualisation at The University of Edinburgh, a Lecturer in Contemporary Practice at The University of Dundee and a registered Architect in the UK and Greece. He has previously taught and lectured in various universities in the UK and abroad and practiced in local and international firms, including Zaha Hadid Architects. Since early 2018 he is an examiner for the ARB. Yorgos is also a part-time PhD candidate at The University of Edinburgh investigating the role of Trust as a design parameter, and blockchain-enabled Trust-less architectures. Yorgos’ work tries to explore ways in which architectural design and thinking are not limited to their prescribed roles.

Kevin Chinniah
I-Cost

Presentation

Innovation is key for the development of the construction industry. We at I-Cost have spent considerable time researching and analysing ways of using technology to assist with cost controlling systems within the construction industry. We have spotted a gap in project costing and we thought it would be beneficial to create a platform to offer this solution. Using previous data analysis for cost prediction and managing future costs. I-Cost is a collaborative working tool to assist all stakeholders within the construction industry to share and view information and ongoing live site data. I-Cost features offers the solution for all project teams in reducing risks, managing costs and improving productivity including efficiency. We are working towards using blockchain technology to assist and offer a tamper proof solution for compliance documentations i.e manufacturers warranty, fire certs and technical data including maintenance.

Biography

Kevin has been working in the Construction Industry for over 20 years. He started as a Designer and Quantity Surveyor, progressing to become a Chartered Surveyor and Adjudicator, and has experience managing operations for mass transportation projects. He strongly believes that technology such as blockchain can bring a great deal of added value to the industry, making it more efficient despite the growing sparsity of experienced personnel.

David Christie & Joseph Mante
Robert Gordon University

Presentation

It has long been said that "cashflow is the lifeblood of the construction industry". For at least 30 years, construction law has had the management of payment processes and resolution of payment disputes at its heart. Smart contracts provide the opportunity for a step change for managing payments through the supply chain. There are questions about how the existing legal regime might interact with these and opportunities to try and pre-empt and resolve issues. The specific focus of the paper will be on comparing the process set out in the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 with a payment procees which would operate through the Ethereum blockchain and facilitate the interaction of decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs) as well as smart contract payment processes.

Biographies

David Christie LLB (Hons) Dip LP MPhil ACIArb is a lecturer in law and Academic Strategic Lead for Academic Programmes at Robert Gordon University. His teaching and research focus is on construction law, and dispute resolution.

Joseph Mante PhD, LLM, BL, LLB is a lecturer in law and the Course leader of the LLM/MSc Construction Law and Arbitration (CLARB) programme at the Robert Gordon University with expertise in complex contracts, construction law, commercial law and dispute resolution. His current research interests include construction procurement, construction contracts, smart contracts and dispute avoidance, management, and resolution. He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Hasem Hamledari
Stanford University, Center for Integrated Facility Engineering

Presentation

Hasem will be presenting CIFE’s work on the application of blockchain-enabled smart contracts in the context of construction payment process. This research studies 1) why blockchain: the role of blockchain in payment automation; 2) how: method for using smart contract and machine intelligence for payment automation; 3) the impact of smart contract on supply chain integration (flows of cash and product); and 4) assessing the impact of blockchain and smart contract on the visibility of construction supply chain in controlled experiments. The work has been validated in real-world case studies where robotic data capture solutions (UAVs and UGVs) are used to provide blockchain with off-chain reality. He will be presenting the work on behalf of himself and Dr. Martin Fischer.

Biography

Hesam is a PhD Candidate at Stanford University, where he studies the application of blockchain-enabled smart contracts in automating construction payments and enhancing the integration and the visibility of construction supply chain. He has extensively published in areas including construction robotics, computer vision, reality capture technologies, and as-built modeling/BIM. He conducts his research under the supervision of Dr. Martin Fischer at the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering (CIFE).

Jens Hunhevicz
ETH Zurich (Chair of Innovative & Industrial Construction)

Presentation

Jens will present his ongoing research on blockchain in construction at ETH Zurich, chair of innovative and industrialised construction. The talk will introduce the promise of crypto-economic incentives for the construction industry, with a focus on blockchain based governance mechanisms. An example of why such mechanisms can be promising and how they might look like is introduced for construction projects, in particular IPDs.

Biography

Jens Hunhevicz is a PhD candidate at the Chair of Innovative and Industrial Construction (IC). The goal of his research is to investigate the applications and implementation of blockchain in construction for supply chain integration and innovative forms of governance.

Dimosthenis Kifokeris
Chalmers University of Technology

Presentation

This presentation will centre upon the conceptualisation, development and testing of BLogCHAIN (Building Logistics blockCHAIN), a proof-of-concept prototype app for the facilitation of downstream construction logistics in the Swedish context. This prototype is the final stage of a research project at Chalmers University of Technology, which started in late 2018 and set to finish at the end of April 2021.

Biography

Dr. Dimosthenis Kifokeris is Assistant Professor in Construction Production and Management of Construction Projects, at Chalmers University of Technology, Division of Construction Management, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Gothenburg, Sweden. His main research interests include construction production, lean construction, construction informatics (machine learning, blockchain, IoT, and BIM), integrated project delivery, and constructability. He conducts his research within Swedish and international projects, and teaches and supervises in the BSc, MSc and PhD levels.

Dongmin Lee
University of Michigan

Presentation

Effective collaboration among various stakeholders is a central element of success throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. The precedent of collaboration is project-related information sharing among these stakeholders. However, current data communication, which is fragmented along the value chain, may have an impact on data integrity and security, in turn hindering accountable information sharing. To address this issue, the authors develop and test a blockchain-enabled digital twin for streamlined and immutable data communication. The digital twin is based on a building information model and updates it using IoT sensor data in real-time while the blockchain, a peer-to-peer network technology, authenticates and adds confidence to all data transactions in the digital twin. Also, blockchain creates a trustless consensus mechanism among stakeholders, so that any data can be shared transparently without a trusted third party (e.g., bank), and the digital twin can be accountable enough for critical decision-making during collaboration on the blockchain. The authors developed a framework combining blockchain and digital twin and tested its potential in terms of data integrity and security through a case project where positioning data from a prefabricated module can update a building information model on a real-time basis, and such data initiate transactions and payment across different stakeholders forming a smart contract. The results show the feasibility of the blockchain-enabled digital twin as a streamlined data communication platform, which provides a more transparent and speedier data and monetary transaction to support efficient collaboration. This research is carried out at the University of Michigan under the supervision of Professor SangHyun Lee.

Biography

Dongmin Lee Ph.D. is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan. He is studying intelligent robotics and AI in construction. His main research interests include integrated digital twin & blockchain for accountable information sharing and digital twin & deep reinforcement learning for advanced robot intelligence.

Jennifer Li
Northumbria University

Presentation

Jennifer will present on why DLT should be considered a socio-technical system for implementation into the construction sector. The presentation will discuss the research she has been undertaking for over three years and highlight the importance of different factors to consider alongside technology when looking at DLT for construction sector applications. The research centres on four dimensions of technology, process, policy and society to ensure that DLT applications have the best chance of success by planning for how it will operate in a day-to-day setting and the disruption it will cause to current practices. Several applications are being explored in this context to identify the key actions to be taken to ready the sector for change. The research will culminate in a framework to support implementation through a structured process that analyses the current state against the desired state for a proposed application identifying the challenges to be overcome and the potential benefits that can be realised by unlocking value through DLT in the sector.

Davide Lombardi
Xi'an Jiaotong - Liverpool University (China)

Presentation

Davide’s presentation will discuss the concept of DAOs and their current applications in the AEC industry and related fields with a reference to potential misconceptions and false myths.

Biography

Davide Lombardi’s research activity is oriented towards an interdisciplinary approach that aims to redefine the boundaries of architecture through digital tools. His interests and publications span from digital design and manufacturing strategies applied to ultra-high-performance concrete structures to the more recent investigations in applying of blockchain technologies to the construction industry. Digital design and fabrications are further investigated as pivotal aspects of cross-cultural research investigating contemporary tools’ impact in manufacturing and re-thinking traditional Chinese timber joints. Alongside his academic activity, he is involved in different design projects and competitions where research theories are applied, tested and validated.

Dermott McMeel
Auckland University of Technology

Presentation

This presentation will report on a recently completed two-year research programme with industry stakeholders in New Zealand into opportunities for blockchain in the construction sector. The report touches on smart contracts but also how emergent blockchain powered currencies might have a role in community development as well as how it could fundamentally change the relationship between how we relate to 'things' in our environment.

Biography

Dr Dermott McMeel received degrees in Architecture from the Queens University in Belfast (1995, 1999) and a PhD (The Artistry of Construction) from the University of Edinburgh (2009). He is currently Head of Department of Creative Technologies at AUT University in New Zealand. His research interests focus on the social, organisational and cultural disruption that technology causes in the built environment. He has sustained a critical enquiry into how architecture, public space and design processes are influenced by communication technology through a variety of installations, funded research, journal articles and conference publications. Dermott is currently focused on exploring opportunities presented to the design and construction sector by blockchain technology.

Giulia Pattini
Politecnico di Milano

Presentation

Giulia’s research aims at streamlining the contract execution in the design phase through the automation of BIM validation and Smart Contracts. The research methodology is based on a process framework that integrates these two technologies and leads a data-driven process in which, at the completion of each information model validation, the payment is automatically issued. The system ensures the client’s information requirements fulfilment, the shortening of payment times and the delivery of the project on time. The framework explained would be applied and tested to the research case study.

Biography

Giulia Pattini is a Building Engineer focused on the digital improvement of the AECO sector. She is currently a PhD student at Politecnico di Milano and is specialising in Blockchain applications for the construction industry. Her research is focused on the integration of automatic BIM validation and Smart Contracts in the design phase to automate the validation of the project, shorten the execution time and assure the release of payment.

Hongyang Wang
ETH Zurich (Chair of Innovative and Industrial Construction)

Presentation

Hongyang will present a technical framework of decentralised autonomous space and a prototype no1s1. Self-owned entities are enabled by DAO. The idea is to apply the concept of self-ownership to a physical space, forming digital governance coordinating real communities.

Lee Youngson
Robert Gordon University

Presentation

In recent years, Blockchain technology has evolved from its original application in cryptocurrency and can now be used for applications such as Smart Contracts. Smart Contracts automatically execute transactions without the need for a central authority however there are very few use cases of the technology amongst UK AEC Design SMEs. This paper uses a hybrid method approach which combines questionnaires with semi-structured interviews to create a framework which showcases how a Smart Contract invoicing process could work for Design SMEs. This could create an automated invoicing process which is more efficient and reduces the risk of late or non-payment.

Biography

Lee Youngson is a fourth year Architectural Technology student studying at Robert Gordon University. He is researching Smart Contracts, stemming from his dissertation and drawing from his experience working for a small rural architectural firm where he has seen the potential for the use of Smart Contracts in AEC Design SMEs.

About the CBC

The Construction Blockchain Consortium was established to develop knowledge transfer, arrange commercial and academic presentations, assess and test commercial services and technology, conduct research, and drive policy, regulation and understanding of the consequences of Blockchain and other emerging technologies in the Built Environment. CBC is led by the UCL Department of Computer Science and The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment.

We also investigate the development of open source tools on behalf of the industry and to encourage application developers to build proprietary technology and services to deliver sustainable construction solutions.