Search

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investing has become increasingly significant in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. However, the AEC industry faces challenges such as non-uniform standards, complex information sources, and data security concerns when collecting and verifying ESG data. At the same time, as one of the key points of carbon emission in AEC projects, the ESG management of construction projects is still lacking. This paper proposed a blockchain-based ESG data management framework, which designed to address these challenges in the AEC industry. The framework and the smart contract and transaction data model applied in it realize data collection and information verification in construction projects. By leveraging blockchain technology's key features of transparency, immutability, and traceability, the framework ensures secure and efficient ESG data management. Additionally, the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) technology enables access to original files for data verification and comparison, further enhancing authenticity. By integrating blockchain and IPFS technologies, our proposed solution enhances the reliability and traceability of ESG data in the construction projects, paving the way for more sustainable and transparent practices

A crucial action of COVID-19 combat is the quick design and building of makeshift hospitals (MHs). Although adopting building information modeling (BIM) promotes the digitalization and communication of design collaboration, data security vulnerabilities (e.g., lacking traceability and transparency) are detected and have inevitably impeded the efficiency and productivity of the MH project. Such problems often lead to rework and unnecessary disputes, wasting valuable time on projects requiring ultra-fast construction speed. The emerging blockchain technology offers an immutable and traceable collaboration environment. However, limited studies have integrated blockchain in the BIM design process, especially design in emergency projects like MH. Therefore, this paper proposes a blockchain-enabled collaboration (BEC) framework for fast and secure BIM design. The framework is illustrated in an actual MH project in Hong Kong, and results show that: (1) it supports secure and automated BIM data exchange and (2) it saves 23 % of the time in a design coordination case